OUT OF AFRICA TALKS
BIG MATCH VERDICT
JURGEN KLOPP revealed that Liverpool are still working on getting permission for Mo Salah and Sadio Mane to report late for the African Cup of Nations in a bid to have the duo available to face Chelsea in the new year.
Egypt star Salah and his Senegalese strike partner Mane could be missing for five weeks when the tournament kicks off in
Cameroon in January.
Clash
FIFA regulations state that they should link up with their respective countries after Liverpool’s Boxing Day clash with Leeds United.
But the Merseysiders are in talks with both nations to keep Salah and Mane until after the crunch Premier League fixture against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on January 2.
That would also make them available to Klopp for the game against Leicester at the King
Power Stadium on December 28.
Klopp was asked if the talks had been successful after his team’s 4-0 thrashing of Southampton.
He said: “Not really. It’s too early for that. We are still talking and we are
hopeful.”
LIVERPOOL’S refusal to secure a direct replacement for Gini Wijnaldum over the summer had a lot to do with their starting midfield against Southampton.
As far as Jurgen Klopp was concerned, that issue had been dealt with a year in advance with the signing of Thiago from Bayern Munich.
Unfortunately, fitness problems across the entire squad have meant that the Spaniard has rarely featured in what could be considered Liverpool’s strongest midfield since.
Yesterday’s canter against Southampton represented just the third time that Thiago has started alongside skipper Jordan Henderson and Fabinho in the middle of the park for the club.
The first of those outings came last September at Goodison Park, and lasted just 10 minutes before Fabinho was moved to central defence as a result of a catastrophic injury to Virgil van Dijk.
The second, too, was ended prematurely, with Thiago limping off an hour into a 3-0 victory over Crystal Palace earlier this season.
Consequently, Liverpool supporters will have been excited by the teamsheet that emerged an hour ahead of kick-off at Anfield this weekend showing all three starting.
That feeling of having something to look forward to was only enhanced by the crushing win that followed against Ralph
Hasenhuttl (above) and his sorry Saints. And the emphatic result came, in part, thanks to a new-look engine room.
There were, of course, some teething issues for a combination that is still taking its first steps together.
A loose Thiago pass almost put Southampton in on goal in the opening minute only for some Alisson brilliance to bail him out.
And all three players were, at times, guilty of getting caught on the ball as the visitors pressed aggressively early doors.
But, in among the rare missteps, there were countless moments of great promise that suggest this midfield has every right to call itself Klopp’s first choice.
Class
Diogo Jota (left) continued his fine strike rate this season with a first-half double that took him to eight for the club so far in the campaign
Thiago is not renowned for his scoring, but his second goal in a week represented another important confidence boost for a player who oozed class, picking out passes that few in world football are capable of seeing.
Fabinho, meanwhile, intelligently prowled the space in front of Liverpool’s back four, hoovering up loose balls and shutting down Saints attacks.
And Henderson was typically busy in the spaces between, pressing relentlessly and showing his own underrated eye for
a pass. Those individual performances laid the foundations for another convincing victory that underlined the Reds’ title credentials.
However, it is the growing understanding between this talented trio that is perhaps the most exciting prospect in the long term. On paper, Henderson, Thiago and Fabinho represent the perfect mix of craft, graft, intelligence and leadership.
And the good news for Klopp is that, finally, they are getting the chance to prove that the same is true on grass. If there is one key caveat to the immense potential of this midfield unit, it is that all three players must stay fit for a prolonged period in order to deliver on it.
Missed
That has not been easy over the last 18 months, a fact that Klopp gave a nod to in removing both Henderson and Thiago (celebrating his goal, right) here just past the hour mark with the game won.
Another man who has missed an awful lot of football in the last year, centre-back
Van Dijk added a fourth. Protecting all these players, especially the midfielders, has undoubtedly been made easier by the return to fitness of Alex Oxladechamberlain and James Milner, who appeared as substitutes.
Curtis Jones and Naby Keita, meanwhile, are not thought to be too far behind as they too recover from injuries. It is unfortunate for these fit-again men, though, that their return to contention is coinciding with the long-awaited arrival of a new midfield set-up that is going to take some serious dislodging.
For Klopp, the opportunity to name his three best players in what is the most important part of the pitch has been a long time coming.
But, if Thiago, Henderson and Fabinho continue like this, then it may well have been worth the wait.