Showcasing Reds’ depth

– Juergen Klopp raised eyebrows with his team selection before the Merseyside derby but, as the leaders look to record a 33rd consecutive Premier League game without defeat, it is Divock Origi (above) who is the talk of Anfield.

The Reds visit Bournemouth today, having set a new club mark for the most consecutive top flight games unbeaten in their storied history.

But the most alarming aspect for their rivals of that 5-2 win over Everton – a result that cost losing manager Marco Silva his job – was the manner in which Klopp was able to showcase the depth in his squad.

The 24-year-old Origi has long been guaranteed a place in Liverpool folklore, for the manner in which he won last season’s Merseyside derby and also helped his team reach the Champions League final, scoring twice in the extraordinary 4-0 semifinal win over Barcelona.

Now, his two-goal display in Wednesday’s clinical derby victory has highlighted his improvements and his potential to play a pivotal role off the bench should Liverpool go on to win their first league title in 30 years.

The front line selection of Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino remains automatic and, arguably, the best trio in European football.

Yet Klopp felt confident enough to rest Salah and Firmino against Everton, selecting Origi as the number nine, the central point of Liverpool’s three-pronged attack.

That role is essential to Klopp’s tactical game plan, not so much for attacking reasons but because Liverpool’s formidable, full-press defensive system is predicated upon the job performed by that number nine.

It also explains why Firmino has become such a key figure in Klopp’s Anfield success and why Origi had usually been used in a wide position – still a vital part of the system, obviously, but not as integral as that central job.

French legend Thierry Henry, a television pundit for the derby, instantly picked up on that point as Origi took on that Firmino task.

“What is important for Divock Origi now is that he played in the middle and that is a great sign of respect from Juergen Klopp because before he was playing him on the right, on the left,” said Henry.

Belgian international Origi, signed from Lille five years ago, was not alone in sending out a timely message about Klopp’s strength in depth. – AFP