Klopp bound to flop with tame bench
THESE were the non-defensive substitutes Manchester United had on the bench against Spurs at the weekend: Wayne Rooney, Marcus Rashford, Juan Mata and Marouane Fellaini, with 314 top-flight league goals between them.
These were Chelsea’s against West Brom: Cesc Fabregas, Willian and Michy Batshuayi, who have collectively scored 174 league goals.
These were Manchester City’s against Leicester: Raheem Sterling, Yaya Toure, Nolito and Leroy Sane, with 218 league goals to their names.
Meanwhile, when Liverpool looked to inject something fresh into its stale attack against West Ham, they had two defensive midfielders, Lucas Leiva and Ovie Ejaria, plus 17-year-old Ben Woodburn to choose from. With one Premier League goal between them, scored in 2009.
The kids may turn out to be fantastic. But when Liverpool need to change things, going forward, a few injuries leave them hamstrung.
With Danny Ings out for the season, Daniel Sturridge out when there’s an “r” in the month, Philippe Coutinho always likely to take a knock through over-physical marking and Sadio Mane soon to be away at the Africa Cup of Nations, if Jurgen Klopp identifies any attacking talent in January, the owners must do everything they can to back him.
Or run the risk of another promising season fizzling out.