But overall, the personnel changes in the environment have transformed Liverpool. Klopp was without his favorite players last season, but new players have come in and improved teamwork in possession.This is a joint effort and it starts from the ground up. Darwin Nunez has certainly made progress and been helpful in this area. However, the engine room was revived with Dominic Soboszlai, Alexis McAllister, Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo.
These four have been responsible for Liverpool’s entire summer, with their transfer fees totaling around $187 million. Ironically, most of this money is seen as money well spent in the FSG corridors of power.For Gravenberch, this was always going to be a long-term project, so even with the positive signs, the injury is still out. Like Mac Allister, he has had some truly outstanding moments, but his continuity in defensive midfield can overshadow his best qualities. But transfers at both ends of the spending spectrum already look like big business. Endo has come into its own in the last six weeks. Soboszlai may have gone in a different direction, but he showed enough in the early months to secure a bank loan. In addition, he still has a lot of work to do in the field.
Therefore, summer activities will have minimal problems. Interestingly, no additional players are guaranteed a place in midfield in Liverpool 2.0. Curtis Jones proved to be the key to the operation. Klopp had hoped that would happen after putting his faith in the academy graduate at the end of last season, and the 22-year-old has been up to the task.
The manager was full of praise for Jones after his side’s 4-2 win over Newcastle, praising the former Liverpool player who is now leading the way in the media. As he rose through the ranks, some questioned whether the program would be a good fit for the talent. Things are definitely under pressure now. Wherever Harvey Elliott is, he’ll be making some time. Even legal fees of up to $5.4m (£4.3m/€5.0m), which are much cheaper than Endo’s, now seem a bit exorbitant. Despite returning from a serious injury early in his Anfield career, the youngster has the world at his feet and has made a habit of making a real impact off the bench this season.
Would anyone bet on the two playing more games together in midfield in the future? I certainly wouldn’t. Both have incredibly high ceilings and have already had enough battles with Gravenberch. As for Soboszlai, he has the versatility to play multiple roles and could even replace Mohamed Salah one day.
Meanwhile, Mac Allister may still be in contention to start at number eight. In the end, it looked like every room was painted for this before changing the image. This last type of endo reminded me of the value of a professional. However, the Japan captain is 31 years old and it is clear that only Liverpool 2.0 will participate in the first leg. There is another contender in the cards for the future. It’s easy to forget Stefan Bajcetic, but it wasn’t for nothing that Salah named him Liverpool’s best player last season. The Spaniard is still dealing with a long-term injury but the club will make sure he can return on his return.
Bajčetić cost Liverpool more than $250,000 (£200,000 / €232,000) by going into hiding before Brexit rules came into effect. He probably made up for it last season by effectively pushing Fabinho and at least helping the revival. But it was definitely faster than the teenager had planned. He’s still 19.
You don’t have to look far to find the source of Liverpool’s much improved success this season. In the end, only one thing has changed significantly from last season: the midfield. Of course, it’s a bit more nuanced than that. Liverpool picked up where they left off at the end of the 2022/2023 season and Trent Alexander-Arnold’s revised role was a key part of that. Even those changes were aimed at reinvigorating the centre, but he has remained a mainstay of Jurgen Klopp’s new-look side even after the arrival of the new midfielders, with the manager looking to further extend the squad’s influence.
