After a hard fought season that came to an end with a fourth-place finish, Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool have made decent progress in the last couple of seasons but they will know that they have some glaring frailties in the squad that need to be addressed before their European campaign next season.
The German manager is busy trying to lure some of the finest targets in world football to the club this summer as he looks to bring the glory days back to Anfield. They are yet to shore up their defence, which is a position of major concern for the club but one thing they have managed to improve on is the lack of width in attack.
The Reds often struggled to break teams down due to lack of pace and players who can play on the wing in the absence of Sadio Mane last season. However, they have now signed Mohamed Salah from AS Roma, and are expected to use the Egyptian winger in their first team next season. But how does he fit in there?
The former Borussia Dortmund manager has used a 4-3-3 system at Anfield regularly but he was more comfortable in a 4-2-3-1 in his time at the Signal Iduna Park and it is high time for him to move back to his comfort zone.
The Reds have a genuine weakness at the back which needs to be fixed but they have decent quality in midfield and attack and have a number of option for almost every position. Emre Can and Jordan Henderson are expected to get some competition this summer for the two roles in front of the defence.
Brazilian stars Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino should hold their places in the number 10 and the number 9 roles respectively in attack leaving two positions out wide, to be filled by their pacey wingers.
Sadio Mane was used to great effect on the right flank lasts season but their new signing Mohamed Salah picked up 19 goals and 15 assists playing a similar role, albeit in a different league.
A left-footed dribbling machine, Salah is hard to stop in his full flow and it is best for the Anfield outfit to use him in his regular role, especially after his failure to sparkle in his first stint in England.
This will mean that Mane should shift to the left-flank and though it is a change, it is hardly anything new for him. He has played in that role for Southampton and more so for RB Salzburg in his time in Germany. He is also experienced in the English league and should not take too long to adjust to the challenges of the other wing.
Having a right footer on the left wing and a left footer on the right wing will also allow Liverpool to create havoc in the final third as the wingers and the Brazilian duo can interchange places with ease, making their attack all the more fluid.
Liverpool always had creativity at their disposal in their squad but lacked genuine width. Mane’s returns last season showed what a pacey dribbler can add to the attack under Jurgen Klopp and Salah could have a similar impact, if not a better one on Liverpool’s campaign next term.