July 1st is officially here, and with it comes the officialism of Naby Keita and Fabinho as Liverpool players as we officially begin the 2018-19 club season. The World Cup is in full swing as teams are halfway through qualifying for quarter-finals, but the biggest international tournament in the world does not put the club season at a dead halt. Here are some of the sub-plots of the early days of Liverpool's new season that you should be following.
Striker Situation:
Bobby Firmino is locked in as the main striker and perhaps most important part of this Liverpool team. But behind him, it's a bit of a toss-up. Divock Origi returns from loan and Rhian Brewster has signed a new contract with the likelihood of expecting first-team action which adds two more new men to a mix that also already includes Danny Ings, Daniel Sturridge, and Dominic Solanke. Six first-team strikers are already in the squad, but some also still want a reinforcement to be brought in as well.
So what to make of this situations? Well, Origi will reportedly be given a look with fresh eyes in preseason after his stint with Wolfsburg in Germany. Wolfsburg struggled last season needing to win a relegation playoff to stick in the Bundesliga and Origi was not a bright light of brilliance amidst the dark season, but he did slot home seven goals, good for second on the team. The other playoff expected to play a role that didn't last season is Rhian Brewster. Brewster is just 18 but is already being hailed as one of the keys to Liverpool's future after his U-17 World Cup Golden Boot achievement last year. Towards the end of the year, his departure to Borussia Monchengladbach seemed to be very possible, but Paul Joyce of The Times reported in an article (link at the end of this article) that Jurgen Klopp helped convince Brewster to stick with Liverpool. He will be, as stated by Klopp while he was injured, training with the first-team and likely seeing a bit of game time in cup competitions.
How about the three that have hazy futures? First and foremost, on Danny Ings, Paul Joyce reported via his Twitter that Ings has decided to begin the process of looking for a move to get regular game time. Ings and Solanke operated as sort of choices 2A and 2B for Klopp, but with Origi coming back, Solanke seeming to be favored, and Brewster now in the mix, game-time for the hard-working Ings would seem to be a bit more hard-pressed to come by. Solanke, however, could go on loan himself in a search for more regular game-time, but with these reports about Ings searching for a move, it seems more likely that the 2017 U-20 World Cup Golden Boot winner (yes, Liverpool have two youth Golden Boot winners in the squad) will now stay with Liverpool. As for Sturridge, it seems highly unlikely that he will be in Liverpool red next season. The oft-injured striker continues to show glimpses of brilliance, but is not healthy enough and has too many other strikers in the mix to see regular game time.
Who will be the second-choice striker next season then? For my money, I would predict Divock Origi. The Belgian striker is still quite young at just 23 and has traits like strength, size, and nice pace that endear himself to Klopp's plans. His career took a rough turn after being injured in a victory over Everton from a Ramiro Funes Mori horror tackle as he was on flying form before then. Regardless, despite some inconsistency for Liverpool, he has regularly scored for the English side and I would be surprised if he doesn't get another chance. He has all the traits of Solanke in a less-raw form. If he can lead a press to Klopp's satisfaction, then I see no reason why he shouldn't be the key back-up next season for Liverpool.
My prediction for the striker rotation at the start of the season will be:
1. Firmino
2. Origi
3. Solanke
4. Brewster
This projects Ings and Sturridge to leave via transfer. I was thrilled when Ings finally scored under Klopp, but I understand his wish to leave for more game time as he seems unlikely to get it here at Liverpool. It is always hard to say goodbye to players, but Ings and Sturridge both have worked incredibly hard and deserve to regularly play for another side.
Transfer Watch:
While preparations for next season have not come to a halt because of the World Cup, it almost seems like the transfer window has. Nabil Fekir's saga seems to be off as a result of his knee injury, but no one truly knows if it is for certain. Xherdan Shaqiri has been reported to be all but confirmed and set to be confirmed after the World Cup. Moses Simon, a 22-year-old Nigerian winger from Gent, also has reportedly been a target of Liverpool. But again, we are almost certainly not going to see anything in regards of confirmation about any target (known by the press or not) until the conclusion of the tournament. We can, however, discuss feelings about the thought to be known targets. With Fekir talks being done to death and an admittedly low knowledge of Simon's abilities, I'll focus in on Shaqiri.
Shaqiri, with a reported relegation release clause of 12 million British pounds, has impressed at the World Cup with a brilliant corner kick assist against Brazil along with a stellar finish in the 90th minute against Serbia to find a winner for them. The man sometimes known as 'Muscle Square' is still just 26 and plays on the wing where Liverpool need a bit more depth. He was clearly a step above the quality of his fellow mates at Stoke City this season and some have expressed worry about his personality fit, but I remind people that Virgil van Dijk very clearly did not want to be at Southampton and put in some weak performances earlier this season with them. A winning team can fix plenty of perceived attitude problems, and I would not be concerned about them with Shaqiri.
What to Expect:
Keita and Fabinho are the two most exciting men that will be returning to Merseyside on July 2nd for the first practice session of the season, but there's plenty of other players reporting back too. Every healthy player who did not partake in the World Cup, with the exception of van Dijk and Gini Wijnaldum, who played in a friendly with Holland, will also be back. Keita will likely be a box-to-box midfielder, especially hearing his thoughts about himself in his first interview with Liverpool, while Fabinho is seemingly set to play a more holding role, but how they develop in these early sessions with players like Adam Lallana and James Milner will perhaps shape what sort of role they will play once everyone returns for Liverpool. Here are three other things I'm interested in watching out for news about in the upcoming week or two with a limited pre-season squad.
1. The academy youth: included in the 26 players reporting back to Melwood are young players who went on loan, like Sheyi Ojo, Pedro Chirivella, Harry Wilson, and Ryan Kent, as well as Curtis Jones, Rafa Camacho, and Nathaniel Phillips, to go along with young players around the first teams like Ben Woodburn and Rhian Brewster. For all four men coming back on loan, three of whom are wingers, this will be an important pre-season in either establishing themselves as players who can make an impact on the first-team or needing another year of development. But with the new generation of academy projects coming up, that extra year may be fatal for their time in Liverpool shirts. Expect the pre-season to shine a light on who will get first-team minutes in the regular season.
2. Goalies: there are four goalies reporting back, Loris Karius, Danny Ward, and academy projects Kamil Grabara (U-23 starter last season) and Caoimhin Kelleher (U-18 starter last season). With Simon Mignolet likely to be leaving the club, and a new keeper being brought in considered to be hot discussion around the club as well, the pressure is on Karius and Ward to produce in the early season. The subplot of this battle will be Grabara and Kelleher as well as if one man outperforms the other, perhaps this pushes Ward closer out the door, or sends one of the two young keepers out on loan to a lower-division side in England. Keep an eye on this position throughout pre-season.
3. First-choice defenders: Nathaniel Clyne, Andy Robertson, and Joe Gomez, along with Ragnar Klavan, are the defenders who were around the first-team last season that will be reporting back for day one. For Clyne, this is a chance to get his career back in full swing after losing much of last season to injury. Gomez will look to try and impress at his more favored center-back position as right-back with Clyne now healthy seems to be a bit clogged at the moment. With many stars still away from training, it's always exciting to keep track of those first-team lads that do report back first.
Even without the Reds' stars who performed at the World Cup early training sessions will seem to be very exciting. Liverpool fans who are missing their favorite club sides will not have to be disappointed for much longer. Summer break is almost over. It's time for the fun to begin.
Follow me on Twitter @RMAB_Ryan for more LFC coverage, including live-Tweeting of the matches, as well as AFC Ann Arbor and Michigan basketball coverage!
Striker Situation:
Bobby Firmino is locked in as the main striker and perhaps most important part of this Liverpool team. But behind him, it's a bit of a toss-up. Divock Origi returns from loan and Rhian Brewster has signed a new contract with the likelihood of expecting first-team action which adds two more new men to a mix that also already includes Danny Ings, Daniel Sturridge, and Dominic Solanke. Six first-team strikers are already in the squad, but some also still want a reinforcement to be brought in as well.
So what to make of this situations? Well, Origi will reportedly be given a look with fresh eyes in preseason after his stint with Wolfsburg in Germany. Wolfsburg struggled last season needing to win a relegation playoff to stick in the Bundesliga and Origi was not a bright light of brilliance amidst the dark season, but he did slot home seven goals, good for second on the team. The other playoff expected to play a role that didn't last season is Rhian Brewster. Brewster is just 18 but is already being hailed as one of the keys to Liverpool's future after his U-17 World Cup Golden Boot achievement last year. Towards the end of the year, his departure to Borussia Monchengladbach seemed to be very possible, but Paul Joyce of The Times reported in an article (link at the end of this article) that Jurgen Klopp helped convince Brewster to stick with Liverpool. He will be, as stated by Klopp while he was injured, training with the first-team and likely seeing a bit of game time in cup competitions.
How about the three that have hazy futures? First and foremost, on Danny Ings, Paul Joyce reported via his Twitter that Ings has decided to begin the process of looking for a move to get regular game time. Ings and Solanke operated as sort of choices 2A and 2B for Klopp, but with Origi coming back, Solanke seeming to be favored, and Brewster now in the mix, game-time for the hard-working Ings would seem to be a bit more hard-pressed to come by. Solanke, however, could go on loan himself in a search for more regular game-time, but with these reports about Ings searching for a move, it seems more likely that the 2017 U-20 World Cup Golden Boot winner (yes, Liverpool have two youth Golden Boot winners in the squad) will now stay with Liverpool. As for Sturridge, it seems highly unlikely that he will be in Liverpool red next season. The oft-injured striker continues to show glimpses of brilliance, but is not healthy enough and has too many other strikers in the mix to see regular game time.
Who will be the second-choice striker next season then? For my money, I would predict Divock Origi. The Belgian striker is still quite young at just 23 and has traits like strength, size, and nice pace that endear himself to Klopp's plans. His career took a rough turn after being injured in a victory over Everton from a Ramiro Funes Mori horror tackle as he was on flying form before then. Regardless, despite some inconsistency for Liverpool, he has regularly scored for the English side and I would be surprised if he doesn't get another chance. He has all the traits of Solanke in a less-raw form. If he can lead a press to Klopp's satisfaction, then I see no reason why he shouldn't be the key back-up next season for Liverpool.
My prediction for the striker rotation at the start of the season will be:
1. Firmino
2. Origi
3. Solanke
4. Brewster
This projects Ings and Sturridge to leave via transfer. I was thrilled when Ings finally scored under Klopp, but I understand his wish to leave for more game time as he seems unlikely to get it here at Liverpool. It is always hard to say goodbye to players, but Ings and Sturridge both have worked incredibly hard and deserve to regularly play for another side.
Transfer Watch:
While preparations for next season have not come to a halt because of the World Cup, it almost seems like the transfer window has. Nabil Fekir's saga seems to be off as a result of his knee injury, but no one truly knows if it is for certain. Xherdan Shaqiri has been reported to be all but confirmed and set to be confirmed after the World Cup. Moses Simon, a 22-year-old Nigerian winger from Gent, also has reportedly been a target of Liverpool. But again, we are almost certainly not going to see anything in regards of confirmation about any target (known by the press or not) until the conclusion of the tournament. We can, however, discuss feelings about the thought to be known targets. With Fekir talks being done to death and an admittedly low knowledge of Simon's abilities, I'll focus in on Shaqiri.
Shaqiri, with a reported relegation release clause of 12 million British pounds, has impressed at the World Cup with a brilliant corner kick assist against Brazil along with a stellar finish in the 90th minute against Serbia to find a winner for them. The man sometimes known as 'Muscle Square' is still just 26 and plays on the wing where Liverpool need a bit more depth. He was clearly a step above the quality of his fellow mates at Stoke City this season and some have expressed worry about his personality fit, but I remind people that Virgil van Dijk very clearly did not want to be at Southampton and put in some weak performances earlier this season with them. A winning team can fix plenty of perceived attitude problems, and I would not be concerned about them with Shaqiri.
What to Expect:
Keita and Fabinho are the two most exciting men that will be returning to Merseyside on July 2nd for the first practice session of the season, but there's plenty of other players reporting back too. Every healthy player who did not partake in the World Cup, with the exception of van Dijk and Gini Wijnaldum, who played in a friendly with Holland, will also be back. Keita will likely be a box-to-box midfielder, especially hearing his thoughts about himself in his first interview with Liverpool, while Fabinho is seemingly set to play a more holding role, but how they develop in these early sessions with players like Adam Lallana and James Milner will perhaps shape what sort of role they will play once everyone returns for Liverpool. Here are three other things I'm interested in watching out for news about in the upcoming week or two with a limited pre-season squad.
1. The academy youth: included in the 26 players reporting back to Melwood are young players who went on loan, like Sheyi Ojo, Pedro Chirivella, Harry Wilson, and Ryan Kent, as well as Curtis Jones, Rafa Camacho, and Nathaniel Phillips, to go along with young players around the first teams like Ben Woodburn and Rhian Brewster. For all four men coming back on loan, three of whom are wingers, this will be an important pre-season in either establishing themselves as players who can make an impact on the first-team or needing another year of development. But with the new generation of academy projects coming up, that extra year may be fatal for their time in Liverpool shirts. Expect the pre-season to shine a light on who will get first-team minutes in the regular season.
2. Goalies: there are four goalies reporting back, Loris Karius, Danny Ward, and academy projects Kamil Grabara (U-23 starter last season) and Caoimhin Kelleher (U-18 starter last season). With Simon Mignolet likely to be leaving the club, and a new keeper being brought in considered to be hot discussion around the club as well, the pressure is on Karius and Ward to produce in the early season. The subplot of this battle will be Grabara and Kelleher as well as if one man outperforms the other, perhaps this pushes Ward closer out the door, or sends one of the two young keepers out on loan to a lower-division side in England. Keep an eye on this position throughout pre-season.
3. First-choice defenders: Nathaniel Clyne, Andy Robertson, and Joe Gomez, along with Ragnar Klavan, are the defenders who were around the first-team last season that will be reporting back for day one. For Clyne, this is a chance to get his career back in full swing after losing much of last season to injury. Gomez will look to try and impress at his more favored center-back position as right-back with Clyne now healthy seems to be a bit clogged at the moment. With many stars still away from training, it's always exciting to keep track of those first-team lads that do report back first.
Even without the Reds' stars who performed at the World Cup early training sessions will seem to be very exciting. Liverpool fans who are missing their favorite club sides will not have to be disappointed for much longer. Summer break is almost over. It's time for the fun to begin.
Follow me on Twitter @RMAB_Ryan for more LFC coverage, including live-Tweeting of the matches, as well as AFC Ann Arbor and Michigan basketball coverage!
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