OPINION
Liverpool opened their 2018/19 Premier League account with a thumping 4-0 win over West Ham at Anfield on Sunday, but it was not just the players on the pitch who caught the eye for the Reds.
In naming a bench comprised of Loris Karius, Nathaniel Clyne, Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, Daniel Sturridge, Adam Lallana and Xherdan Shaqiri, boss Jurgen Klopp brought to light one of the main problems he will have to face this season.
Liverpool have serious strength in depth following their £160million summer spending spree, with a bench as strong as that not seen on Merseyside for several years.
Obviously such a problem is a nice one to have for a manager, but the way in which a boss deals with having so many talents under his wing can be make or break for a team’s long-term success.
Klopp touched on the issue after the game, admitting, as quoted by the Liverpool Echo: “I had no explanation for Alberto Moreno not being in the squad. Adam Lallana didn’t get on, but he’s getting better and better. Clyney, the same. Dom Solanke, Divock Origi, getting better, but that’s what you need.
“I don’t like telling players they aren’t in, especially when they give everything in the training sessions. It’s completely normal and part of the business.”
Klopp did however seem bullish about the prospect of this issue affecting the Reds’ upcoming season, going on to say: “The only problem is August and September, then we start playing three games a week and I won’t have that problem anymore and everybody will play and everybody will be fine.”
While there is obviously truth in what he says, with games set to come thick and fast by October time, the fact is that Klopp is set to have several players unhappy with their contribution at the end of the season.
Players like Clyne, Sturridge, Henderson, and Lallana will not be content with sitting on the bench for the majority of the season, only starting in cup games.
While Klopp is well known to be a brilliant man manager who cultivates a brilliant squad environment, it is inevitable that he will have to deal with some disillusioned players at some point this season.
The fact that he does not believe there will be any issue after October is hugely naive, and that mindset may come back to bite him if he does not take this major problem seriously enough.
This is not to say that he will not do so, but merely that he needs to be aware that this is an issue which will persist throughout the season, and is one that he must be prepared to deal with on a daily basis as the campaign begins to take shape.
