As Jürgen Klopp roared into Anfield, thereby waking the Kop from their slumber they had been put into by Brendan Rodgers, a new era was welcomed which signalled the possibility and belief Liverpool could slowly crawl back up to the standard they had set for themselves over the decades.
The first and foremost move that Klopp made was getting the Anfield faithful by their side again. The notion that Liverpool weren’t headed anywhere under Rodgers had caused restlessness amongst supporters which increased manifold as matches went by.
While Jürgen Klopp has been able to instil belief and a sense of hope to the spectators, there is still a long way to go before the results show on the pitch. There have been glimpses of the promised future, most vividly in matches against Manchester City where they steamrolled the Etihad outfit. But embarking on a consistent run of such games will be the real challenge for the former Borussia Dortmund manager.
Klopp has made a handful of signings over the summer while patching up his back-line and has also reinforced his attacking options. Klopp is known for his high-intensity approach and expects his players to be fully committed to the team’s cause and give their 100% on the pitch.
While the Reds have seemingly covered bases in defence and attack, the lack of a top-quality defensive midfielder stands out as a sore thumb. While Can and Henderson have looked promising on occasions last season, the Englishman has his niggling injuries to deal with and has not fully convinced of his abilities to rival the likes of Pogba and Gundogan in the other top teams. With Joe Allen set for a Stoke medical and Lucas Leiva’s role being more of an emergency back-up, a move for a proven defensive midfielder does not seem implausible.
Over at PSG, the future of Blaise Matuidi is seemingly up in the air. After catching the eye of big European clubs with his consistently impressive performances in the Ligue 1, he has been linked with various clubs this summer. In his previous season with PSG, Matuidi had a pass accuracy of 92%, he also scored 4 goals and further created 26 chances. But with the arrival of Unai Emery, there seems to be suggestion Matuidi might be allowed to leave the club for a figure in the vicinity of £25.5m, which is a steal for a player of his calibre. PSG have already bought Grzegorz Krychowiak from Sevilla in the defensive midfield position which might suggest they are willing to listen to offers for Matuidi.
While Manchester United are said to be monitoring the player’s situation at the club, Liverpool would do well to make a move. His high energy displays fit in well with Klopp’s philosophy and the allure of the Premier League will appeal to the player.
Liverpool have signed players with potential, but Matuidi could well be the most imperative of buys. At 29, he is at his physical peak and the chance to get regular game time and help Liverpool achieve the targets they are set out for under Klopp just seems like filling square pegs in square holes!
