A lot has been speculated over the Anfield future of Xherdan Shaqiri who is still struggling for gametime despite impressing on limited opportunities. He had his moments last season in Liverpool colours following a £13.5m move from relegated Stoke City. The Swiss star is still adored for the brace he scored against bitter rivals Manchester United helping the Reds stage a famous victory.
Although the Swiss sensation made 30 appearances altogether during the previous campaign, many of those were off the bench. And the winger, in spite of scoring six and assisting five times including one in their historic comeback against Barcelona, has been largely ignored of late by Jurgen Klopp.
Yet the 27-year-old is enjoying his time in Merseyside even though he is ‘dissatisfied’ about not playing more often. However, he has earned a leadership status within the side as told to Schweizer Illustrierte in a recent interview.
“I was in the starting XI in the return leg of the Champions League semi-final against Barcelona, which will go down in club history. And because of my two goals to defeat everlasting rival Manchester United, they still often call me a legend.”
“Apart from the fact that I would like to play more, I’m happy in Liverpool. I have a certain status in the team because I am one of the more experienced players. I think I’m one of the leaders.”
Why Klopp Has Not Explored Him More Often
While the player had injury concerns in the recent past, the lack of pre-season minutes is touted to be one of the reasons why the gaffer is yet to explore him this term. Shaqiri made four cameos before being sidelined with a muscle tear but is likely to return to contention for the first team once the ongoing international break ends.
He might have to rebuild his match fitness to find a place going forward, but a few aspects of his game needs to be improved to circumvent the bit-part status. Shaqiri must track back more often while operating from the flank and should work harder on retaining possession.
Why Klopp Should Reintegare Him After The Break
Klopp has tweaked his formation at times to surprise the opponents, and a 4-2-3-1 might see Shaqiri securing a place down the right allowing Mohamed Salah to operate centrally shifting Roberto Firmino in a ‘number 10’ role.
Also, the Egyptian has been struggling for a while in front of the goal and is being predictable with his runs and moves. A change in the set-up should benefit all under the present circumstances and Liverpool, eight points clear at the top of the league standings, would need the Alpine’s services later in the campaign.
