Has Klopp found his midfield three to get back into top four?
Liverpool have scored 28 and conceded just twice in the five games Henderson, Fabinho and Elliott have started together this season – after putting Man United to the sword, is this Klopp’s midfield three to get back into top four?
- Liverpool have reduced the gap to the top four after an impressive run of form
- They have a superb record when Henderson, Fabinho and Elliott play together
- Jurgen Klopp may have stumbled upon his go-to midfield for the rest of the year
‘We know we have to change things and we will,’ Jurgen Klopp said last month when asked about Liverpool undergoing a rebuild this summer.
‘We cannot do that now but it is already clear we have to do something in the summer. I knew it would be tricky, that is one of the main reasons I signed a new contract.’
After a difficult season that has seemingly continuously reached new lows, things are beginning to look brighter at Anfield with the Reds now only three points off the top four and with a game in hand on fourth place Tottenham after Sunday’s memorable 7-0 thrashing of Manchester United.
It hasn’t lessened the desire from Liverpool supporters for a rebuild though, with many pundits and fans alike critical of their squad ageing this year as several stars who are usually so reliable have endured tough campaigns.
This has been particularly pertinent in midfield, with Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara all struggling at points.
Liverpool are just three points off the top four after an impressive run of form in recent weeks
Young midfielder Harvey Elliott shone during Sunday’s 7-0 thrashing of Manchester United
When lining up in midfield with Elliott, Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, the Reds have an astonishing record, winning five games out of five, scoring 28 goals and conceding just two
Elsewhere, Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner are expected to depart upon the expiry of their contracts at the end of the season, meaning the Reds may need to bring in as many as three midfielders this summer.
This has been topped off by the disastrous loan signing of Arthur Melo who has played just 13 minutes in all competitions.
Liverpool have subsequently been linked to a whole host of midfielders, with the Reds reportedly favourites for Jude Bellingham, along with interest in Mason Mount and Matheus Nunes.
The talk regarding their struggles did ease with the win against United where they looked back to their best, and they are now unbeaten in five league games.
Harvey Elliott, Jordan Henderson and Fabinho lined up in midfield and all three excelled, with Liverpool winning their fifth game out of five this season when the trio have started together.
In fact, they have scored a whopping 28 goals in the five matches, including netting seven or more on a remarkable three occasions, while only conceding two.
The aforementioned five games are: Liverpool 9-0 Bournemouth, Liverpool 2-1 Newcastle, Rangers 1-7 Liverpool, Ajax 0-3 Liverpool and Liverpool 7-0 Manchester United.
Despite perhaps not being the first choice midfield trio on paper for many Liverpool supporters, the astonishing run of results poses the question of whether Klopp has stumbled upon his best midfield and if this is the combination he should use for the rest of the season.
The demolition of their arch-rivals was huge for the club for a variety of reasons, not least for the fact that among the Reds’ starting XI and substitutes used there were seven players aged 23 or under, meaning it was perhaps an early look at the next great Liverpool team under Klopp.
One man who impressed and will be crucial to that rebuild is Elliott. The 19-year-old has quietly gone about his business this season, racking up 38 appearances in total, with 22 of these from the start.
He has featured on both the right wing and in central midfield, although 66 per cent of his minutes have come centrally – when he usually lines up as the right-sided member of the trio – as was the case on Sunday.
Liverpool are expected to undergo a significant rebuild in the summer, particularly in midfield, with stars such as Jude Bellingham (above), Mason Mount and Matheus Nunes linked
With Fabinho, Henderson and Elliott, Jurgen Klopp may have stumbled upon his ideal midfield
James Milner (left) and Naby Keita are both expected to leave when their contracts expires
Elliott moved to Liverpool as a 16-year-old from Fulham back in July 2019 after making his Premier League debut months before which made him the league’s youngest ever player at the time.
He enjoyed a extremely successful loan spell with Blackburn Rovers during the 2020-21 campaign, before he began to make his mark at Anfield last season.
However, he unfortunately dislocated his ankle and missed a significant period of time, returning for the end of season run-in, but he only featured 11 times in total across the campaign.
Elliott has gone from strength-to-strength this year, often linking up with Mohamed Salah – who he labels his mentor – and Trent Alexander-Arnold on the right-side of Liverpool’s attacks.
When comparing him to other options in Liverpool’s midfield courtesy of Delphlyx – a smart data platform – there are several interesting points which demonstrate his undoubted potential.
For the purpose of comparisons, the data was weighed up on eight different metrics per 90 minutes with Elliott’s results highlighted in brackets: successful through passes percentage (47.62), xA (0.19), successful smart passes percentage (27.27), a percentage of duels won (36.28), progressive runs (1.93), touches in the box (2.21), progressive passes (6.36) and a percentage of successful dribbles (74.47).
Elliott has outshined Milner in several different attacking statistics when playing in midfield
Elliott (pink) also has a better attacking output than fellow youngster Stefan Bajcetic (blue)
However, the young Spaniard’s defensive qualities shine through when other metrics are used
Elliot’s stats outshine Milner in five of the eight metrics with his attacking qualities highlighted by his superiority on successful dribbling percentage (74.47 per cent to 65.38 per cent) and successful through passes (47.62 per cent to 38.46 per cent).
Although his defensive vulnerabilities – something that he has been criticised for at times – could be demonstrated by a reduced number of duels won (36.28 per cent) compared to Milner (40.36 per cent).
This is again evident when compared to another of Liverpool’s young talented midfielders in 18-year-old Stefan Bajcetic.
Elliott significantly outshines the young Spaniard in all metrics used bar duels won, although there is only a 1.05 percentage gap between the pair.
It could be argued this is expected with Elliott known to be a more attacking midfielder and Bajcetic’s defensive strengths are evident when analysing ball recoveries, interceptions and defensive actions, where the 18-year-old is much superior.
Their respective qualities have perhaps been demonstrated through Klopp’s selection, with the five games when Elliott has played alongside Henderson and Fabinho being in matches where Liverpool would be expected to be on the front foot and dominate possession.
In comparison, Bajcetic has been preferred in matches such as the Champions League clash with Real Madrid , while against Chelsea in January, the Spaniard played centrally, while Elliott featured on the wing, suggesting a horses-for-courses approach by Klopp.
Elliott is also statistically outperforming another midfield rival Naby Keita – with Keita’s numbers from last year used due to the Guinea star’s injury problems this year.
However, according to Delphlyx, Elliott is outshone by the experienced Thiago in five out of the eight measurements, although given the youthful nature and success the Reds have had when the former Fulham youngster has featured – combined with the Spaniard’s age and injury record – perhaps Klopp may look to blood the Englishman for the rest of the season.
Thiago (blue) has superiority over Elliott (pink) but the youngster has significant potential
Elliott has also proven to be a more reliable option for Klopp than fellow midfielder Naby Keita
With Fabinho seemingly back to his best – something Klopp confirmed last week – along with Henderson picking up form, the picture in midfield is suddenly a whole lot brighter for Liverpool.
Bajcetic has also impressed, and Thiago will soon return from injury, providing several different options for the Reds.
Coupled with the fact Liverpool now have their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League in their own hands, plus the likelihood of at least one major midfield addition in the summer, Klopp will be extremely satisfied with how things are panning out.
But with 28 goals scored and just two conceded in the five games Henderson, Fabinho and Elliott have started together, maybe the German has a ready-made midfield for the rest of this season to ensure they finish in the top four.
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