Squad updates 2023/24

Article by Matty.

In a year Liverpool have managed to set themselves up quite well for both the present and future. It hurt in the short term to say goodbye to legends like Mane, Firmino, Henderson, Milner and even Fabinho in a short time span, but right now it all seems very much worth it. The team looks young and hungry again, we’ve kept the true cream of the crop from our old world beating core while building up a new one. Mo Salah is still Mo Salah, Andy Robertson is still Andy Robertson, Alisson is still Alisson. Virgil van Dijk has had a slow start this season but if he can be back to his imperious best, the defense will already look much better. A lot of questions from last season already look answered. Yes, Darwin Nunez is that guy to lead the forward line. It turns out we might not need a CB until next season with how good Matip, Gomez and particularly Jarell Quansah have looked. Perhaps the patchwork CDM job of Endo, Bajcetic and playing Mac Allister slightly out of position will work. We’re back to my bread and butter when it comes to articles: squad analysis.

In goal we have Alisson, the best goalkeeper in the world. This defense has been lucky to have him save their ass more than a few times already this season. Behind him is Caoimhin Kelleher, an overqualified backup who could start for a handful of PL teams but has instead chosen to stick around with the boys. This club is all the better for it. Adrian is here for the vibes, players like Marcelo Pitaluga and Fabian Mrozek are developing nicely with the U23s. We are fine for a long time in goal.

The defense itself was my big concern once the season started and they haven’t quite done enough to allay my fears. We’ve already had a temporary rash of injuries at the spot, and I must admit I’ve lost considerable confidence in Konate’s ability to ever be available for more than 50% of the games. He’s such a brilliant player but he cannot be relied upon as anything more than a backup. Which is a problem when Matip could be leaving, Virgil is 32 and clearly on the decline, and Joe Gomez, despite looking good at both CB and RB this season, has his own laundry list of injury concerns.

In steps the 20 year old youth academy product Jarell Quansah. He’s been brilliant to start his Liverpool tenure. Good pace, considerable quality on the ball, but what makes him a standout for me is his composure. So many young CBs lack this composure and make rash mistakes, that doesn’t seem to be an issue with Quansah. I’m actually hopeful he’s starting most of our games by the end of the season. I still think we will need a CB next summer to replace Matip but the defense for now looks like it can hold up. Everybody except Virgil seems in good form and hopefully that continues.

Now we get to the RB conundrum. Andy Robertson is still an absolute terror for the opposition from the left flank and he has done a wonderful job playing both in a back three and when he’s given the license to fly forward in a back four. Kostas Tsimikas just extended his contract and is great for the vibes and whenever Robbo needs a breather. Trent has had a patchy start to the season. He’s looked absolutely dreadful in defense at times but has continued to thrive creatively in his new inverted role. However, I feel that with Szoboszlai’s creative threat on the right flank, along with Salah’s playmaking ability on the wing and Mac Allister’s composure in the middle of the field, Trent is no longer a lock to start every game.

There would be games against certain teams where I’d play Gomez at RB over him, just to provide more defensive stability while the new midfielders pick the passes Trent normally would. Which speaks a lot about how well Gomez has done when called into action at RB. Conor Bradley is another option whenever he comes back. As for Calvin Ramsay, let me tell you about the story of Taro Tsujimoto. An imaginary player the Buffalo Sabres once drafted in 1974 as a middle finger to the NHL. Calvin Ramsay does not really exist. We just made him up to fill out a team sheet.

The midfield itself, after being devoid of creativity for a long time, is suddenly overflowing with it. Between Trent’s forays into the midfield, Mac Allister dictating the play, and Szoboszlai being a dynamic attacking threat from midfield, we really have an ideal midfield setup. Guys like Jones, Elliott and Gravenberch have each done very well for themselves when on the field, meaning the depth in the midfield suddenly is very healthy. We haven’t even heard Thiago’s name once this season when he was arguably our best midfielder over the past 2-3 seasons. That’s how much we’ve upgraded this area of the field. Except for one area, but I think that might be intentional.

Perhaps we didn’t buy a CB so that we could give Quansah a chance to shine and perhaps take a spot in the starting eleven when all is said and done. Similarly, perhaps we didn’t buy a CDM so that Stefan Bajcetic could make the spot his own. Watch this space over the next couple months, after all Bajcetic has only just made it back into the squad after recovering from a serious muscle injury that ended last season early for him. Wataru Endo is a solid CDM, I like him. But Bajcetic could be one of the world’s best CDMs by the end of next year if we give him the time to take the spot. He’s that good. I’ve felt the lack of a proper CDM is partly why the defense has looked so shoddy at times. Bajcetic could be that CDM, and I’m hopeful he gets the chance to prove it. Thiago will likely be leaving at the end of the season so if Bajcetic doesn’t take the CDM spot, we can use Thiago’s wages and open squad spot to bring in a world class CDM.

Up top, there’s really not much to be concerned about. Mo Salah is off to possibly his best start to a season in Liverpool colors. At an age when decline begins to set in, Salah just keeps getting better and better. Maybe if Saudi give us £300 million, I’d consider letting him walk. But I think the decision to leave would be up to him more than the club, and even with all the attacking talent the club has, I’m still very reluctant to let him walk, no matter the price Saudi would be willing to pay. He’s just that good, you really wouldn’t be able to replace him. Elsewhere in the attack, Gakpo and Jota have continued to impress in their respective roles while Luis Diaz is one of the most electric players in the league. Ben Doak has a clear role as Salah’s backup and looks more than capable of filling Salah’s shoes whenever Mo says goodbye. Which hopefully isn’t for another 3-4 years but who knows.

The real story of the season up front, besides Salah’s continued dominance, is Captain Chaos, Darwin Nunez. He looks like he’s figuring the game out, and that’s a massive deal. Between him, Mac Allister and Szoboszlai, along with Trent’s constant movement from RB to midfield and back, this team is absolutely different to defend compared to previous seasons. Much more unpredictable. I think as Nunez continues to get more game time, we will see just how good he can become. A real striker, at long last, graces the Kop once more. And we’ve also managed to replace Bobby with Gakpo so we get to choose when to play a false nine and when not to.

Perhaps that’s the biggest shift in this Liverpool team so far: unpredictability. For so many years, we had a set system that worked wonders, but if teams could suss it out then we didn’t have an answer. It’s why we couldn’t beat Madrid in Paris. It’s one of the reasons why we almost always fell short of the PL title. Just one too many draws over the course of the season was all it took to take the title from us twice. This current Liverpool team, the first real season with a new group of players, has a different identity. We’ve got so many great players with different skill sets, it doesn’t matter how it happens or what system we’re set up in. We’ve got the players to break down any defense, one way or another. They have the youth, the vigor, the desire to press for 90 minutes and defend like their lives depend on it.

Overall, this team should have every fan very optimistic for the future. Personally I feel we are still a world class CB and world class CDM away from a true run at the quadruple, but we have young talents in Quansah and Bajcetic in those positions that could become world class. But this midfield is worlds better than any midfield Klopp has had at Liverpool, the attack has more dynamism and unpredictability than we’ve seen for a long time, and we still have the best goalie in the world. If Virgil gets back to his best then the defense will follow. I’m still trying to keep my expectations relatively low for this season, but the future undoubtedly looks very bright.