Category: Opinion Piece

We ‘signed’ Liverpool’s Wijnaldum replacement to see who best fits Jurgen Klopp’s side

Liverpool’s search for a Georginio Wijnaldum replacement has so far been unsuccessful, with countless links to players resulting in very little concrete interest. 

However, with Wijnaldum officially becoming a Paris Saint-German player earlier this week, Jurgen Klopp is expected to make haste in his search for a new midfielder. 

There have been numerous rumours concerning potential targets for Klopp’s Liverpool, but three particular names continue to be part of the conversation.

Lille’s Renato Sanches, Borussia Monchengladbach’s Florian Neuhaus and Brighton’s Yves Bissouma all have been strongly linked with a switch to Merseyside in recent months. Therefore, in order to see who is best suited to the move, we simulated next season on FM21 with each of them as part of Klopp’s squad to find out who would be the most successful as Wijnaldum’s replacement.

Renato Sanches 

Recent reports from French outlet L’Équipe have suggested that a move for Sanches is already underway following his impressive performances at the European Championships for Portugal and during the FM21 simulation the Lille midfielder continued to impress. 

Renato Sanches’ attributes at the start of the 2021/22 season

Sanches made 30 Premier League appearances in a title winning season for Liverpool scoring six goals and gaining one assist, maintaining an average match rating of 7.52 over the course of the campaign.

The Portuguese midfielder also scored two goals in Liverpool’s run to the Champions League semi final but failed to make any assists.

Sanches’ stats for the 21/22 season

Sanches’ output far exceeded Wijnaldum’s 20/21 season for Liverpool where the Dutchman only scored two goals and had zero assists in 38 games.

Wijnaldum’s average match rating according to the Liverpool Echo was also considerably lower at 6.48, suggesting Sanches not only replaced Wijnaldum but improved Liverpool’s midfielder as a whole.

Florian Neuhaus

Whilst Renato Sanches nailed down a spot in Klopp’s starting XI fairly quickly, Florian Neuhaus failed to achieve the same levels of success.

Florian Neuhaus attributes at the start of the 21/21 season

The Monchengladbach midfielder made just 17 Premier League appearances for Liverpool over the course of the season scoring just one goal and gaining just one assist

In fact, Liverpool’s season as a whole was less successful than with Sanches as they finished second in the Premier League to Manchester United and went out of the Champions League to Borussia Dortmund at the quarter-final stage.

Florian Neuhaus’ stats for the 21\22 season

Over the course of the season Neuhaus maintained an average match rating of just 6.91 which is significantly lower than that achieved by his Portuguese counterpart, despite making considerably less appearances.

The German was also not trusted to start any Champion’s League games for Jurgen Klopp, making just four appearance, all of which were from the bench.

Overall, Neuhaus failed to make an impression during our FM21 simulated season but as a whole Jurgen Klopp’s side underperformed, suggesting that the Monchengladbach midfielder was not entirely at fault for his lack of impact.

Yves Bissouma

Bissouma began our simulated 21\22 season slowly starting the majority of the games from the bench, however, from late October the Mali international secured a place in Klopp’s midfield.

Bissouma played a slights different role than the previous Wijnaldum replacements as he adopted a deeper role as a double pivot alongside Fabinho.

Liverpool’s starting XI in our FM 21/22 simulated season

However, a season ending injury in late January put an end to what was a fantastic debut campaign for Bissouma as in the first half of the premier league season he made 18 Premier League appearances, scoring four goals and making two assists.

Over the course of his first five months at Liverpool Bissouma attained an average match rating of 6.98 which is slightly higher than Neuhaus but lower than Sanches’.

Bissouma’s stats for the 21/22 season

Bissouma’s injury was felt by Liverpool as despite being top of the league in January, Klopp’s side went on to finish third. This highlights an important aspect of Wijnaldum’s game that was often under-appreciated, his availability. Any potential replacement will be expected to make 45+ appearances a season, something many players with injury records may struggle with.

Bissouma had a positive impact on Liverpool’s midfield but his injury was a massive blow for Klopp and is something that Liverpool will try their best to avoid with any new signing that is brought in to replace Wijnaldum.

Summary

Simulations on Football Manager 2021 are merely one way of predicting potential outcomes for players should they make the move to a new club and often the real life results may differ significantly.

However, in this case, FM21 has suggested that whilst a Wijnaldum replacement would benefit Jurgen Klopp’s side, it may not be as necessary as many believe. Of the three replacements, only Renato Sanches made more than more than ten Premier League starts, meaning that the current midfield will be tough to break into for any new signings.

This shows that any arrivals at Liverpool this summer will need to be of the highest quality to a make genuine impact but with funds reportedly limited this seems unlikely. Therefore, depth in quality is the most likely approach with Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and Thiago making up Liverpool’s starting midfield.

Overall, the simulation suggested that funds may be better used elsewhere and with the African Cup of Nations to come in January, another attacker may be Klopp’s priority.

FIFA 22: Which Icons could be added to Ultimate Team next year?

At its core, FIFA Ultimate Team, or FUT, is about players creating their perfect squads, using their favourite footballers to compete against other Ultimate Team users.

For many, their favourite players are no longer actively playing, and the majority may have retired many years ago. However, the introduction of legends/icons in the last few years means playing with these players is possible once again.

There are currently 100 icons available to players in FIFA Ultimate Team, but many footballing greats are still yet to be recognised.

New additions to the game this year included Fernando Torres, Nemanja Vidic and Ashley Cole, and with new icons added every year, we looked at the players that may be involved in FIFA 22.

John Terry

John Terry can consider himself unlucky to have not already been included as an icon in FIFA Ultimate Team. Fellow English centre-backs Rio Ferdinand, Sol Campbell and Bobby Moore, are currently part of the game whilst Jamie Carragher was once a Legend in FIFA 14.

Arguably, Terry’s legacy is only surpassed by the World Cup-winning Sir Bobby Moore, and thus an icon item in recognition of his achievements is the least that he deserves. Former teammates Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba are also included in the game, further highlighting the odd exclusion of the former Chelsea captain.

Terry won five Premier Leagues titles, five FA Cups and two Champions Leagues during his career, a trophy haul that far exceeds many icons already included in the game. Furthermore, the serial winner was also included in FIFA’s team of the century, further empathising his brilliance on the pitch.

Terry would be a fantastic addition as an Ultimate Team icon. He was a born winner at Chelsea, and his leadership and defensive abilities helped create one of the best teams of the Premier League era. He was strong in the tackle, unbeatable in the air and as brave as can be. There is definitely a place amongst the footballing elite for Terry, and hopefully, next years edition of the game will include the three-time UEFA defender of the year.

Yaya Toure

Known for his prowess in midfield and his keen eye for goal, Yaya Toure was at the heart of Manchester City’s rebirth in the early 2010s, where he won three Premier League titles, one FA Cup and two League Cups.

Potential cards/ratings for Yaya Toure in FIFA 22

The former Ivory Coast international scored 82 goals in 470 appearances across his career. A quarter of which came when he spearheaded Manchester City’s 2014 Premier League success scoring 20 goals and providing four assists from the heart of midfield.

Elsewhere, Toure had success with Barcelona as part of their sextuple winning squad in 2009 as well as winning the African Cup of Nation with the Ivory Coast in 2015.

Often regarded as one of Africa’s best-ever players, the four-time African player of the year has achieved everything necessary to be considered an iconic footballing figure. Thus, an icon card to recognise this is likely to follow in FIFA 22.

Xabi Alonso

A player whose performances were the epitome of class and grace, Xabi Alonso is often a forgotten hero of the great Spanish teams of the 21st century.

Alonso played a crucial role in Spain’s domination of international football between 2008 and 2012, winning two European Championships and one World Cup.

Potential cards/ratings for Xabi Alonso in FIFA 22

Regularly overlooked due to the greatness of his teammates, Alonso was also vital to Liverpool’s Champions League final comeback against AC Milan in 2005.

Alonso made 547 appearances for teams such as Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Liverpool, and earned 114 caps for Spain. Therefore, a career laden with silverware whilst playing for Europe’s elite means the Spaniard is as deserving of an icon card as any player in the last 20 years.

What is wrong with London Stadium? A Liverpool fans experience in The Bobby Moore Stand

A war zone; surrounded by an army of claret and blue, just waiting to be ousted as the spy behind enemy lines. This was my expectation as I entered The Bobby Moore Stand at London Stadium. However, the hard-men of East London bitterly disappointed my need for excitement as the atmosphere sat a lowly as West Ham in the Premier League table.  

To add some context, as a Liverpool fan who does not hold a season ticket, getting the opportunity to watch the reds is as rare as an Everton win at Anfield; it just doesn’t happen. Thus, when I saw the chance to witness a part of Liverpool’s greatest season in 30 years, I jumped at the opportunity.

As I strolled towards the magnificent structure that is London Stadium with the bitter taste of a paying £10 for a burger still in my mouth, there was an air of resignation, an expectation of disappointment amongst all who wore claret and blue. Murmurs of “I’d take a 3-0” and “I just don’t want to be embarrassed” plagued the pre-match conversation. 

Embed from Getty Images IMAGE: Players surrounding referee Jon Moss during West Ham’s 2-0 defeat to Liverpool

The aura of negativity that surrounded the pubs and bars outside the ground spilled into London Stadium creating an atmosphere reminiscent of a doctor’s waiting room. Initially, I was bemused by the stunning silence that filled the ground, however, as I experienced my first few moments of the old Olympic Stadium I encountered the real issues with West Ham United. 

VIDEO: A debate on what the issues at West Ham are and whether London Stadium has hindered their success

The most glaring issue is that view of the pitch is the equivalent of watching your television through the wrong end of a telescope. The empty void that it created caused a complete disconnect between myself and what was happening on the pitch. One older gentleman sat to my right even brought his own binoculars to try and see over the chasm that divided the fans from the players. 

The player/fan divide was made even more evident with the response the team received upon entering the pitch. There was little to no noise made upon the team announcements and even the “I’m forever blowing bubbles” anthem was sung with as much enthusiasm as a teenage boy performing karaoke with his family. 

However, the most damning aspect of my whole trip to West Ham was the group of supporters sat just five seats to my left. It wasn’t the fact that they were eating popcorn, or that they made the awful decision to wear a half-and-half scarf. It is not even that they insisted on recording every set-piece throughout the whole game. It was the fact that like myself they were not West Ham supporters but were actually openly supporting Liverpool.

VIDEO: Highlights from West Ham’s 2-0 defeat to Liverpool at London Stadium

As I took a closer look around me it was clear that they were not alone, I wasn’t amongst the ‘hard-men of East London’, I wasn’t even amongst fans of the Hammers. I was surrounded by people who just like me wondered onto the club website, booked tickets and sat and supported the opposition, all the while being welcomed to do so. 

An adjustment period to a new stadium can be accepted, the distance between the fans and the pitch can be looked over, however, having rivals supporters in the home end diluting the atmosphere is unforgivable and an issue that West Ham must act upon rapidly.