Tag: Liverpool

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.

We played Alexander-Arnold in midfield for an entire season to test it as an option for England at Euro 2020

Trent Alexander-Arnold has been at the centre of the media frenzy concerning Gareth Southgate’s final squad selection for this summer’s European Championships.

There were countless reports that Alexander-Arnold would miss out on the chance to represent his country this summer with Reece James, Kieran Trippier and Kyle Walker making up a strong cohort for the right-side of defence.

However, after much speculation, the England manager decided on selecting all four right-backs in his final squad, leaving many questioning the need for so many defensive reinforcements.

Nevertheless, Southgate hinted that all four players could be used in various positions, with their versatility being invaluable. Southgate specifically suggested a role in midfield for Alexander-Arnold.

In order to test the viability of Alexander-Arnold as a central option, we simulated last season on Football Manager 2021, with the young scouser at the heart of Liverpool’s midfield. We then compared Alexander-Arnold’s performances to his real life achievements and to his England midfield teammates.

Trent Alexander Arnold’s personal performances

The first consideration when moving Alexander-Arnold into midfield was to decide what type of player he would be. When analysing his statistics both in real-life and in Football Manager, it was clear that a box-to-box role was most fitting for the 22-year-old.

As well as being the most fitting for Alexander-Arnold himself, it is the role England would require him to play as it is an area of weakness in Southgate’s squad. Many of England’s midfielders are either attacking or defensive, not both.

Alexander-Arnold’s statistics at the start of the FM2021 simulation

In terms of output, Alexander-Arnold contributed just two goals and four assists in 31 games for Liverpool.

This is slightly lower than the two goals and seven assists that he actually achieved last season and is even further down on the four goals and 14 assists he achieved two seasons ago.

However, the Liverpool youngster did provide two notable performances with a man of the match performance against Wolves and a late equaliser against Everton in the Merseyside derby.

Evidence of match a winning performance from Trent Alexander-Arnold

The 85% pass accuracy achieved by Alexander-Arnold in the match against Wolves puts him just behind England’s regular midfielders Jordan Henderson and Declan Rice, who averaged 87% and 88%. Meanwhile, it matched the 85% pass accuracy of youngster Jude Bellingham who looks set to break into Southgate’s midfield.

This level of ball retention suggests a capability to adapt to a midfield role and achieve the levels of those competing against him for a starting place in Southgate’s XI.

Whilst, in reality, this season has been shown a drop in standards from Alexander-Arnold, during the simulation, he secured himself a place in the Premier League team of the season as a midfielder.

This highlights the consistency shown throughout the simulated season and suggests a capacity to perform from the centre of the pitch, even if the number of goals and assists are not as outlandish as years gone by.

Premier League Team of the Season in FM2021 simulation

Alexander-Arnold’s performances last season were erratic with previous high levels attainted at times but new lows also reached. This culminated in Southgate dropping the right-back from his squad for the World Cup qualifiers back in March.

However, the young scouser’s performances since then have really excelled with match winning moments against both Aston Villa and West Brom as well as a man of the match performance at Old Trafford. This upturn in form is what has caused such a dilemma for Southgate.

Overall, the simulation indicated that Southgate could utilise Alexander-Arnold’s talents in the centre of the pitch and still allow him to achieve high-level performances.

However, surely a more effective tactic would be to play to the player’s strengths and allow him to produce world-class numbers from a defensive position rather than potentially losing his impetus by playing him centrally.

Whatever decision Southgate makes will likely impact England’s chances at the Euro’s, but ultimately, he has already made his first correct one by including Alexander-Arnold in the squad. It is now up to both the player and the manager to produces performances England fans expect.

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. 

Ryan Lowe: How Plymouth Argyle’s new manager could affect Liverpool’s young stars

Deemed the “Jurgen Klopp of Devon” Ryan Lowe has begun his tenure at recently relegated Plymouth Argyle.  

The Liverpudlian joined the club after leaving financially troubled Bury following their promotion into League One.

Lowe comes with a reputation of fast, high-intensity football reflecting the styles of Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola.

Last campaign his Bury side were promoted as the league’s top scorers, scoring 105 goals in all competitions.

Ryan Lowe at his first press conference as Plymouth Argyle manager

The Green Army will be hoping a similar style of football is replicated at Home Park next season but how will Lowe’s appointment affect Jurgen Klopp’s young stars?

The newly appointed boss has made clear his strong working relationship with Klopp, reiterating the conversations the two have engaged in.

The partnership could end up being a mutually beneficial one as the South-West has now become an option for Klopp to send his younger players in order for them to develop in a similar style of play to his own.

As mentioned, Lowe is very strong on playing a certain attacking style of football no matter what level you are playing at and believes anyone can achieve this style with “Hard work and graft.”

He said: “I said before why can’t Bury play the same way as a Liverpool, Man City or Barcelona? And now I’m here in Plymouth why can’t Argyle play the same way?”

This attitude could be an attractive feature for the biggest sides in England, more specifically Liverpool to send their youngsters down south to develop in the right way.

Lowe is very much a manager for the younger player, giving five youth players their first team debuts last year at Bury. This coupled with his good man-management skills will see the younger players thrive under his guidance.

The Argyle boss demands that 100% is given by all of his players, all of the time and accepts nothing less, however he understands that the end-product might not always be perfect.

He said: “I expect everyone to give 100%, at times I will forgive lack of quality, but I will never forgive lack of effort.”

This relentlessness and drive, yet understanding of the young player, is rare in the lower divisions of English football and something that makes him all the more attractive for potential loanee’s.

Any young talent sent the way of Lowe will be worked harder than ever before and learn more than they ever have but ultimately, they’ll develop into top young players.

This would be the end goal for Klopp, or indeed any other manager who sends players to the South-West and thus it is likely that many players will tread this path.

In all, Klopp could do worse than to send his youngsters to Home Park and Lowe could do worse than taking some of England’s best talent on-loan. It seems like it could be a beneficial arrangement for both parties so don’t be surprised to see some young reds heading south this summer.