da apostebet： Liverpool are having a season far superior to what many would have expected. Playing some of the best football across Europe, Jurgen Klopp’s side have been as successful as they have been enjoyable.
da dobrowin： Flying high at the top of the Premier League, the Reds must be considering a top four finish as the bare minimum by now. Winning the title, meanwhile, is a very realistic possibility, particularly with the additional bonus of those empty weeks without European football. A squad laced with talent and prospects continues to produce some of the most unstoppable football in the world, making the future a bright one at Anfield.
Klopp is no stranger to this sort of success, either. He has been as influential in his squad building, change of team mentality and tactics, but the January window could define the early knockings of his Merseyside tenure. Often a market that clubs want to veer away from, Liverpool must not be afraid to throw the cash about this winter, in the knowledge it could make all the difference come May.
Left-back
Although James Milner has been doing a solid job at left-back, and Alberto Moreno has improved on his erratic performances of last season, Liverpool should still be in the market for one of the continent’s best left-sided defenders to complete what is an increasingly confident backline.
Inflated prices in the January market could discourage left-back investment, but it is not something that Klopp should rule out.
Mane II
Sadio Mane, despite his inconsistencies, has been acknowledged as one of the decisive factors in Liverpool’s improvement this season.
His pace has stretched the game, giving Liverpool a different option in the final third, and made it harder to congest the space for Adam Lallana, Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino to operate.
Mane’s African Cup of Nations absence in January would, potentially, be the greatest loss to this Liverpool side and its hard to see who could quite play that role.
Centre-back
Despite the excellence of Joel Matip, there are still ugly questions looming over Liverpool’s central defensive options. Dejan Lovren has continued to show that he can be relied on to produce a howler or five, while Klopp’s relationship with Sakho is remains a mystery.
With Lucas Leiva still being forced to drop into the centre of defence on the odd occasion, additional depth at the back is required.
False nine?
Roberto Firmino has fully justified Jurgen Klopp’s decision to remove Daniel Sturridge and Divock Origi from the starting line-up. The Brazilian has been one of the Premier League’s best players this season, he’s been that good.
When Sturridge has occasionally featured, the team has not functioned as fluidly, either. So what if Firmino gets injured? Liverpool will either need to adapt to playing around Sturridge or find a player to slot into Firmino’s role – capable of peeling away from the traditional striker slot to create space for the attackers either side of him.
Bring back Xabi
Jordan Henderson has done a splendid job at the base of Liverpool’s midfield to date, sweeping up loose balls, controlling the tempo and playing with excellent discipline.
Marko Grujic and Emre Can are the players most likely to fill in should Henderson be unavailable, but there is a continued concern that the Reds lack a natural ‘sitting’ player – an area they must strengthen.
A big-n-burly, old-fashioned playbreaker would also give Klopp a different kind of option when facing physical teams, such as Chelsea, in the big games.