It has been a good few weeks for the Liverpool fans in the Transfer Tavern. They’ve bounced back well from a tough spell, with several of Liverpool’s key men really beginning to impress. Particularly going forward, Jurgen Klopp has a lot of options, and Chris Sutton, formerly of the likes of Chelsea and Celtic, and now a pundit, has been discussing Klopp’s choices in the attack with the Daily Mail.
Heaping praise upon Liverpool’s attacking line in contrast with Man City’s, he said: “If I was picking my dream front three from the two squads, I would have to include Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane over Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling”.
Sutton continued: “If I have one criticism it is that they lack a No 9, such as Sergio Aguero or Gabriel Jesus. Without a traditional target man, Liverpool struggled to break teams down earlier in the season. That’s why I would pick Aguero in my combined Liverpool-City front three”.
Here, Sutton is echoing what he become a common point of view in the Transfer Tavern. Reaffirming the sentiment that Liverpool’s attacking midfielders are impressive, his sticking point comes with regards to their striking options. Roberto Firmino has led the line for much of the campaign, with Daniel Sturridge struggling, and that has often been their downfall.
Whilst Guardiola can call on Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero at Man City, Klopp has nothing close to that level of quality, and that is a problem for the Reds. Without an expert finisher, the creative masterclasses of Sadio Mane and Mo Salah cannot be fully utilised.
Landlord’s Verdict
It’s tough to disagree with Sutton’s point of view here. You can’t speak highly enough of the likes of Mane and Salah, and whilst Firmino has done well this season, he’s clearly the weak point in the Liverpool attack.
Chelsea have Morata, Man Utd have Lukaku, Man City have Aguero and Jesus, Tottenham have Kane – so many of Liverpool’s rivals have top options in the role, and Liverpool’s simply don’t match up.
Perhaps this is an area that they should look to improve in January.
Liverpool fans – thoughts?
Let us know below!
