Amid all the hullabaloo surrounding the remarkable transfer pursuit of Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo during the last 48 hours, one trifling matter has been in danger of being overlooked.
That it comes against Chelsea, the club who they attempted to gazump for the Ecuador international with a sensational £110million offer in the earlier hours of Friday morning, merely adds an extra layer of intrigue to what will be an instructive afternoon at Stamford Bridge.
Certainly, the warning signs were glaringly obvious when Liverpool began their previous campaign not far down the road at Fulham, a troubling performance against the newly-promoted side an indication of the dismal first two-thirds of the season from which the Reds recovered too late to salvage Champions League qualification.
Now, though, Klopp will hope the overhaul of his squad – “Liverpool FC Reloaded” as he dubbed it on Friday morning – can begin in far more encouraging fashion.
The last two major summers of change under the Reds boss, in 2016 and 2018, both started impressively, the former seeing Liverpool give a major hint of what was to come over the following years with a thrilling 4-3 triumph at Arsenal, while in the latter West Ham were blown away 4-0 to kick off a season the ended with them losing just one league match and winning the Champions League.
The Reds have traditionally been strong starters during the Premier League era, losing just four of their 31 opening matches during that time, the last coming in 2012 in Brendan Rodgers’ first game in charge at West Bromwich Albion.
While they have had easier opening tasks, Liverpool actually boast an impressive recent record at Stamford Bridge having lost just two of their last 13 league visits, the most recent coming back in April 2018.
That game came between the two legs of Liverpool’s Champions League semi-final against Roma and saw Trent Alexander-Arnold start his only competitive game in midfield for the club. Whether Alexander-Arnold, Curtis Jones or Alexis Mac Allister start in the troublesome number six role – all featured there in pre-season – is arguably the biggest selection decision for Klopp, along with who joins Mohamed Salah in the three-pronged strike force.
With new Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino also without a recognised defensive midfielder – Caicedo won’t be available regardless of where he ends up – there seems little chance of the teams posting a fifth successive goalless draw in this fixture.
Klopp, though, will acknowledge the importance of a positive start for Liverpool given the tumult both on and off the pitch in recent months, new sporting director Jorg Schmadtke still only a potential sticking plaster heading the recruitment, skipper Virgil van Dijk and vice-captain Alexander-Arnold the new squad seniority.
And with a trip to Newcastle United and a home game against resurgent Aston Villa to come before the season’s first international break next month, the Reds boss must find an immediate solution to the obvious midfield concerns. To paraphrase his comments earlier this week, he needs to determine a formation – be that a trusty 4-3-3, the more elaborate 3-box-3 midfield that ended last season or something lesser used – to get Liverpool through the next three weeks, if not necessarily the rest of the season.
How Mac Allister and fellow summer signing Dominik Szoboszlai fare will be central to that, the former already seeming capable of hitting the ground running while the latter’s work ethic and set-piece prowess could given him space in which to adapt to a new club and league.
With this the last season before the new-look Champions League begins, there is a possibility fifth place would suffice to qualify should England be one of the two best-performing countries in Europe this campaign.
Liverpool, though, will hope to avoid any uncertainty with a top-four berth their priority. Missing out on the lucrative Champions League once can happen – twice in a row could be a sign something isn’t right at a club that only 15 months ago stood on the brink of an unprecedented quadruple.
The Reloaded Reds may still be missing one key part. But, as they have demonstrated so often in the past, they have to show they can find a way regardless. Failure this season is not an option – for Klopp, his players and Fenway Sports Group.
