Liverpool doesn’t quite have a midfield crisis on its hands against Brentford, but it certainly has a conundrum. With Alexis Mac Allister suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards, Jürgen Klopp’s go-to man in the number six role is unavailable, and a couple of other candidates are missing too.
Injury looks set to keep Curtis Jones out, while Ryan Gravenberch is also a doubt. The former has been used as a number six at Liverpool in the past, while Klopp has previously said that the latter has the qualities to play there.
Despite losing up to three options, the most obvious alternative is still available to Klopp, with Wataru Endō fit and ready. But the Japan captain was hooked at half-time against Toulouse, following a display where he looked badly off the pace and could easily have seen red.
In his pre-match press conference, Klopp appeared to hint that moving Trent Alexander-Arnold into the middle could be an option. The full-back has spent a lot of time in central areas since Pep Lijnders masterminded the plan to invert him, but appearances as a bona fide midfielder have so far been rare at Anfield.
While Klopp said during his press conference that Alexander-Arnold can play as a number six, he also noted that Liverpool would be losing one of the best right-backs in the world if he were to do that. This game might require that and he may feel there is no other option, but I’d just about edge toward playing someone else there.
I’ve by no means been completely convinced by Endō so far, but he would come with the advantage of being good in the air, which is a positive thing for playing against Brentford. I wouldn’t be against going with Dominik Szoboszlai alongside him almost as a double pivot, leaving Harvey Elliott to play a freer role in front.
It’s not ideal, but I’ve never really liked Alexander-Arnold as the number six either. Playing him there would mean having Joe Gomez at right-back and Kostas Tsimikas playing on the left. It is one option, but I’d definitely rather see Alexander-Arnold in his best role and Gomez playing from the left ahead of the Greek.
“Move Trent inside” – James Martin
It’s simply too hard to make the case for Endō here. Klopp appeared to give him a vote of faith in the press conference, but the very fact that he quickly accepted that moving Alexander-Arnold was a possibility was telling too.
Long-term, if Alexander-Arnold is to move into midfield, it probably makes sense to use him as a number eight rather than a number six. After all, the defensive side of his game is what has so often been criticized, and his creative instincts are what inspire calls for the move. But on a temporary basis, he might just be best placed to help provide the cover that is needed.
He would bring a lot of the same qualities to the role as Mac Allister, allowing Klopp to make a change as like-for-like as possible in the circumstances. And unlike with Endō, there is little chance of the Brentford press unsettling him. It’s not perfect. But with Joe Gomez a more than capable replacement at full-back, it could be Klopp’s best bet here.
