Former Liverpool star John Barnes believes that Jurgen Klopp is showing glimpses of Sir Alex Ferguson in his style of recruitment. The German boss rebuilt his entire midfield during the summer transfer window, and his new recruits have hit the ground running at Anfield.
The Reds have made a very strong start to the season and quickly asserted themselves as serious title contenders. They have won 13 of their opening 20 Premier League games and sit top of the table, despite showing clear signs that they will improve further.
The sprinkling of fresh faces in the dressing room has taken Liverpool to another level, with former stalwarts being seamlessly replaced. The likes of Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain were all allowed to leave the Reds over the summer, being replaced by Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo.
The quartet have all impressed since joining the Merseyside outfit, with Klopp receiving praise from Barnes for the way that he orchestrated the rebuild. The ex-England international believes Klopp’s great work in the market will have left Chelsea feeling somewhat embarrassed. The Blues have spent well more than £200m on new midfielders in the past few transfer windows but have struggled this season and are languishing in 10th place. Speaking to instantcasino.com, Barnes said: “I think you’ve got to give credit to Jurgen Klopp.
“He recognised there was an issue in the midfield and he’s brought in some really good players in Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister, then also integrated Curtis Jones back in there.
“He’s recognised the weakness in his team and he’s gone out and done something about it. Sir Alex Ferguson was really good at transitioning his team – bringing out three or four players and replacing them well – and I think that’s exactly what Klopp is doing now.
“I think Mac Allister at £35m is a fantastic buy, especially when you look at Chelsea who have spent £100m on both Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo – there’s probably not much between those three as players. They’ve done really well in terms of the players they’ve brought in, and Klopp is certainly at the forefront of that.”
Caicedo is among the numerous stars to have struggled since heading to Stamford Bridge over the past 18 months, with questions being raised about why the Ecuador international has not shown the talent that earned him a £115million price tag with Brighton.
In contrast, Mac Allister has provided Liverpool’s midfield with an injection of creativity in deeper areas and given Klopp with plenty of options given that the Argentina international can be deployed in a more defensive-minded role as part of a midfield three.
