Liverpool has had busy summers in the past, but this summer’s shock will be put to the test away at Newcastle United.
It was the change that many fans had been pleading for following a turbulent season that saw Liverpool fall outside the top four for the first time in seven years.
However, no one could have fully predicted the transformation the Reds’ midfield underwent during the active transfer window.
And a midfield triumvirate that few, if any, would have predicted less than a week ago is now set to make their debut in a first serious test of Liverpool’s Champions League qualification prospects.
The controversial red card Alexis Mac Allister received against Bournemouth on Saturday was later overturned, giving Jurgen Klopp the option to start the Argentine World Cup winner alongside Dominik Szoboszlai and the newest addition, Wataru Endo. This would represent a £106.25 million overhaul of his team’s central midfield.
It’s a decision the Liverpool manager is almost certain to make given that Newcastle United, the team that ultimately knocked the Reds off of Europe’s top table, are the next opponent in a match at St. James’ Park on Sunday that will give fans a first look at whether the two teams are likely to once again be in a competitive race for a Champions League spot.
Despite having only joined on Friday and making only a brief appearance the next day, Endo
He won’t be the only one, though, still getting used to his new environment. Szoboszlai’s impressive home debut against Bournemouth was only his second game in English football, and Mac Allister has made fewer than two competitive appearances for Liverpool despite being well-versed in Premier League competition, both of which were in an unfamiliar number six role due to his dismissal.
In fact, Liverpool has rarely entered a game with a midfield that is so match-fresh, with only four full Reds appearances between the likely starting trio.
While similarities have been made with the summer of 2018—when Liverpool selected the midfield as a major area for development by bringing in Fabinho—they don’t really hold up under close examination. Naby Keita had already committed to join the team the previous year.
First off, the pair joined a Reds team that had recently advanced to the Champions League final and had seasoned alternatives in the engine room in Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Gini Wijnaldum, and Adam Lallana.
Additionally, it prevented the new pair from being thrown into the deep end right away. Famously, Fabinho didn’t make his Premier League debut until late October, and he was still substituted for the crucial trip to Manchester City in early January. Henderson was not in the starting lineup for the Champions League round of 16 second leg at Bayern Munich, although later claiming a normal starting position, but Henderson’s early injury soon forced him into action.
Keita, meanwhile, started the season in the starting lineup but had only played in eight league games by mid-January due to injury. Liverpool eventually finished the season a point behind City and took home the Champions League.
When Henderson, Charlie Adam, and Stewart Downing were all signed for a four-man engine room during Fenway Sports Group’s first summer transfer window in 2011, the midfield received a similar makeover. All three began the season since Steven Gerrard was out due to injury, although Adam didn’t start another Premier League game for the Reds due to knee ligament damage in March of the following year, while Downing spent the majority of the following season at left-back before being sold.
There should soon be genuine competition for positions in the Liverpool midfield with Stefan Bajcetic back in shape and available, Thiago Alcantara getting closer to a comeback, Harvey Elliott working hard for a starting spot, and Curtis Jones hopefully not out for too long. Additionally, there is still time for additional reinforcement with more than a week before the transfer window ends.
However, Newcastle is now the main emphasis, and a new trio is scheduled to begin. The impact of the novel will then be felt. And Klopp will undoubtedly wish for a Newcastle defeat in order to avoid the element of surprise.