Move over Gravenberch: Klopp must unleash Liverpool’s £50k-p/w ‘warrior’
Liverpool will commence their Carabao Cup campaign tonight as Jurgen Klopp looks to reclaim the trophy he won in 2022, but Leicester City will not make things easy for the Anfield side.
The Foxes, who suffered relegation from the Premier League this year, have started the Championship campaign with aplomb, winning seven of their opening eight matches and losing the other.
They will by no means roll over for the Reds, but then neither will Liverpool, who look positively resurgent this season and have clinched 16 points from a possible 18 in the English top-flight.
A fixture that so often produces the goods regarding excitement, Klopp's team could make it seven wins in a row across all competitions on Merseyside, but will most likely do so by issuing heavy rotation.
Indeed, Liverpool's relentless schedule is seeing the games come thick and fast, and with a daunting trip to London to face revived Tottenham Hotspur looming, it certainly makes sense to utilise the squad at its full capacity.
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Trent Alexander-Arnold has yet to make his return from a hamstring injury, and while he is back in training, the match against City might be one he is rested for.
Likewise, Thiago Alcantara is still to make his seasonal debut, and while his absence is something of an enigma, he will hopefully return soon, if not against Leicester.
Kostas Tsimikas, while underperforming in the Europa League last week, has just signed a new contract with the Reds and will be expected to deputise down the left flank, replacing Andy Robertson.
With Liverpool's preferred midfield axis certain to be rested, it does present an opportunity for players such as Harvey Elliott and Stefan Bajcetic to strut their stuff and impress the manager, who must be delighted at his newfound squad strength.
Who Klopp will field across the frontline does feel a more undetermined question; Mohamed Salah will likely be rested, but Darwin Nunez has been in fine form this term – scoring four goals and supplying two assists from just three starts – though with Spurs awaiting on Saturday perhaps he will be rested.
Cody Gakpo could start in his stead, but regardless, such issues are a testament to the offensive firepower currently at Liverpool's disposal.
Will Ryan Gravenberch start today?
One player who will surely receive a starting berth against Enzo Maresca's Leicester is Ryan Gravenberch, with the dynamic Dutchman working his way into the team nicely after completing a £34m transfer from Bayern Munich in August.
Hailed for his "dominant" displays by former youth coach Brian Tevreden, Gravenberch failed to make his mark with the German champions after signing from Ajax for an initial €18.5m (£16m) and started just three times in the Bundesliga, moving to Liverpool after one year in hope of rekindling his prodigious early career.
Against LASK last week, the 21-year-old made his first start for his new club, and while he laboured to the break alongside his substandard peers, a much-improved second half showcased his skills, with it being his looping cross to give Luis Diaz the chance to take the lead after the hour mark.
As per Sofascore, he made four key passes and nine ball recoveries in Austria, demonstrating the kind of robust and multi-functional midfielder Liverpool have on their hands.
His technicality and composure will pay dividends in a Leicester side that will bring the belief that they can cause a major upset, with Maresca's former Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola remarking that they "always want to attack, score goals, work hard and dominate matches. Some of their performances have been exceptional.”
Gravenberch will surely find a place on the pitch tonight, but it is his midfield teammate and fellow summer signing Wataru Endo who must really take the chance to impress.
Will Wataru Endo start vs Leicester?
Heralded as a "proper warrior and leader" by Bundesliga commentator Kevin Thatchard, Endo was signed for a shrewd £16m from Stuttgart in August after Liverpool missed out on both Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia to Chelsea.
An unknown commodity to those on English shores, the 30-year-old is a hard-working, energetic holding midfielder and has been pivotal in his former German side's battles against relegation over the past few years.
He's made five appearances for Liverpool so far and has started against Newcastle United in the Premier League and LASK last week, in the Europa League.
Unfortunately, he was among the players to contribute to a first half littered with "sloppiness" – as was said by reporter Neil Jones – and was hooked after 61 minutes after winning just one of his three ground duels and being dribbled past.
Still, he is an important member of this Liverpool side and offers the natural defensive instinct in the centre that perhaps none of his confreres quite boast.
Indeed, as per FBref, the £50k-per-week ace ranks among the top 12% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for clearances and the top 8% for aerial wins per 90, and it is that level of application that will be crucial to stifling the Foxes' threat.
Klopp will know who his best performers are, and moreover, he will understand the starting XI most apt to secure success at the most pivotal moments – the forthcoming tie against Tottenham being a prime example.
The Carabao Cup, clearly, is not the most distinguished competition at Liverpool's disposal this term, but it is a chance for silverware, and perhaps more importantly, it presents an opportunity for the players outside the first team to impress, be that youth or players of Endo's ilk.
The Japan captain is a tenacious, touch-tackling machine of a midfielder, and not only will he prove to be a valuable asset against a Leicester side capable of hurting Liverpool with their attacking efforts, but he could produce the performance to catch Klopp's eye and warrant further inclusion in big moments down the line.