Analysis: Should Liverpool worry about their squad depth?

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Former Liverpool striker Stan Collymore suggests their squad depth was a worry.

There was a point made by Stan Collymore about Liverpool in his BoyleSports column which could raise a few eyebrows.

He was very positive about the Reds start of the season – which sees them level on points with the pace setters in the Premier League – but it also contained this one line: “They also may be hurt with squad depth over the 38 games.”

He doesn’t say lack of squad depth, or pick any areas in particular, even if he does feel there is no top class goalkeeper at the club, but it is something of an ambiguous, though sweeping, generalisation.

So let’s go through the areas of the squad:

Goalkeepers

Loris Karius and Simon Mignolet are the two goalkeepers while Alex Manninger – who has probably been forgotten about by many people – is the experienced cover position. Liverpool certainly have numbers there.

Collymore made his point clear on Karius: “The keeper question hasn’t been answered either. There is still no top class keeper at Anfield.” Given he was signed for £4.7 million from Mainz and is only 23, one would’ve expected a lot more people to hear of Karius in the first place and that fee to be greater. It must be noted, however, that he had been on Jürgen Klopp’s radar for two years and that all goalkeeper go through a period where they are written off by pundits after featuring for six games.

Mignolet may have been error strewn for during his Anfield career but there has been notable improvement in his game, and many don’t seem to be too downhearted at the prospect of a back-up keeper. In terms of numbers Liverpool are pretty well stocked, though questions to remain over quality.

Defenders

Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp with Liverpool’s Joel Matip after the match

There is an established first choice back four in Nathaniel Clyne, Dejan Lovren, Joel Matip and James Milner. There is cover at centre-back in Ragnar Klavan, and the returning Joe Gomez while Lucas Leiva has also operated there. Mamadou Sakho’s future at the club looks bleak.

In terms of cover in the full-back positions, Liverpool look ok on the left flank with Alberto Moreno covering for Milner, even if the Spaniard does have some issues to iron out. One area Liverpool may look short is at right-back with Nathaniel Clyne the only senior right-back. Trent Alexander-Arnold played there in the EFL Cup but do you want to rely on a teenager for the rest of the season if Clyne were to get an injury? Or a player that has just returned from a lengthy spell on the sidelines in Gomez? It’s the one area where Liverpool are perhaps walking something of a tightrope.

Midfielders

Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson celebrates after the match

Midfield has shown there are options already. Liverpool look set to play a midfield three for the duration of the season. Jordan Henderson is playing the deeper role, though both Lucas and Emre Can could also fill in if required, while Kevin Stewart has proved himself capable when given first team opportunities – whether you’d want to frequently rely on him is another matter.

Can has shown he can play further forward to, while Georginio Wijnaldum and Marko Grujic have also featured there – youngster Ovie Ejaria would probably get an opportunity if Klopp felt the need to rotate heavily, though they are young players.

Adam Lallana has led the press on several occasions and plays a similar role, but Philippe Coutinho has demonstrated himself capable of dropping deeper.

Forwards

Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino celebrates scoring their fourth goal

This is where Liverpool have an embarrassment of riches, and should be fine when it comes to European football in the highly likely event they qualify for it next season. They currently operate with a front three of Coutinho, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.

That means no place in the starting line-up for Daniel Sturridge and Divock Origi – while Danny Ings is scoring goals for fun for the under-23’s and struggles to get a place on the bench.

One thing to consider is that Mane goes away on international duty for the African Cup of Nations in the New Year, so the balance of the attack could be upset a little, but the side still has options to choose from. One man who has barely been mentioned is Sheyi Ojo, who is on the comeback trail from injury, and could push for a place in that pacey attack in Mane’s absence.

Overall, if you’re concerned about Liverpool’s squad depth in numbers, then one must remember there are substantially more options than the side that went close to the title in 2013/14 had.

You can name at least 18 players in the side that can make an effective and reliable contribution over the course of the season, and there could be more. Even if someone is worried about the numbers, Klopp’s system lends itself to versatility, and the majority of the players in the squad could fulfill more than one role.