As Crysencio Summerville slotted an 89th minute strike past Alisson Becker, you could add Leeds United to Nottingham Forest, Napoli, Manchester United and Fulham; the list of clubs who have out-ran and out-fought Liverpool growing by the week.
Per Sky Sports, Jesse Marsch’s fired-up visitors ran 11 kilometres more than Jurgen Klopp’s ragged hosts on Saturday evening; Summerville’s strike consigning Liverpool their first home loss since March 2021.
Leeds also made 169 high-intensity sprints to Liverpool’s 154, and 21 tackles to the Reds’ 17. It was another game in which the toiling Fabinho looked closer to 39 years of age than 29, the balletic Brenden Aaronson and the tireless Tyler Adams planting Leeds’ flag deep into the heart of the Anfield centre circle.
“Liverpool are a country mile from what they were in the last few years,” Graeme Souness told Sky, his former side accumulating as many points after 12 games as Roy Hodgson’s side did during that ill-fated 2010/11 season.
“They don’t play with the same intensity. Liverpool used to bully teams. Their midfield bullied teams. And now they’re being bullied. They just don’t have the same intensity. They don’t have it in their legs anymore.”
Thiago; 31. (Jordan) Henderson 31. Fabinho 29. And after that you have (Naby) Keita, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who is out and is injured.
“I’ve said it since the start of the season. Their midfield they have now is no longer the midfield that is going to win them the big trophies.”
Konrad Laimer the solution to Liverpool’s midfield problem
Jude Bellingham feels prohibitively expensive. Benfica, meanwhile, are unlikely to cash in on Enzo Fernandez so soon after his arrival from River Plate. So finding a player capable of stepping into a rusty engine room and making an immediate impact will be easier said than done. Particularly with under-fire owners FSG seemingly unwilling or unable to back Klopp with the sort of funds Liverpool’s rivals throw around with reckless abandon.
Difficult, yes, but not impossible. Per BILD reporter Christian Falk, Liverpool have made contact with the agent of RB Leipzig enforcer Konrad Laimer. And if there is a midfielder better suited to the all-action, high-intensity style that once characterised Klopp’s Liverpool, well we’ve not seen him.
“Seventy percent of the Earth’s surface is water, the other 30 percent is covered by Konrad Laimer,” France legend Emmanuel Petit once quipped of a man dubbed ‘the Austrian N’Golo Kante’ and a ‘pressing machine‘
“He is incredibly aggressive on the ball, challenges opponents very hard and brings established professionals to the ground,” adds former Red Bull Salzburg coach Adi Hutter.
‘The Austrian N’Golo Kante’
Laimer is a footballer with a Ferrari engine in a Range Rover’s frame; a ball-winner and a ball-player rolled into one. He’s even scoring goals these days. A tally of five (plus a further six assists) made 2021/22 the most prolific season of Laimer’s career so far.
At 25, he is younger, quicker, fitter and more energetic than most in Klopp’s squad. He is out of contract next summer too. And did we mention Laimer is also a a dyed-in-the-wool Reds fanatic?
“I generally like watching the Premier League. I’ve always been a Liverpool fan,” Laimer said.
Young, cheap, and perfectly suited to Klopp’s football; What’s not to like?
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