Jurgen Klopp to make decisions regarding the Liverpool captaincy, the future of Thiago Alcantara, and eight other preseason matters.

Before Liverpool’s season begins next month, Jurgen Klopp has a lot to do after reporting back for preseason practice at the AXA Training Center.

At the AXA Training Center, where Liverpool reported to begin preseason practice on Saturday, Jurgen Klopp said he was “happy to be back.”.

The Reds ultimately had a disappointing season last year, failing to take home any major hardware and missing out on Champions League qualification. However, Kopites enter the new season with a positive attitude after going 11 games without a loss to close out the previous one.

Last year, as Liverpool navigated an unwelcome transitional campaign, they were left with an aging, injury-prone squad that was in desperate need of a midfield makeover. Nevertheless, Klopp wasted little time in beginning to address these problems, as a number of players left during the offseason and two new midfielders were already signed.

Obviously, this is just the start of the Reds’ efforts to recover from last season and become title contenders once more. There is still much to do, and Klopp’s to-do list is overflowing, with just five weeks until the new Premier League season begins.

A new vice-captain should be chosen.

Liverpool are in need of a new vice captain to replace James Milner behind Jordan Henderson after Milner left for Brighton and Hove Albion. After all, the England international has just turned 33 and needs to be managed appropriately, so the number two choice is likely to captain the Reds on many occasions this year.

In reality, Klopp has an easy task because it seems likely that Virgil van Dijk will simply move up the pecking order. To make his promotion official, the German can still cross all of his ts and .
all of his i’s.

In the summer of 2021, when fourth-choice captain Gini Wijnaldum departed, Klopp replaced him with three new leaders after a player vote. The German will need to decide whether the team needs any new members once more, with Mohamed Salah one such player who would be eager for the added responsibility. Andy Robertson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Alisson Becker are likely to be the new third-choice captain.

Perfect the formation.

Liverpool has primarily used a 4-3-3 formation during Klopp’s time in charge at Anfield. But when last season’s plans fell through, he switched to an inverted full-back system, in which the Reds lined up in a 3-2-2-3 formation when they had the ball.

Alexander-Arnold, who was given more freedom in midfield, Curtis Jones, and others all performed better as a result of the formation change, and Salah was also given more opportunities to score goals. However, the adjustment was only required because it was so clear that Liverpool’s midfield problems were due to a lack of intensity, which caused them to lose their identity.

So, do new signings and a full pre-season lead to a return to basics, or will Klopp stick with the new formation? Given that both Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szosboszlai are attacking midfielders, as things stand you’d expect the latter.

The Reds must therefore fine-tune the new formation in order to fix the problems they encountered when changing things up late in the season. With Ibrahima Konate covering the right side of the defense and Robertson adjusting to a more defensively-inclined role, Klopp himself would admit the system needed improvement on the defensive side.

Given that teams can still exploit the space behind Liverpool’s defense, it is obvious what the Reds will be looking to improve this preseason as they attempt to fully master the new formation.

Settle in with Mac Allister and Szoboszlai.

Naturally, both Mac Allister and Szoboszlai could benefit from settling in quickly for Liverpool. The £95 million pair will ultimately be the Reds’ first choice, after all.

In the past, players like Salah, Van Dijk, and Luis Diaz made an immediate impression after joining the team. However, some people took a little longer than others to adjust to their new surroundings, including Robertson, Fabinho, and Darwin Nunez.

Typically, Liverpool’s depth allows them to be patient with new acquisitions if necessary, so that’s fine. Due to Klopp’s team’s lack of legs in the engine room last season, the Reds’ midfield struggled significantly, so they could really use the help of their two new additions to address these problems as soon as possible.

Get more from Fabinho, Darwin Nunez, and co.

While Liverpool’s new formation brought out the best in Alexander-Arnold to turn around his season, many of his Reds teammates had a below-average year.

The most glaring example of this was undoubtedly the decline of Fabinho, which raised concerns about whether or not he would remain at the club in the long run. In the hopes that the Brazilian can regain his best form or that his decline from last year marks the beginning of the end of his Liverpool career, Klopp will need to build him back up.

He wasn’t the only one who struggled; naturally, the Reds are also hoping that players like Van Dijk and Henderson can play their way back to peak performance. While Joe Gomez continues to struggle following a long-term injury, it is obvious that Klopp’s man-management skills will need to be at their absolute best to restore his shattered confidence.

While Stefan Bajcetic will make his own comeback following a season-ending injury, Diogo Jota and Diaz both have a great chance to make up for lost time following serious injuries during the preseason. However, Nunez may be the biggest problem.

The Uruguayan struggled to understand Klopp’s demands last season and was forced to leave the starting XI as a result, as Klopp repeatedly acknowledged in public. Liverpool needs the striker to continue to improve this season as evidenced by his first season of 15 goals.

Decide on young players and move on from fringe players.

As things stand, Klopp would actually have a full 25-man squad for the Europa League this year. It’s also obvious that the Reds need to let go of some of their backup options even though a squad of this caliber includes a number of players you wouldn’t anticipate seeing playing for Liverpool in 2023 or 2024.

After spending yet another season at Anfield on the periphery, Nat Phillips is the most obvious example. He has done a good job for Liverpool over the past three seasons, but at 26 years old, it is obvious that he must leave Liverpool permanently in order to advance his career.

While the center back might leave for good, a few other bench players might go out on loan. Sepp van den Berg is one likely candidate, while Tyler Morton is unlikely to see much action at Anfield this season given that Klopp has eight senior midfielders ahead of him in the hierarchy.

Beyond that, decisions must be made regarding individuals like Conor Bradley, Bobby Clark, and some of their other Academy graduates. Given the chance to shine during preseason, Klopp will determine which young players can be counted on to make the first team this year and which ones would be better served by a loan move to another club rather than another season of youth football.

Talk to Thiago about his future plans .

Next summer, Thiago Alcantara’s contract expires, and it seems unlikely that he will receive a renewal offer at this time. Saudi Arabia and Turkey have recently expressed interest in his services, but no club has contacted Liverpool.

On Saturday, the Spaniard will be among the players who report back for the first day of preseason practice. At some point, Klopp will need to discuss the 32-year-old’s future with him. He must decide whether he wants to fulfill the remaining year of his contract at Anfield or whether he would rather start over somewhere else after an injury-riddled campaign.

Liverpool can’t let Thiago’s future cause them to lose focus, even though they would be happy to use him again this year. The Reds would be wise to decide his future as soon as possible if he is enticed by a lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia and wishes to move on.

Along with the Spaniard, the futures of Caoimhin Kelleher, Joel Matip, and Kostas Tsimikas are also in doubt. Once more, discussions about what the trio wants to do are necessary, and if any of the trio requests to leave, Klopp will need to find replacements.

What, two more signings?

The majority of Liverpool supporters agree that the Reds should sign a third new midfielder and a left-sided center-back in the next two months.

Of course, you could argue for a new right-back or even a forward, while concerns about a backup goalkeeper arise in light of Kellheer’s uncertain future. However, the top two positions should be filled first.

As they consider their next moves, Liverpool’s managers are taking stock after already bringing in Mac Allister and Szoboszlai this summer. Outgoings may be more likely before they dip their toes back into the incoming market.

Romeo Lavia of Southampton and Levi Colwill of Chelsea are both attracting interest, but it is unclear if the Reds will make a move for either player this summer. Alternatively, the arrival of Szoboszlai proves that Liverpool could always spring another surprise.

In either case, Klopp must evaluate his team in preseason, determine who is departing, and fill the remaining gaps in accordance with that information.

Trent Alexander-Arnold’s new deal.

Alexander-Arnold’s future will come up at some point this season before his contract expires in 2025, though it is undoubtedly not the most urgent matter on the list.

The 24-year-old England international last extended his contract in 2021, and Reds management won’t want to see him play out the remaining months of that deal. Although it would be unexpected if the right-back even hinted at leaving, Klopp and the Reds’ management team might try to sign Alexander-Arnold to a contract extension this summer sooner rather than later to avoid the possibility of any unwarranted uncertainty and rumors.