da dobrowin： This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
da 888： Jason McAteer has told LFC TV (via Inside Futbol) that Xherdan Shaqiri will struggle to play from the beginning for Liverpool as he “doesn’t really suit Klopp’s philosophy”.
What did he say?
The Reds were in fantastic form against Everton on Wednesday, beating the Toffees 5-2. Switzerland international Shaqiri was making his first start of the season in all competitions, and he scored his first goal of the campaign to boot.
However, 48-year-old former Liverpool player McAteer was still unconvinced by his ability to contribute to the team as part of the starting XI. He said after the match: “Shaq is a bit like that, he doesn’t really suit Klopp’s philosophy.
“But he has got enough qualities for 40 minutes, 50 minutes and maybe an hour.
“Tonight was a one-off for Shaq because of the way Everton played but you get a game of high intensity where he might struggle like a Sheffield United or maybe a Manchester City or even United.
“You will see Shaq struggling from the beginning and I am not knocking him at all but that is just the way he plays.
“He is a fantastic player and a great player for 45 minutes or an hour but sometimes the intensity overtakes him.”
Horses for courses
Granted, Shaqiri is unlikely to work his way into Klopp plans as a regular starter. First and foremost, he plays in the same position as Mohamed Salah, the two-time Premier League Golden Boot winner. The 27-year-old is one of the stars of this Anfield outfit and, unless he is ever sold or is injured, the former Bayern Munich man is going to find himself starting on the bench more often than not.
However, McAteer is missing the point here. He is not part of this Liverpool squad to start every week, but he is a valuable member all the same, as we saw against Everton in midweek. Last season, he scored six goals and provided five assists – four and two of which came from the bench respectively – and he is now off the mark for this campaign as well.
Much harder than you’d think… Can you name Liverpool’s top scorers for each of these 25 seasons?
This is going to be a long and arduous campaign for the Reds as they go in search of a first league title in 30 years. And throughout the season, they will come up against a variety of teams that will use different set-ups and styles of play. As such, Klopp will need to be able to adapt to each and every opponent, and to do that, he will need different players at certain moments.
Shaqiri, although not as good as the Egypt international for example, will offer something that and, at times, that may be needed, whilst his impetus from the bench could give them the edge they require.
This display against Everton will not have guaranteed him a spot in the starting XI, but he has shown his manager that he can be relied upon.
In other news, Liverpool fans react to the latest news on Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.