There will be unrest at striker
At first glance, the “problem” of who to play at striker when Christian Benteke, Daniel Sturridge, Roberto Firmino and Divock Origi seems like an enviable position for a manager. However, these guys have big personalities and are looking to cement their places not only at Liverpool, but also for their national teams.
As such, none of these men are going to be willing to sit on the bench for extended periods of time. Sturridge, when healthy, is one of the Premier League’s most dynamic strikers. Benteke, while not being a perfect fit for Klopp’s system, is easily one of the 10 best strikers in the Premier League in terms of talent. Firmino, isn’t really an out-and-out striker but has put up some strong performances there in Klopp’s high press system. Even Origi, the least experienced of the bunch, put up a hat trick against Southampton and will be looking to build on that.
The glut of options up top is going to be a problem for Klopp and Liverpool at some point this season. It’s going to be impossible to find enough playing time for that group to keep them all happy. I still think the smart answer would be to sell Benteke for a king’s ransom, but I doubt they trust Sturridge’s help enough to make that gamble.
It’s not easy to see who’s going to end up causing the problem here over their lack of playing time, but you can bet it’s going to be an issue for Liverpool moving forward if everyone stays healthy. How they split up these minutes and massage the egos involved will be one of their most interesting story lines as the season progresses.
Next: The January transfer window