It’s a strange world where Jordan Henderson, the most widely-decorated captain in Liverpool’s history, disappears from the club without fanfare while general manager of first-team operations Ray Haughan departs with an Anfield standing ovation.
But that jarring comparison points to an issue with which new Reds head coach Arne Slot will surely have to contend as a matter of priority when he officially assumes his new role next weekend.
Henderson‘s unexpected exit to Saudi Arabia during last summer’s pre-season preparations shorn Liverpool not only of their long-established skipper, but also one of their tried and trusted options in defensive midfield.
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He wasn’t the only one. While the Reds knew at the end of last term they’d be losing James Milner, that Fabinho also jumped ship to the Saudi Pro League threw a significant spanner in the works for Jurgen Klopp, even if the offer was simply too good to turn down for both player and club.
Factor in teenager Stefan Bajcetic being sidelined with an injury that ultimately forced him to miss almost the entire season, the Reds – already undergoing a midfield change with Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain being replaced by Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai – were forced into a complete overhaul in the position, eventually settling on the seemingly stop-gap signing of 31-year-old Wataru Endo that compelled Fenway Sports Group to veer away from their usual transfer policy.
Liverpool have also had to adapt to a new formation using an inverted full-back – usually Trent-Alexander Arnold when available – regularly pushing into central midfield positions, requiring another tweak in the number six role.
Circumstances dictated the Reds weren’t able to fully commit to a regular defensive midfielder. In the Premier League, Endo started 20 games in the position while Mac Allister managed 17, with Joe Gomez filling in for the win at Nottingham Forest in March.
Mac Allister, while versatile, was only ever temporary in the role, having been bought to play in a more advanced position as a playmaker. Indeed, in the final 15 league games, he started only twice as the number six. And it was only until the draw at Manchester City in November – his 11th top-flight start as the defensive midfielder – that he appeared to have fully embraced the position.
The rough split between Endo and Mac Allister is in stark comparison to the previous season when Fabinho, despite his travails in form, operated as a number six on 29 occasions in the Premier League, two of which saw him as part of a double-pivot which Klopp employed four times in the top flight.
Even taking that into account, Henderson started only five league games in a deeper midfield role, Thiago Alcantara three and Curtis Jones once. Milner didn’t begin any. Bajectic, surprisingly, only started two Premier League matches as a defensive midfielder, perhaps a reminder of why the teenager remains very much a work in progress and shouldn’t assume too much responsibility in such a key role in the next few years.
The onus, then, will be on the Liverpool recruitment team and Slot to bring in an established number six to ease the burden on those already at the club, the impact this season of Rodri and Declan Rice at Manchester City and Arsenal respectively underlining the importance of the position.
But should Slot pursue a 4-2-3-1 formation – as occasionally used by Klopp earlier in his Liverpool reign – or a variation around a double pivot, there are plenty of options within the squad with Endo and Mac Allister joined by versatile midfield alternatives such as Dominik Szoboszlai, Jones and Bajcetic.
Tyler Morton, who excelled for Hull City in the Championship this season, may be worth a closer look during pre-season, while Gomez and Alexander-Arnold are capable of stepping up from the backline. Indeed, should Alexander-Arnold’s future be in midfield, it may be as one of two deeper-lying engine room operators.
Regardless of tactical tweaks, however, Slot will soon discover, if he doesn’t already, his midfield needs a little extra help this summer. A new number six is required.