Liverpool star may have played last game for club as Jürgen Klopp transfer stance must change
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Liverpool kept up the pace at the top of the Premier League with a 2-0 win at Sheffield United, but there was some bad news from Jürgen Klopp after the game.
It wasn’t pretty by any stretch of the imagination, but Liverpool did what it needed to do against Sheffield United. A 2-0 win keeps the Reds firmly in the title conversation, especially after another slip-up from Manchester City.
It looked for the longest time like goal was going to be all that separated the two sides at Bramall Lane, with the hosts looking every bit the relegation candidates as they failed to pounce on a somewhat
In truth, the Reds didn’t need to move up a gear, and they eventually made sure of the three points deep in stoppage time thanks to after good work The win brings Liverpool back to within two points of Premier League leaders Arsenal.
And with there is a real opportunity for Liverpool to make a real statement before the end of 2023. There was though a major blow confirmed by Jürgen Klopp after the game — here’s what learned and what you might have missed.
One thing we learned
Virgil van Dijk is back, but we probably already knew that. His goal came as a nice bonus though — it has been a long time since we saw him scoring.
What we did learn though is perhaps best position might not be what many thought. Given the chance to play further forward in midfield, the Argentine didn’t really do enough to suggest he should remain there, and he could now face a fight for the number six role from Wataru Endō.
Biggest takeaway
The biggest takeaway probably came away from Bramall Lane. Liverpool now has an almighty chance to open up some serious breathing space on Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola’s side continued its slump as it went a fourth game without a win, this time falling to Aston Villa. Those who switched over from the Liverpool game at the final whistle will have seen City come out very much second-best as well.
The gap between the Reds and their rival currently stands at four points, but with Guardiola’s team involved in the Club World Cup this month, there’s an opportunity for Liverpool to widen that gap.
There is the small matter of beating Arsenal to contend with if that is to happen, not to mention ensuring that there are no slip-ups against Crystal Palace and Manchester United, but this is a chance few fans might have expected heading into the season, and one that needs to be taken.
A moment you might have missed
While Liverpool fans will have been celebrating the victory at Bramall Lane and then City’s subsequent slip-up, Jürgen Klopp was delivering something of a bombshell as he gave an update on injury. The defender was missing in Sheffield after pulling up during the win over Fulham on Sunday.
“It’s an ACL, ruptured,” Klopp confirmed after the game “That’s unfortunately what I expected from the first second. It looked like that. Very unfortunate, but that’s it.”
That unfortunately means Matip will likely miss the rest of the season. With his contract expiring in the summer, we might well have seen the last of him in a red shirt.
That will be a major blow for Liverpool. The Cameroonian had been in excellent form this season, and had re-established his partnership with Virgil van Dijk in the heart of the defense.
Having focused all his efforts on his midfield in the summer, Klopp recently suggested Jarell Quansah had justified the decision not to sign a new defender . But with Matip now out of the picture, the 20-year-old now becomes fourth-choice behind Ibrahima Konaté and Joe Gomez, who have both had their injury problems.
Even if Klopp feels confident about Quansah’s ability, Liverpool now needs a new defender in its ranks. Ideally, next month.
