Jurgen Klopp has put the likes of Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta to shame with his incredible substitutions at Liverpool this season. The 56-year-old is enjoying a brilliant season in the Anfield dugout and remains in with a chance of leading the Reds to win the Premier League, Champions League and both domestic cups.
Klopp has succeeded in extracting the best from his Liverpool players this season despite being forced to cope with a severely depleted squad. Injuries to the likes of Joel Matip, Dominic Szoboszlai and Trent Alexander-Arnold have threatened to derail Liverpool’s momentum but Klopp has played a key role in ensuring the standards have not dropped.
The Reds manager has also made plenty of inspired changes during games, with his use of the bench putting Guardiola and every other Premier League boss to shame. Liverpool’s substitutes have chipped in with 31 goal involvements over the course of this season, considerably more than any other club in England’s top flight.
The Merseyside giants are comfortably ahead of second-placed Arsenal at the top of the list, while City’s substitutes have managed just 18 goals and assists between them, putting the defending Premier League champions in fourth place behind Liverpool, the Gunners and Aston Villa.
Substitutions have played a more prominent role than usual in deciding the outcome of games this season, given the increase in stoppage time at the end of most matches. It seems clear that Klopp has mastered the art of using his bench to give Liverpool an extra boost at crucial moments and he will be looking to keep up his good work for the rest of the campaign.
Klopp recently underlined the importance of his substitutions in shaping Liverpool’s good fortunes over the last few months, saying earlier this month: “I love the boys, but you have to bring them in the right moment or when you have to take risks, or whatever, that’s how it is.
“It must be the right moment, but when we have all available, and the quality we can bring on then, it’s pretty good, I have to say. Of course, at the moment they are not available, but the boys who come on, they have real quality, obviously, already. The others will have that properly in the future, and that’s the reason for it, you see that.”
Liverpool have also changed their starting line-up more than any other team in the Premier League this season, with the vast majority of their squad being called upon at one stage or another. It remains to be seen if their impressive strength in depth will lead the Reds to glory at the end of the campaign, with no less than four major trophies potentially up for grabs.
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