Liverpool's midfield has continuously encountered various problems. Last season was a story of injuries, decline in form and instability. This is considered the main reason why The Kop played disjointedly and lost their ticket to the Champions League.
This summer, Jurgen Klopp has another headache when a series of key midfielders joined Saudi Arabia. In fact, Klopp wants to change but not in the current way.
Of course, both Jordan Henderson and Fabinho are over 30 and have not been able to work continuously throughout the season. But with both leaving, letting new signings Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai immediately start was too risky.
In short, Klopp just wanted to change, but the situation forced him to reform comprehensively.
James Milner, Henderson and Fabinho are three of Klopp's most elite midfielders. The fourth, Wijnaldum, left in 2021.
They have made a total of 1,063 appearances under Klopp at Anfield. They created a rhythm in Klopp's total pressing football. They are always present in the most important moments.
In the 2018 Champions League final, Milner and Wijnaldum paired Henderson. In the 2019 final, Fabinho played as anchor, Henderson and Wijnaldum on both sides, while Milner was pushed up.
They all have nothing special. Those 1,063 appearances have produced just 71 goals. Also having only 99 assists, having made 149 passes to the top of the table at Manchester City in the same period.
However, they are always nameless heroes. They are not remembered for their goals, assists or way of penetrating the penalty area. But without Milner, Henderson, Fabinho and Wijnaldum, Klopp would not have a successful reign at Anfield.
They always play with more than 100% ability and the most important thing is discipline. That is why Liverpool were rarely counter-attacked during their peak even with Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold on the rise.
Liverpool have never been a team that simply controls the ball, but Wijnaldum always has very high statistics on successful passes.
In a way, Fabinho is the most unusual person. He is a pure defensive midfielder while the other 3 are all versatile players. They are not perfect yet but bring fighting spirit and importantly, adapt well to Klopp's system.
While the vast majority of other teams are always looking for diverse pieces in midfield, Liverpool has succeeded with players with almost similar playing styles.
But there is no denying that Liverpool will make a significant change next season. Allister and Szoboszlai tend to push up and bring more scoring prospects than the above veterans.
At the end of last season, Klopp moved Trent Alexander-Arnold from full-back to midfielder partner Fabinho. And with the Brazilian out, Klopp could boldly use two attacking midfielders.
In fact, the recruitment of Thiago Alcantara has shown that Klopp wants something new in Liverpool's midfield. But suddenly the four pillars left one after another and an era ended. And it is difficult for Klopp to regain immediate stability with only Allister and Szoboszlai.
