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da realbet： This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
FIFPro have announced their 55-player shortlist for their Team of the Year and although it contains seven Liverpool players, none of them are midfielders.
Such an omission has been questioned by some fans and it could be argued that it is a surprise choice given the Reds’ consistency throughout the season, and their conquest of the Champions League.
However, all the other areas of Liverpool’s squad have been included. From the front three to the defence and goalkeeper the only position without recognition is midfield, which suggests it is an area that requires improvement.
That is particularly true if they are to pip title rivals Manchester City to the league this season, who have two midfielders on the shortlist in Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne.
That pair produced more goals and assists last year than Liverpool’s regular trio of Jordan Henderson, Georginio Wijnaldum and Fabinho despite the fact the Belgian made only 22 starts.
The creativity between the two sides is therefore considerable, and if the Reds replicate the last campaign and produce too many draws again, it will be because of the midfield.
However, that doesn’t mean the Reds’ midfield is without positives. None of their regulars had a pass success rate below 85%, and each managed at least 50 successful passes per game, on average.
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If they can improve those stats in an attacking sense then the Anfield outfit should provide more of a threat, and could find it easier to unlock teams whose game plan is to defend.
The return of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could help in that regard. He is able to run at defenders and can be more direct in his approach as a result, with his goals against Manchester City at Anfield in 2018 an example of that.
If Jurgen Klopp can get more out of his current midfielders or sign more quality then he could bring the entire squad up to the same high level, and then Liverpool may have enough to win the Premier League.
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