Three options in attack for Liverpool without Salah, Mane or Firmino

Last Sunday, Andy Robertson drilled a cross low between West Ham’s hapless defence and goalkeeper for Mohamed Salah to tap home his first goal of the 2018/19 season. It was an all-too-familiar sight for Liverpool opposition, and was followed later in the game by a brace from Sadio Mane. Roberto Firmino was, as usual, also heavily involved in the attack throughout his time on the pitch, despite returning later to training than many of his compatriots.

The Reds’ ferocious attacking machine was up and running once again.

Few would argue that the forward trident of Salah, Mane and Firmino are currently among the most potent in world football – last season they bagged 57 goals in the Premier League and another 30 in the Champions League, an astounding feat by all accounts. Liverpool fans became accustomed to watching their seemingly-unstoppable attackers rip defences apart up and down the country with glorious play inspired and empowered by the management of Jurgen Klopp. It truly was “heavy metal football” in its most tangible form.

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SEVILLE, SPAIN – Tuesday, November 21, 2017: Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino celebrates scoring the third goal during the UEFA Champions League Group E match between Sevilla FC and Liverpool FC at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

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The three amigos were rarely injured throughout the season and enjoyed long spells of time together on the pitch, which no doubt contributed to their telepathic understanding of one another’s positions. Liverpool’s other attacking players often had to settle for bit-part roles in the team, though Klopp did a fine job rotating his squad to ensure full fitness was maintained, especially in the final weeks of the season. In addition, Adam Lallana spent almost all of the season out injured, Danny Ings was still on the long road back to genuine match fitness, and Dominic Solanke was still developing as a young player.

This season, Liverpool appear to have increased depth and improved overall health in their squad, with a fit-again Lallana, in-form Daniel Sturridge and new boy Xherdan Shaqiri fleshing out the team. But how would things shape up if the first-choice attacking trio weren’t available?

Here are three possibilities for Klopp’s attack in such an eventuality.

BIRKENHEAD, ENGLAND – JULY 10: Adam Lallana of Liverpool battles with Jay Harris of Tranmere Rovers during the Pre-Season Friendly match between Tranmere Rovers and Liverpool at Prenton Park on July 11, 2018 in Birkenhead, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

Option One: Lallana, Shaqiri, Sturridge (4-3-3)

The first and probably most obvious option would be an attacking front three featuring Lallana on the left, Shaqiri on the right and Sturridge up top as the focal point. What Lallana lacks in pace he makes up for in intelligence on and off the ball, often epitomising Klopp’s gegenpressing style – supported by Robertson’s lung-busting forward runs, he could drift inside through the channels and pull defenders off Sturridge.

This option also allows for Shaqiri to demonstrate his lightning pace on the wing. The Swiss man also likes to drift inside at times, and would equally benefit from Trent Alexander-Arnold’s overlapping runs. He has an eye for a long-range goal, too.

Sturridge, finally, enjoys playing off the shoulder of the last defender and prefers to remain up top rather than fall back to defend like Firmino, which would suit two wide players who like creating goals as much as scoring them. Central midfielders would be required to support the attack with forward runs into the box.

This would be Klopp’s most likely preference without his first-choice front three.

BRIGHTON AND HOVE, ENGLAND – Saturday, December 2, 2017: Liverpool’s James Milner during the FA Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion FC and Liverpool FC at the American Express Community Stadium. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Option Two: Sturridge, Solanke, Lallana, Milner (4-4-2)

A variation on option one, with Sturridge remaining up top alongside Solanke while Lallana and Milner bolster the midfield in wide areas.

In this scenario, Sturridge drops a little deeper towards the number ten position and feeds on potential knock-downs from Solanke, who is more prolific in the air and provides an outlet for the rest of the team. Solanke also adds more threat from set-pieces and frees Sturridge up to impact the game creatively, as we’ve seen him do in pre-season.

Lallana and Milner provide additional support to the central midfield pairing with their industrious work-ethic, getting forward in attack and dropping deeper to defend when required. I chose Milner over Shaqiri in this instance as I think our Number 7 is more likely to put the work in over 90 minutes – it also allows for Shaqiri to affect the game from the bench and change up the formation.

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – AUGUST 12: Daniel Sturridge of Liverpool scores during the Premier League match between Liverpool and West Ham United at Anfield on August 12, 2018 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by AFP/Getty Images)

Option Three: Sturridge, Lallana, Shaqiri, Milner, Keita, Wijnaldum (4-5-1)

Finally, we have the least-likely option at Klopp’s disposal, primarily because it’s quite defensive, but also allows for a lot of fluidity.

This lineup sees Sturridge as the sole central striker supported by five midfielders, and there are multiple variations available. Shaqiri could shift centrally to the hole between the midfield and striker, influencing the game with his creative passing and explosive runs, while Lallana and Milner take up wide positions again in support of the Keita/Wijnaldum partnership through the middle.

Alternatively, Lallana could go central with Shaqiri and Milner/Wijnaldum out wide, or Keita can go inside and Lallana move back out. There’s a lot of flexibility in there with more potential to confuse an opposition defence.

Of those options, I think Klopp would go for number one most times. It is, of course, unlikely that Salah, Mane and Firmino would all be unavailable simultaneously, so they would each feature in those makeshift attacks to varying degrees as well.

Either way, the Liverpool manager certainly has more options to choose from with a more well-rounded squad at his disposal this season, and that can only be a good thing.

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