In the first half at Wolves, Jurgen Klopp felt that “not many players [were] themselves,” but he praised the influence of his substitutions in the 3-1 victory.
At Molineux, Liverpool’s lineup was as expected save for two unexpected choices: Jarell Quansah started at center back for the first time and Alexis Mac Allister was kept.
With a 12.30 p.m. kickoff and the end of the international break, it was obvious that rotation was necessary, but Klopp’s plan wasn’t quite successful.
After falling behind 1-0, the manager realized he had to make some adjustments. He switched to a 4-2-3-1 formation and brought in Luis Diaz to replace the failing Mac Allister.
There was time for Ryan Gravenberch to make a brief debut as well. The manager noted that Gravenberch nearly made it 4-1 while emphasizing the significance of his alterations.
Bring on Darwin, Harvey, all the boys who came in gradually, Ibou, and then Ryan, who was obviously late but who, to be honest, could have scored!
“First half was really bad, second half was really good, 3-1.”
Even though Liverpool wasn’t at its best in the opening period at Molineux, Klopp was able to demonstrate the depth of his squad on another afternoon.
Due to the impending returns of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk, and Thiago as well as Ben Doak’s exclusion from the squad, things are looking good for Klopp right now.
It is exactly what Liverpool needs as they tackle a new task this season, with a trip to LASK to come on Thursday night before the visit from West Ham on Sunday.