In preparation for this weekend’s match against Brighton and Hove Albion, Jürgen Klopp made three pre-planned substitutions on Thursday, but Ryan Gravenberch has put a wrench in the plans.
On Thursday night, Liverpool had a Europa League match to manage, but Jürgen Klopp already had three substitutions lined up before the game even started. He had decided to eject Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nez, and Wataru End from the contest after 45 minutes, regardless of the outcome at the time.
The latter in particular was a strange decision because the Japanese international has established himself as a backup player since moving from Stuttgart in the summer. The Asian midfielder, who has been used by Klopp since he was 30, is now 30 years old.
Nevertheless, the Reds manager may have given a signal about his plans for the weekend when he substituted him after the first half of the match against Union Saint-Gilloise. Sunday afternoon’s match between Liverpool and Brighton and Hove Albion is expected to be tough, and Curtis Jones won’t be available for selection after receiving a red card against Tottenham Hotspur last week.
The Scouse academy alumnus has transformed into a consistent starter at Anfield in recent months, but he is doomed to miss his team’s next three Premier League games, beginning with this weekend’s meeting against the Seagulls. Klopp now has a vacancy in his engine room and must find a way to fill it.
This weekend’s new left-sided number eight is yet to be determined, but End’s early substitution indicates that he is a part of the plan. If Jones was replaced as the starting midfielder by the captain of Japan, he would be used as Liverpool’s holding midfielder, allowing Alexis Mac Allister to move higher up the field.
