The challenge of determining exactly where Jurgen Klopp’s team is at in their development has emerged as one of the summer’s major themes for Liverpool.
There has also been a ton of evidence for individuals on the opposing sides of the spectrum to support their claims. The future has much to be amazed at for the pessimists. In just five games, 18 goals were scored, including ones by each member of Klopp’s celebrated front five.
For those with half-empty glasses, though, the Reds have occasionally been disturbingly simple to play through due to a lack of adequate midfield shielding, especially down Liverpool’s right flank, which increasingly resembles a bullseye for the opposition.
Before the last week of the transfer window, Sunday’s trip to Newcastle United at least has the potential to offer a more certain ending.
 If the Reds are serious about restoring their Champions League qualification, they must break their record of only collecting those points on the road against the other teams who finished in the top six. This is a subject that can be expanded upon; last season, Liverpool only won six of their away games, losing as many as eight. No, it wasn’t
The covert actions that led to the unexpected signing of Endo last week should encourage those who are currently unimpressed by the deals made in recent weeks, but there is a school of thought that believes a significant outcome at Newcastle could influence Liverpool’s recruitment team’s decisions for the remaining five days of a strange old transfer window.
However, regardless of what happens against Howe’s squad, those who make the decisions won’t be greatly influenced by the outcome of one game. However, the optics of a damaging defeat will be difficult to completely ignore if things don’t go according to plan on Sunday afternoon.
Â
Â
