Liverpool's Bench vs. Hull City Shows Impressive Depth of Jurgen Klopp's Squad
While Liverpool's 5-1 thrashing of Hull City at Anfield on Saturday provided plenty of talking points and impressive outcomes, there was also one notable occurrence off the pitch.
With almost a fully fit squad available, Jurgen Klopp's substitutes' bench against Hull was extremely strong, featuring Simon Mignolet, Lucas Leiva, Alberto Moreno, Emre Can, Marko Grujic, Daniel Sturridge and Divock Origi.
Missing from the squad was Dejan Lovren (viral infection), plus long-term absentees Danny Ings and Joe Gomez, while youngsters Kevin Stewart and Sheyi Ojo also didn't make the cut on this occasion.
Had Lovren been fit, he'd have started in place of Ragnar Klavan, with the Estonian then vying with Lucas for the back-up centre-back spot on the bench.
To have two centre-forwards of the quality of Sturridge and Origi, who hit 23 goals between them last season despite both suffering from injuries, shows incredible depth and provides Klopp with options capable of changing games.
They were not required to change the game against the Tigers, with Liverpool 3-0 up and cruising by half-time. Sturridge did come off the bench to win the penalty that added the Reds' fifth goal of the afternoon.
But as the season progresses, such squad depth will be crucial for Liverpool if they are to maintain their impressive start.
First, it will be required, as the physically intense style of Klopp's side means injuries are inevitable. No European football means the squad has longer to recover between games, but there will be times players need resting, and having quality replacements will make that process easier, rather than relying on a player who is a little off the pace.
Second, substitutes so often win games. Against packed defences or during the winter months, having players from the bench who can make an impact is crucial in the Premier League.
Can, whose last competitive start was the European Championship semi-final for Germany against France, came off the bench against Hull but has a challenge on his hands to break into a midfield that has featured Jordan Henderson, Georginio Wijnaldum and Adam Lallana in each of the six league games so far.
The Germany international's chance to replace Henderson at the base of midfield could arrive, or equally he could slot into one of the box-to-box roles. The options for Klopp are healthy and plenty.
Compared to 2008/09 and 2013/14
In Liverpool's last two best Premier League campaigns, under Rafael Benitez in 2008/09 and Brendan Rodgers in 2013/14—finishing second on both occasions—the Reds had a strong starting side but lacked options outside of the regular 11.
Under Benitez, in 08/09, the regular go-to substitutes were David N'Gog, Ryan Babel, Nabil El Zhar and Andrea Dossena. Lucas Leiva and Daniel Agger also found themselves usually on the bench, providing the stronger options but not players who could change a game.
Under Rodgers, in 13/14, the go-to substitutes were Victor Moses and Iago Aspas. Again, Lucas and Agger provided the better options from the bench, but attackingwise, Rodgers' options outside of Luis Suarez and Sturridge were slim.
| 08/09 | Subbed on | 13/14 | Subbed on |
| Babel | 21 | Moses | 13 |
| El Zhar | 14 | Sterling | 9 |
| Lucas | 12 | Aspas | 9 |
| N'Gog | 12 | Allen | 9 |
| Benayoun | 11 | Alberto | 9 |
For Liverpool supporters, it's still astonishing that the team that comprised a spine of Pepe Reina, Jamie Carragher, Sami Hyypia, Javier Mascherano, Xabi Alonso, Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres did not win the title in 08/09.
Liverpool's issue that season was their failure to turn draws into victories. The Reds lost the fewest games of anyone that season, just twice—whereas eventual champions Manchester United lost four times. But there were 11 draws for Benitez's side, and that ultimately cost them.
Imagine what might have been had Benitez been able to call on Sturridge rather than N'Gog, Origi rather than El Zhar, Can instead of Lucas, even Mignolet as back-up instead of Charles Itandje.
Had the Spaniard had the depth Klopp has available now, you'd imagine some of those draws would have been turned into victories, especially around the festive fixtures, when tired legs led to disappointing draws against Hull and Stoke City.
It would be fair to say that the starting XI in 08/09, and possibly 13/14, was stronger than the current starting XI, but neither had anywhere near the squad depth that the current squad boasts.
Compared to Rivals
Below is a table showing the most-often-used substitutes of the big six clubs in the Premier League so far this season. Obviously we have a relatively small sample size of just six league games, but it is clear to see how important having a strong bench is.
| Origi | Xhaka | Fernando | Moses | Rashford | Janssen |
| Stewart | Giroud | Ineanacho | Batshuayi | Mkhitaryan | Lamela |
| Grujic | Elneny | Sane | Pedro | Herrera | Winks |
| Sturridge | Gibbs | Clichy | Fabregas | Young | Sissoko |
| Moreno | Wilshere * | Navas | Oscar | Depay | Onomah |
| Can | Chamberlain | Zabaleta | Alonso | Smalling | N'Koudou |
Where Liverpool have an advantage this season is that they (and Chelsea) do not have European football to contend with. This will mean less squad rotation and fresher bodies and minds for league action.
It's perhaps fair to say that Liverpool's attacking options are as strong as any of their rivals' and better than Chelsea's—where Victor Moses is their most used substitute so far this season.
Manchester United have a plethora of attacking quality, but Jose Mourinho appears to be struggling with how to use it. Arsenal have two quality sub options in Granit Xhaka and Oliver Giroud, but they don't quite have the same array of options as some of the others listed.
Tottenham Hotspur lack depth up front, especially at the moment, with Harry Kane sidelined. Manchester City have real quality throughout on the bench.
Last season, Liverpool began the campaign with Adam Bogdan as their back-up goalkeeper. That later changed to Danny Ward once Klopp arrived and undid yet another of Rodgers' mistakes.
This season, Mignolet looks set to be Klopp's back-up stopper, which is a more comparable option to the likes of Michel Vorm (Tottenham), Asmir Begovic (Chelsea), David Ospina (Arsenal), Willy Caballero (Man City), and Sergio Romero (Man United).
Liverpool
For Liverpool, it's a huge improvement on recent years. The Reds' most-used subs last season were Jordon Ibe, Christian Benteke and Joe Allen, with all three being sold this summer. There is a clear improvement in the quality Klopp now has to call upon from his bench this season.
Not since the 2000/01 treble-winning campaign under Gerard Houllier have Liverpool had such quality and depth in their squad. Fifteen years ago, the Reds' squad boasted Michael Owen, Robbie Fowler, Emile Heskey and Jari Litmanen as four strong forward options, while Gary McAllister had a key role as a squad player.
This improved squad depth was evidenced in last week's EFL Cup tie at Derby County, too, where Klopp made seven changes from the side that had won at Chelsea but still cruised to a 3-0 win—almost exactly a year after scraping past Carlisle United on penalties in the same competition.
Indeed, remaining in the EFL Cup, and FA Cup, will be key for Liverpool this season in order for Klopp to give such opportunities to squad players, keeping them in tune and in shape for when they are needed for Premier League action.
There's plenty of ingredients required to finish in the top four of the league, let alone win the title, but one of them is having strong options from the bench. Liverpool have one part of the recipe ready.
* Appearance data via Transfermarkt.
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