Danny Ings Return a Boost as Liverpool Close Premier League Season at West Brom
THE HAWTHORNS, West Bromwich — With all eyes on Wednesday night's UEFA Europa League final—a clash with La Liga challenger Sevilla and Liverpool that promises a place in the UEFA Champions League for the victor—Liverpool's trip to the West Midlands to take on West Bromwich Albion on Sunday was something of a sideshow.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp seemingly acknowledged this, despite his insistence to the contrary prior to the contest, in making 11 changes to his side from Wednesday night's 1-1 draw at home to Chelsea. The German coach rested his key names in Sunday's 1-1 tie against West Brom with one eye on midweek and Basel's St. Jakob-Park.
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Furthermore, with Salomon Rondon's opener cancelled out by a wonderful solo effort from Jordon Ibe and the Reds taking a single point away from the Hawthorns, Klopp's Premier League hopes were drained.
Held to a draw by Tony Pulis' Baggies on the final day of the domestic season, this was little more than a routine clash for Liverpool, with an eighth-placed finish ensuring that it's win or bust against Sevilla on Wednesday.
However, Klopp can still take some major positives from this score draw. Danny Ings returned after seven months out with an ACL injury, leading the way as Klopp analyses the result.
Among those 11 changes on Sunday afternoon, Klopp named youngsters Brad Smith, Kevin Stewart, Cameron Brannagan and Sheyi Ojo to his starting lineup, joining their more experienced youth colleagues Ibe and Jon Flanagan in a side with an average age of just 24 years.
Klopp fielded his side in a 4-3-3 formation, with Flanagan and Smith flanking experienced defensive pairing Lucas Leiva and Martin Skrtel, as Adam Bogdan took up position in goal.
Alongside Brannagan—the under-21s captain making his full league debut—and Stewart, Joe Allen took the reins as midfield general by operating in a box-to-box role to support wingers Ojo and Ibe and lone centre-forward Christian Benteke.
As Klopp explained after the game, Liverpool looked to frustrate the Baggies by "[keeping] the ball as long as possible." His side enjoyed 67 percent of the possession, as well as completing 85 percent of their attempted passes to West Brom's 66 percent.
Much of this was due to the technical quality of Brannagan in the central role in midfield. He offered a constant outlet for his more limited team-mates, such as Stewart, and kept his head up to thread passes between the lines into attack. The 20-year-old made more touches (112) than any other player, as well as completing 94.7 percent of his passes.
Going behind to Rondon's 13th-minute strike was a blow to the Reds' momentum, but with Ibe picking up the ball on the halfway line, powering towards goal and sending a low, left-footed strike beyond Ben Foster to level the score 10 minutes later, Klopp's side were able to settle once again.
Heading into the interval at 1-1, Klopp sent Ings, Jordan Henderson and Tiago Ilori out to warm up throughout half-time, plotting to introduce the former pair 20 minutes after the clash resumed.
Ings came on to take Ibe's place just after the hour mark and Henderson joined his England team-mate to provide a lift to the Liverpool support—as both players were initially ruled out for the rest of the season with their respective injuries.
Both located in the knee, Ings' ACL and Henderson's LCL ruptures struck a blow to Klopp's hopes at different points in the season. But while the captain was set to miss just over a month with his injury, Ings was ruled out for seven months.
That he was able to make his return ahead of schedule is a testament to Ings' commitment to his recovery, and Klopp was able to reward the No. 28 in this low-key tie, as he explained after the game.
"It's nice to be a part of this," Klopp said. "It wasn't that we thought he should have changed the game, more about giving him something."
Klopp acknowledged Ings' efforts, providing the striker with another milestone in his comeback trail, though after watching the striker send 20-yard efforts beyond substitute goalkeeper Simon Mignolet and into the back of the net during Liverpool's pre-match warmup, the role Ings took up on his arrival was a departure.
The 23-year-old came on as a like-for-like alternative for Ibe, operating on the left flank in support of Benteke.
As with the first months of the season, Ings' relentless energy, one-touch creative play and intelligent movement allowed him to trouble Pulis' back four in tandem with Benteke, drifting inside from his wide role. But Klopp's decision to deploy him on the wing may be significant.
Klopp is clearly an admirer of not only Ings' resilience, but also his quality on the field. But with Daniel Sturridge, Divock Origi and Roberto Firmino all excelling in the No. 9 role in 2015-16, and Klopp regularly deploying his side in a single-striker formation, his best chance of game time next season could be on the wing.
This would, of course, draw further comparison with former Liverpool forward and club icon Dirk Kuyt, whose strong work ethic and high-intensity attacking style bears great similarity to the former Burnley man.
Sunday's role may have been a one-off, but as Ings told James Carroll of the club's official website after the game, he is simply happy to get back onto the field:
"It's hard to put into words how much this afternoon meant to me, but it's important to say thank you to the people who made it so special and made it happen.
The supporters were unreal, absolutely out of this world. I didn't expect them to sing my name after I've been out for that long, but it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and made me realise just why this place is what it is.
[...]
Getting back on the pitch at West Brom was brilliant, but it's only the start. I know I'm going to have to keep working harder and harder each day to remain in contention at this great club. It's something I'm really looking forward to.
"
A modest, hardworking young player—who shunned the offer of an iconic shirt number on his arrival at the club in order to, as relayed by the Press Association (h/t This is Anfield), "work my socks off to earn that number"—Ings is clearly willing to graft for his place.
This is perfectly in sync with Klopp's demands as a manager. And with Ings returning to the field in Sunday's 1-1 draw against West Brom—and ready to jump into pre-season fully fit and firing—the German manager can be buoyed with the addition of an outstanding talent.
Statistics via WhoScored.com, all quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
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