Ragnar Klavan Makes Case to Displace Mamadou Sakho in Liverpool Loss to Chelsea
Liverpool continued their pre-season preparations with a clash against Premier League rivals Chelsea in the early hours of Thursday morning. It was the first of three games for each side in the money-spinning International Champions Cup at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.
Falling to a 1-0 defeat to Antonio Conte's resurgent Blues following a powerful header from Gary Cahill, Jurgen Klopp's side can feel disappointed at ending their first major challenge of the summer with their first loss.
However, just as previous victories over Tranmere Rovers, Fleetwood Town, Wigan Athletic and Huddersfield Town should have little bearing over Liverpool's fortunes in 2016/17, the same goes for this high-profile outing against the Stamford Bridge club.
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Instead, Klopp and his backroom staff of Zeljko Buvac, Peter Krawietz and Pepijn Lijnders will be picking apart the minute details as they attempt to improve their side's performance on the pitch when it counts.
A clutch of players produced encouraging displays at the Rose Bowl, with 18-year-old academy midfielder Ovie Ejaria's technical prowess catching the eye and James Milner's half-hour display at right-back suggesting a new role for the veteran. But perhaps the most promising performance came from debutant Ragnar Klavan.
In the aftermath of a disagreement between Klopp and centre-back Mamadou Sakho that saw the Frenchman sent back to Merseyside due to his manager's concerns over his attitude while on tour, Klavan's first appearance for the Reds became more significant.
Acquitting himself well over 90 minutes in Pasadena, Klavan presented Klopp with an intriguing option in Sakho's absence—with the summer signing, previously considered a comfortable back-up, now presenting his case for a regular role.
Sakho had travelled with the Liverpool squad to their training camp in Palo Alto, California, in a state of limbo: liberated following the dismissal of a UEFA anti-doping case looming over him for three months, but sidelined with a troubling Achilles injury that will keep him out until at least the start of the season.
The Frenchman was included alongside fellow absentees Lucas Leiva and Joe Gomez, in a show of solidarity from a manager who had previously told reporters Liverpool were "not going there on holiday," and he took part in team-building exercises as the Reds adjusted to their surroundings.
This included a trip to San Francisco's historic Alcatraz Island, with Sakho providing Liverpool's official YouTube channel with coverage throughout:
During Sakho's tour of the former prison, however—when interrupting an LFCTV interview with the manager—Klopp made a troubling remark, saying, "only one of us came late last night for departure in Liverpool; it was not me, it was you."
What was initially packaged as an example of a lighthearted moment between Klopp and Sakho, it uncovered this as one of the factors behind the German's decision to dismiss the former Paris Saint-Germain captain from duty in the United States.
Clarifying his decision ahead of Thursday morning's clash, Klopp said that while Sakho's sanction was "not that serious," a lack of respect shown by the player on three occasions gave him no choice but to act.
Per the Guardian, the Liverpool manager said:
"It’s not that serious. He missed the departure of the plane, he missed a session and then was late for a meal. ... I have to build a group here, I have to start anew, so I thought it maybe made sense that he flew home to Liverpool and after eight days, when we come back, we can talk about it.
But it’s not that serious. It is how I said, we have some rules and we have to respect them. If somebody doesn’t respect it, or somebody gives me the feeling he is not respecting it, then I have to react, that’s all.
"
While Sakho would have been unavailable for Liverpool's ICC opener, Klopp's side headed into the clash under the cloud of this malaise—despite the 49-year-old's protest against the severity of his decision.
Joining Sakho, Lucas and Gomez on the treatment table during pre-season is summer signing Joel Matip, with the Cameroon international suffering a minor ankle injury during the Reds' 2-0 victory over Wigan earlier in July.
Taking precaution due to a previous, longstanding problem for the centre-back, Klopp was left with just three options at the heart of defence on Thursday: Klavan, Dejan Lovren and Andre Wisdom.
With Wisdom facing an uncertain future under Klopp, as relayed by Goal's Melissa Reddy, Klavan and Lovren were the clear first-choice pairing, and they lined up ahead of goalkeeper Loris Karius as they attempted to shackle a Blues attack that featured Willian, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Bertrand Traore and Victor Moses.
Former Reds loanee Moses impressed in his role on Conte's left flank, combining with Traore and Loftus-Cheek to produce a number of promising openings, and winning the corner that saw Cahill head home the winner after just 11 minutes.
But while Marko Grujic was beaten in the air for the England international's goal, Liverpool's defensive efforts were largely accomplished, with Klavan and Lovren showing signs of a strong partnership.
Providing his verdict after the match, the Liverpool Echo's Kristian Walsh highlighted Klavan's composure and intelligent reading of the game as key factors behind a promising debut display:
"Playing on the left-hand side—and allowing Lovren, captain for the evening, to shift on to the right—the 30-year-old gave the sort of balance Sakho usually does. As a left-footer, he looked comfortable moving out of defence, offering passes to the midfielders ahead. On the back foot, he was reliable; his positioning was smart and he appears to read the game well, as evidenced by a superb interception from Willian's ball in the first half.
A certain goal was saved, and an impression certainly made.
"
After the game, Klavan's name was plastered across headlines following Cesc Fabregas' late challenge on the defender—earning the Spaniard a straight red card—but as Walsh attests, his efforts to deny Willian's creativity at the Rose Bowl also deserved praise.
Crucially, Walsh noted Klavan's performance in relation to Sakho, with this balance alongside Lovren an important facet of Klopp's defensive setup.
As The Anfield Wrap revealed after full-time, Klavan showcased his confidence in possession, completing more passes than any other Liverpool player (74), with an accuracy of 91.9 percent—comparing favourably with Sakho, who averaged 60.3 successful passes per 90 minutes last season, completing 87.9 percent of his attempts.
Klavan was signed in a cut-price deal worth £4.2 million, with the Estonia captain widely considered a fourth- or fifth-choice option by supporters, behind Sakho, Matip, Lovren and possibly Gomez.
But following Sakho's transgression and a positive debut display, Klopp may be considering him for a loftier role.
Importantly, the question marks that pervade Sakho's character aren't present with Klavan, whose commitment and work ethic were underlined by his international manager, Magnus Pehrsson, on his move to Merseyside
Pehrsson told ESPN FC's Glenn Price:
"From the players I have worked with in my career, he's the most professional I have worked with, in terms of taking care of himself and really trying develop himself day by day.
He's a real role model. This is my third year with him now and I don't see any difference at all. I think he has developed in these three years.
[...]
His motto since he became a professional player in Estonia is that he should never reject anything, and he really takes advantage of the talent he has.
"
Klavan himself reiterated this in his first interview with LFCTV when he said: "For me the most important thing is the team effort. Whatever needs to be done for the team. I’ve always been a team player and this is going to be [the case] until I retire."
Klopp also highlighted Klavan's "mentality" in reinforcing his decision to sign the centre-back from Augsburg, and while there is little questioning Sakho's commitment and will to win, the manager's most recent testimony of both centre-backs presents a salient juxtaposition.
Comparing them as players—Sakho, a Ligue 1 winner who has amassed 279 appearances between spells with PSG and Liverpool, and Klavan, a mid-level veteran whose previous clubs include Dutch sides Heracles Almelo and AZ Alkmaar—there is a clear gulf in quality between Liverpool's two left-sided centre-backs.
But with Sakho's future still in doubt as he awaits Klopp's return to Merseyside in August, Klavan's attitude, paired with a strong performance against Chelsea on his debut, could force the manager's hand if issues remain with his No. 3.
Statistics via WhoScored.com and Transfermarkt.co.uk.
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