“It was November 2020 when Jurgen Klopp, then Liverpool’s manager, likened a football team to an orchestra. He used the analogy in praise of Roberto Firmino’s versatility for the Anfield side as a forward. ‘You need different people to play different instruments,’ he said. ‘Some of them are louder, some not so loud, but they’re all important for our rhythm.’ Half a decade later, with Klopp no longer a part of the Premier League, his idea of balance is still true. Watch Granit Xhaka, Jordan Henderson or Pascal Gross play. Every team needs a conductor, and that trio all made unexpected returns to the English top flight in the past year. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)
Xhaka, Henderson, Gross: Why veteran technical midfielders make sense for mid-table teams
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“There’s nothing like the wonder of a young player showing what he can do to lift the mood, and Rio Ngumoha did just that with a brilliant finish in Liverpool’s win over Fulham. It has been a tough time of late for Arne Slot and Liverpool, but the sight of the 17-year-old Ngumoha bending the ball in from just inside the area and then Mohamad Salah — who has had his own troubles recently — doubling the lead will have brought some much-needed positivity. …”
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