Napoli is the latest team to show what Liverpool’s “missing” market piece is at the moment. Jürgen Klopp has to judge with the club’s new sporting director.

What makes a team a title winner? It’s a nuanced question, but a man like Jürgen Klopp must to some extent know the complicated answer, as he has raised all there was to lift with Liverpool. The truth is, there are countless factors that go into creating a winning outfit. Looking through Liverpool’s problems, it would be difficult to pinpoint just one reason why they have fallen below these standards this season. The Reds’ failure to deal with a clear lack of depth and quality in midfield in the transfer market has no doubt played a part in the decline of Klopp’s side.

But there is another aspect that has weakened the squad, which has remained under the radar and is currently perfectly supported by one of the most fit teams in Europe, Napoli, who are really on their way to becoming a scudetto to be lifted in Italy for the first half in decades.

Napoli recruited well in the summer transfer window, bringing in the likes of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Kim Min Jae who greatly improved the starting eleven. But that’s not all: equally important is Napoli’s desire to keep the majority of the squad united and build a great strength in depth. Eljif Elmas, for example, has been linked with a move but Napoli opted to keep him and although he was not a regular feature in the club’s starting XI, he was a key player from the bench. Although he hasn’t set the world on fire with seven goals this season, his ability to come in and finish games every once in a while is just as crucial to the team’s success.

It’s the team players who emerge at crucial moments that ultimately help teams win titles.

Liverpool should know that all too well. Just think of the examples of Divock Origi and Xherdan Shaqiri, who are always reinforced at crucial moments. Adam Lallana and Takumi Minamino also fall into this category. Over the summer, however, Klopp lost a significant number of these types of players from his squad. Origi and Minamino have departed for new pastures, and although their absences have not been noted as often as Sadio Mane’s, it could be argued that Liverpool have felt them miss just as often.

Whoever is appointed as the club’s new sporting director in the summer should not only focus on strengthening the starting eleven under Klopp, but also restoring Liverpool’s depth in the squad. If the Reds are to return to the same level as when they were at the peak of their abilities, they need to take notes from their past and also from Napoli.

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A wonder kid had been discovered in Liverpool

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Stefan Bajcetic’s incredible performance against Everton in the Merseyside Derby is a sign of things to come.

Stefan Bajcetic

season so far has been full of disappointments, but there is one silver lining that will stay with every Liverpool fan and that is the emergence of young Stefan Bajcetic.

Over the last couple of months, the struggles of the Merseyside club have been on display for all to see. Performance on the pitch was disappointing to say the least.

Despite the vast experience Jurgen Klopp has acquired, it is Liverpool’s Spanish prodigy who has stepped forward and shown what it means to play in the famous red shirt. The player’s best performance on Monday night in one of Merseyside’s most important derbies for years was just one of many we’ve seen in recent weeks.

The results weren’t in favor of the Reds, who indirectly made Bajcetic shine in those games.

While all the other players struggled to find their form, the 18-year-old played beyond his age and showed his teammates.

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The Liverpool legend urges fans not to get too excited about their victory over Merseyside rivals Everton

Liverpool legend Steve Nicol has urged fans not to overestimate the 2-0 win against Everton at Anfield on Monday night (13 February). The Reds secured their first Premier League win in 2023 in the Merseyside Derby, courtesy of goals from Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo.

Former Liverpool full-back Nicol has urged fans to calm down and not get too excited over a win against an Everton side battling relegation. He told ESPN:

“I felt very comfortable after the second goal. You know, when I scored so early in the second half, the game was over. I say that, but I have to admit that when (James) Tarkowski headed the ball (against post) I thought he had scored because Alisson had been beaten.”

He continued:

“That the ball is in the Everton net 13 seconds later. Incredible. You talk about completely changing the game. From then on, Everton weren’t really in the game. It’s a good win, an important win, but it’s against a team that seems to be relegated, so everyone has to calm down.”

With just 32 points from 21 games, Liverpool are ninth in the Premier League with just nine wins all season. They are nine points behind fourth-placed Newcastle United (41), with one game to spare.