“It’s a crime that he doesn’t play more” – Jurgen Klopp makes honest admission about Liverpool star after ‘unbelievable’ display against Southampton
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has heaped praise on Takumi Minamino following his impressive performance in the side's 2-1 comeback victory over Southampton on May 17.
The Japanese attacking midfielder was one of a number of surprising players to start the game at St. Mary's with title race implications at stake.
But the 27-year-old took his opportunity with aplomb, scoring Liverpool's equalizer with a fantastic strike in the 27th minute. This canceled out a contentious opener from Nathan Redmond and Joel Matip wrapped up the win in the second-half with a strange header.
Minamino was a problem for the Saints defense throughout and linked up well with striker Roberto Firmino.
A number of other unlikely starters took their chances in great stride.
Harvey Elliot and Curtis Jones both impressed on a night where the Reds kept their hopes of an unprecedented quadruple alive.
Following the victory, Klopp has sung the praises of the makeshift team that he put out for the win over Southampton.
He told reporters (via This is Anfield):
"To be honest, it's a bit overwhelming, it's touching what the players did - we had players on the pitch, I told them, players like Takumi Minamino it's a crime that he doesn't play more often. Oxlade, who is in outstanding shape is not part of the squad sometimes."
Klopp continued with his praise, saying:
"Harvey, Curtis didn't play for a long time. All these boys deliver and deliver and deliver. It's unbelievable.
"Making 9 changes and having this performance is exceptional. We would have had more problems here if we played the guys who played 120 minutes on Saturday."
Jurgen Klopp joking with Curtis Jones at full-time 🔴 https://t.co/J6ZtU0RvwF
Minamino featured sparingly for Liverpool, appearing only in 23 games before today's appearance against the Saints. In those 23 appearances, he has managed to score nine goals and provide an assist.
Liverpool now head into the final day of the season trailing league leaders Manchester City by a point. The Cityzens faltered in their previous game against West Ham United, drawing 2-2. They will face Aston Villa on the final matchday, while the Reds will take on Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Liverpool's impressive performance against Southampton shows their depth
When the starting XI for the game against the Saints was announced, many felt that Jurgen Klopp was prioritizing the Champions League final on May 28.
The likes of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Sadio Mane were all left out of the squad.
But the members of the Liverpool squad that were chosen to fill the boots of the superstar names certainly delivered on the night.
It shows just how much success Klopp has had in rebuilding the Anfield side since his arrival back in 2015.
Every position now has a worthy replacement to come in and perform.
Konstantinkos Tsimikas was brilliant in the absence of Andy Robertson. So was Roberto Firmino, who has had to play second-fiddle to the likes of Mane and Luis Diaz this season.
A big three points on the road. We keep going 👊🔴 https://t.co/Eml9oCcNfG
It bodes well heading into the future for Klopp and his men, who know just how much talent there is at the Merseyside club.