What is the answer to Liverpool's midfield problems?

Liverpool parted ways with Georginio Wijnaldum in the summer of 2021. Although he was an important member of the Reds team, many people thought it to be a smart move for the club - primarily for two reasons.

Wijnaldum was already north of 30 and hence would soon have his best years behind him.
Liverpool signed Thiago from Bayern Munich as his replacement, who in his own right, was one of the best midfielders in the world.

Over time, Liverpool made notable changes to their attack as well, with the likes of Sadio Mane and Divock Origi leaving and being replaced by Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez.

After making such changes to Jurgen Klopp's trophy-conquering team, Liverpool has fallen horribly short this season. Their defense is not stable, their attack is not clicking and their midfield looks lost.

What is the problem at Liverpool?

While an initial look will point to the fact that the Reds are falling short in every department, avid Liverpool fans will know that the majority of the problem stems from their midfield.

Jurgen Klopp's team is known for their ability to Geggenpress and break down opponents in transition. More often than not, they win the ball high up the field, which means their midfielders are crucial during transition.

Their job not only ends there as they then run up and down throughout the match, providing the engine needed for Liverpool's intensity.

Sadly, Liverpool's current midfield cannot solve that problem. One of their mainstays in the team this season has been James Milner, the 37-year-old. Despite being a respected veteran in the game, Milner is quite easily past his best.

He ranks in the bottom 40 percentile of tacklers and interceptors in the past year, down from being in the top percentile in the 2019/20 season. Liverpool's captain, the injury-prone Jordan Henderson, has missed a whopping 185 days of football since the 2019/20 season.

Former Reds defender Jamie Carragher put it aptly after Liverpool's 3-1 loss against Brentford.

“It’s not a Jürgen Klopp team. Liverpool have bought one midfield player in four-and-a-half years and it’s coming back to haunt them now. Thiago, for me, is not a problem if the other two are high-energy and working."

Liverpool miss Wijnaldum's ability to play as a box-to-box midfielder, who would cover every blade of grass in a game. As put by Carragher, Thiago's best can only be achieved if he has running midfielders next to him.

The Spanish midfield maestro, for all his technical skills, cannot play a box-to-box role. Sadly, poor recruitment and unlucky injuries have put an end to Liverpool's Geggenpress, which has allowed opposition teams to hound the Reds out of games.

More often than not, Klopp's men are found wanting either in the final third or in their own defensive third, with players failing to keep up their intensity.

So what is the solution?

New faces is the order of the day at Liverpool. They need midfield runners who can bring back the energy at Anfield. Otavio, the 27-year-old Portuguese from Porto, and Lorenzo Pellegrini from Roma could be two quality options available at a considerably lower price.

Otavio currently has eight goals and assists in 19 games, while Pellegrini has 13 goals and assists in 23 matches. Otavio is also a smart dribbler with the ball and has a good long-shot arsenal in his kitty. Otavio is in the top 1% of midfielders while Pellegrini is in the top 3% when it comes to shot-creating and goal-creating actions in Europe.

One of the main reasons why they would provide stability to Liverpool's midfield is their ability to be helpful in the defensive phase of the game as well. Pellegrini's tenacity and ability to track back is second to none.

He fights for every ball and that is something Liverpool has sorely missed for a long time. Otavio is in the bottom 6% of midfielders in terms of fouls, making sure he doesn't give away silly free kicks as well.

Both Otavio and Pellegrini are in the top 4% in successful tackles in the top five European Leagues, while Pellegrini provides the aerial presence that was once given by Wijnaldum.

@fiago7 OTÁVIO IS OUR LOVE 💙🤍

So proud to have this amazin' player in our squad. Such a consistent performer, game to game, always shows such tenacity fighting for the ball that every single player should strive to have

Also messes with our rivals heads 😌

FC Porto's finest 👌

Otavio was linked with the Reds in the summer of 2022 but nothing concrete happened. This transfer would make a lot of sense as Otavio's release clause is set at a reported €35 million, while Pellegrini is worth €40 million, according to Transfermarkt.