Liverpool head into the final day of the Premier League season this afternoon with, unfortunately, nothing other than pride to play for against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield.
It is not a game devoid of meaning, however, as it is Jurgen Klopp's last competitive match in charge of the Reds, ending an almost-nine-year stint in the dugout on Merseyside.
In his time at the club, the German boss has won one Premier League title, one Champions League trophy, two League Cups, and one FA Cup, along with the UEFA Supercup.
He will now be hoping for an enjoyable last 90 minutes on the touchline against Wolves, hopefully enjoying his final win in charge of the Premier League giants.
The Reds were held to a 3-3 draw by Aston Villa in their last outing in the top-flight, thanks to a late comeback from the Villans, and Klopp must now make his last big call as the club's manager by dropping Alexis Mac Allister to unleash another midfielder in his place.
Why Alexis Mac Allister should be dropped
The Argentina international should be dropped down to the bench for the final game of the season after his disappointing performance at Villa Park last time out.
He was selected as part of the midfield three, alongside Wataru Endo and Harvey Elliott, in the clash with Unai Emery's side and let the team down with a poor display in the middle of the park.
The World Cup-winning star's worst moment in the match came in the clip above as the Reds ace tried to turn on the ball and was robbed of possession by Calum Chambers, whose intervention led to a goal from Jhon Duran.
Jarrell Quansah played the ball into the midfielder, who had enough space to take a touch and play the ball, but Mac Allister's first touch was far too sloppy, which provided Chambers with a chance to nip in and win his challenge.
His work on the physical side of the game left a lot to be desired all evening against Villa, as he lost six of his nine ground duels and his only aerial contest. This means that the midfield lightweight lost 70% of his duels in total, which shows that the opposition players found it far too easy to get the better of him.
Mac Allister, who was dribbled past a game-high four times, also made just one key pass and did not create a single 'big chance' for his teammates on the night.
Overall, the 25-year-old flopped against Villa with his woeful play out of possession, including a direct error for Duran's first goal, and did not create much on the ball to make up for his lightweight play.
This is why Klopp must now make his last big call in charge of Liverpool by axing the Argentine wizard to the bench in order to unleash Ryan Gravenberch from the start.
Why Ryan Gravenberch should be unleashed
The Dutch talent has been a substitute in the last two matches, against Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur, and should now be brought back into the starting XI to play ahead of Mac Allister.
Klopp must look back at the 22-year-old midfield general's last performance when selected in the lineup and compare it to the Argentine lightweight's below-par showing last time out, as it suggests that the potential is there for him to offer considerably more to the team.
Minutes played
90
90
Sofascore rating
6.1
7.8
Key passes
1
2
Dribbles completed
0/0
7/8
Duels won
3/10
9/16
Dribbled past
4
0
As you can see in the table above, Gravenberch's display against West Ham from the start in April was a masterclass from the former Bayern Munich gem.
He won the majority of his duels, six more than Mac Allister won against Villa, and completed an eye-catching seven of his eight attempted dribbles to go along with two chances created.
The young talent also scored in his previous start against Fulham, with a clinical finish from the edge of the box, which was his first Premier League goal of the campaign.
Gravenberch also ranks within the top 9% of Premier League midfielders this season for progressive carries per 90 (3.19), and the top 20% for progressive passes per 90 (6.14).
This shows that the Netherlands international is among the best in his position at progressing the ball forward, with his passing and dribbling abilities, to find his teammates in dangerous positions at the top end of the pitch.
Therefore, Klopp must make the big call to drop Mac Allister, after his woeful showing last time out at Villa Park, and unleash the £150k-per-week star from the start against Wolves this afternoon in his final match in charge of the club.
The alternatives to Ryan Gravenberch
If the former Borussia Dortmund tactician does not want to start the Dutchman in place of the World Cup winner, there are alternative options for Liverpool to select in the middle of the park.
Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones were both on the bench, and came on, against Villa and could play in midfield if called upon by Klopp this afternoon.
The Hungary international's recent form does not suggest that he deserves a fresh opportunity to showcase his talent from the start, as the former Bundesliga star has gone 12 games without a goal or an assist for the Reds.
It may now be down to him to impress Arne Slot in pre-season ahead of the 2024/25 campaign in order to win his place in the starting XI back.
Jones, meanwhile, has been an unused substitute in two of the last three matches and endured a rough time against Everton in his last Premier League start for Liverpool.
Minutes played
63
Key passes
1
Big chances created
0
Ground duels won
1/6
Aerial duels won
0/1
Dribbled past
1
Tackles + interceptions
0
As you can see in the table above, the England U21 international was dominated in physical duels, losing six of his seven contests, and offered very little defensively.
Therefore, Klopp should bring Gravenberch in for Mac Allister, ahead of Szoboszlai and Jones, as possibly his last big call in the dugout at Anfield.
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ByAngus Sinclair May 19, 2024