Jurgen Klopp Praises His Substitutes After Liverpool Come From Behind to Beat Wolves 3-1
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was pleased with the impact of his substitutes in the 3-1 win over Wolves at Molineux on Saturday. The Reds had to come from behind after going 1-0 down in the first half, and Klopp was forced to make some changes to turn the game around.
Klopp made two surprise picks in his starting lineup, with Jarell Quansah making his first start at centre-back and Alexis Mac Allister retained. However, it wasn’t the perfect setup from Klopp and he needed to change things up.
He switched to a system closer to a 4-2-3-1 and replaced the struggling Mac Allister with Luis Diaz. Cody Gakpo levelled the tie before being immediately swapped for Darwin Nunez, with Harvey Elliott also on for Diogo Jota. Ibrahima Konate then took over from the cramping Quansah, and there was time for a brief debut for Ryan Gravenberch.
Klopp’s Changes Proved Vital
Klopp was full of praise for his substitutes, who he believes were key to the victory. He said: “I thought Quansah did pretty well, probably Ali, besides that there were not a lot of players [who were] themselves. We cannot change that often, so we thought we’d change system and just give them a completely new setup.
“Brought on first Lucho, which was super helpful because he’s just a threat, I think directly the first situation was a one-on-one in the box. Bring on Darwin, Harvey, all the boys who came in, step by step, Ibou and then late obviously Ryan, who could have scored to be honest! First half was really bad, second half really good, 3-1.”
Strength in Depth
While Liverpool were far from their best in the first half at Molineux, it was another afternoon that flexed the strength in depth available to Klopp. His bench on Saturday comprised of Caoimhin Kelleher, Konate, Wataru Endo, Stefan Bajcetic, Elliott, Gravenberch, Diaz and Nunez.
The majority of those players could make a convincing claim for a starting spot – Konate, Diaz and Nunez are arguably first-choice starters already – but instead they were able to come off the bench. It is a favourable position for Klopp at present, with Thiago, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold due to return in the near future and Ben Doak also not making the squad.
With a trip to LASK to come on Thursday night before the visit of West Ham on Sunday, it is exactly what Liverpool need as they juggle a new challenge this season.
Conclusion
Jurgen Klopp’s decision to make changes at halftime paid off as Liverpool came from behind to beat Wolves 3-1 at Molineux. His substitutes made an immediate impact and were key to the victory. The Reds have plenty of strength in depth this season and it will be vital as they juggle their domestic and European commitments.