Liverpool They continued their quest for Premier League Success in Arnie slotHis first season, with a 4-1 win over Ipswich Town at Anfield over the weekend.
Dominik Szoboszlai, Cody Jacobo and Mohamed Salah scored to give Liverpool a 4-0 lead in the 65th minute, before Ipswich defender Jacob Greaves scored a consolation goal in the 90th minute to make the score 4-1.
Currently six points clear at the top of the table with one game in hand, Liverpool are firmly in the driving seat heading into the second half of the season.
However, a January addition from the top flight could further boost their title hopes, and FSG (Fenway Sports Group) could look to provide Slot with that in the final week of the window.
Liverpool is looking to sign a midfielder
according to Reports from CaughtOffsideLiverpool are one of the clubs that have 'made a move' for Bayern Munich midfielder, Joshua Kimmich. The German is yet to agree a new deal with Bayern, opening the door for other clubs to register an interest in him.
Reports suggest that Liverpool, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain are interested in the 29-year-old. If he does not agree to a new deal, teams could move on a potential free transfer or even consider paying a lower fee for his arrival this month.
Kimmich has He has made 29 appearances for the German giants so far this seasonHe scored one goal and provided eight assists.
How Kimmich could become Liverpool's answer to Rodri
In the last few seasons, Liverpool have been looking to make changes to their midfield, with the likes of Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and Georginio Wijnaldum leaving the club.
In order to combat this, they have signed Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Szoboszlai, as well as Curtis Jones coming through the academy ranks.
However, while this midfield group has a diverse range of skills, defensive acumen, experience at the highest level and the ability to control the tempo of the game from deeper areas can sometimes be lacking. This has often been a key difference in recent years, as Manchester City have Rodri, who does all of these things to an exceptional level.
So, could Kimmich be the right answer to the Spaniard's great at Liverpool? Let's take a look.
Compare Kimmich (24/25) vs. Rodri (23/24). |
||
---|---|---|
Statistics (per 90 minutes) |
Kimmish |
Rhodri |
Goals + assists |
0.32 |
0.48 |
Holds progressivism |
1.92 |
2.88 |
Progressive passes |
10.6 |
12.4 |
Passes attempted |
113.0 |
114.7 |
Success completion rate |
89.0% |
91.9% |
It passes to the last third |
12.6 |
11.9 |
Key passes |
2.42 |
1.63 |
He treats |
1.62 |
2.10 |
Objections |
0.67 |
0.73 |
Retrieve the ball |
6.27 |
7.17 |
Statistics taken from FBref |
When you compare Kimmich and Rodri in the 2023/24 season when he was not injured, you can see how close the Germans' standings are on many metrics, which is no easy feat considering this was most of the season in which Rodri won the Ballon d'Or.
The ability to get a high number of passes per game, complete them efficiently, progress the play and even add some threat with key passes as well, all while protecting the defense and driving in a central area of the pitch, makes them invaluable to them. side.
Jose Mourinho has even praised Kimmich in the past, calling him “Absolutely massive“The player, describing the German as”tasty“He shows his ability to play as a right-back and defensive midfielder. This versatility could also be useful, depending on Trent Alexander-Arnold's situation at the end of the season.
Kimmich will obviously bring that extra experience into midfield, helping the likes of Gravenbrech and Jones in particular, who can provide square to square legs in the middle, but can also use the hand on their shoulder, to lead that midfield unit.