Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has conceded that the Reds will start the season without a first-choice striker, but it doesn’t concern him.
Jurgen Klopp has been unable to consistently call on Daniel Sturridge to lead his line due to injury problems, while he has bolstered his squad this summer to give himself more flexibility.
While even Carragher is unsure as to who the German tactician will call upon against Arsenal in the season-opener on Sunday, it will also represent a problem for the opposition with the Liverpool boss capable of trying out various personnel.
However, the Sky Sports expert has picked out one summer signing in particular who he believes will have an impact this season, with Sadio Mane arriving from Southampton after scoring 15 goals in all competitions last year.
The 24-year-old bagged 13 goals the year before that while his goalscoring record in the Bundesliga was impressive, and Carragher expects him to contribute in that department at Anfield too.
“I don’t know if Daniel Sturridge will be the starting striker. Divock Origi played in a lot of the big games in Europe last season and has done well in pre-season,” he told Sky Sports.
“Sadio Mane is a very good signing. He can play in any of the four positions in attack and it looks like he will play on the right for Liverpool. They lacked pace and goals from those attacking midfield positions last year but his record suggests he will fix that.
“Roberto Firmino has been praised by Klopp as the player of pre-season and he likes him as a centre-forward, so there’s no number one striker at Liverpool.
“There’s three or four players going for one or two positions, which is a good thing for the team because nobody can rest on their laurels.
“The individuals would like to see themselves as first choice and relax a little bit, but this situation will keep them on their toes.”
What Klopp certainly can’t do this year is make excuses for any lack of success, as ultimately he’s now made this his squad and will be confident that they can get results.
Carragher is right in his additional assessment that they need to bring in another left-back, but from an attacking point of view, it shouldn’t be seen as a negative that they have no obvious first-choice striker, as Klopp’s tactical nous, preferred system and style of play should make it less of an issue.