Liverpool’s latest Europa League adventure gets underway tonight and it will provide the perfect stage for some of their fringe players to make an impact.
Manager Jurgen Klopp is taking the competition, UEFA’s second-most prestigious after the Champions League, seriously but is expected to experiment with his line-up during the six group games after a summer of rebuilding.
This opener against LASK in Linz, Austria’s third-biggest city, will serve as quite a contrast to Liverpool’s recent European adventures, which have included three Champions League finals in the past six seasons. But the Europa League is the only trophy Klopp has competed for and not won since coming to Anfield in October 2015, and he has already said the plan is to make it “their competition”.
With this season’s final taking place in Dublin, capital of the Republic of Ireland, on May 22 — a match that could almost be a home game for Liverpool, just an hour’s flight away — expectations are high, but which players will benefit the most from being involved? Our experts have their say.
Which senior player has the most to gain from the Europa League?
James Pearce: Wataru Endo. The experienced Japan international was Liverpool’s left-field signing of the summer after they missed out on Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia.
After handing the 30-year-old Japan captain his first start in that dramatic away win over Newcastle UnitedJurgen Klopp has preferred Alexis Mac Allister in the holding midfield role for the two games since. Endo didn’t have the luxury of a pre-season with Liverpool as the deal was not done until after the first league game, and he is clearly still adapting to his new surroundings. It’s a big step up and patience is required.
However, the Europa League group stage looks tailor-made for the £16.2million ($20m) signing from Stuttgart to showcase what he’s capable of at the base of Klopp’s midfield and stake a claim for more Premier League minutes. He’s the only specialist No 6 Liverpool bought this summer, and that’s because Klopp believes in him.
Endo will grow in stature and his experience will be important around the younger players.
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Gregg Evans: Darwin Nunez. Admittedly we shouldn’t be discussing how Liverpool’s most expensive striker can find his top form through games in the Europa League, but last season was an unusual one for him.
Goals, and ideally a regular supply of them, are essential for Nunez in the coming weeks and months if he’s going to make the impact so many expected when he arrived from Benfica a little over a year ago.
Nunez could benefit from Europa League game time (Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)
The early signs are good; his two goals off the bench against Newcastle were crucial, but his hard, selfless running has also helped the team when they’ve fallen behind. These European games are a great opportunity for him to continue boosting his goal numbers.
Andy Jones: Ryan Gravenberch. New signings under Klopp can take time to bed in and get up to speed with Liverpool’s system and approach. As a deadline-day signingGravenberch arrived with no pre-season to give him time to settle, competitive games already going on, and a couple of days before the start of a two-week international break.
Klopp is a big fan and has spoken about the qualities the 21-year-old possesses. There is still so much potential to fulfil — Gravenberch usually plays as a No 8, but the belief is he can become a No 6, too.
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The learning process has begun, as he decided to stay on Merseyside during the international break instead of joining up with the Netherlands Under-21s for two European Championship qualifiers.
These Europa League games against LASK, Belgium’s Union Saint-Gilloise and Toulouse of France should provide the perfect platform to help get him used to how his new team operate against opposition where Liverpool should be the superior side.
Caoimhe O’Neill: Thiago. His contract expires next summer and it now feels like we are watching the sunset of his short Liverpool career. And who doesn’t want to be sat on the Kop for Europa League nights watching that?
The 32-year-old’s passes are a bit like the sky at sundown in that they look different each time. And just when you think you’ve seen one that cannot be eclipsed, the next proves you wrong. You pull out your camera phone but never quite capture the magic.
Thiago is probably in his final season at Liverpool (Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Thiago’s quality is undisputed. It’s his injury record that draws scrutiny.
He is yet to play this season and this competition feels like the perfect one to get him rolling and remind us the most beautiful skies are flickers of the old ones.
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Which youngster or fringe player can benefit most?
James Pearce: Ben Free. You don’t want to burden a 17-year-old with too much pressure but there’s no denying the buzz around him. Liverpool suspected they had pulled off a real coup when they beat competition from a host of clubs to sign the winger from Scottish champions Celtic for just £600,000 last year, and that feeling has grown considerably since.
Doak is special.
He lit up the UEFA Youth League last season and showed flashes of his brilliance when Klopp elevated him to the first-team setup. He already has six senior appearances under his belt but expect that number to grow during the Europa League group stage.
Doak has the perfect mentor in Mohamed Salah and I’m excited about watching the teenager flying down that right flank on Thursday nights over the next few months. He’s fearless and more than holds his own physically. I love how he keeps demanding the ball and is so positive and direct when he gets in.
Gregg Evans: Stefan Bajcetic. When Liverpool were in a slump last season, he came to the rescue with a mix of youthful exuberance and genuine midfield quality.
His rise through the youth teams as the club’s last overseas signing before Brexit in 2020 positioned him well for last summer’s pre-season schedule, where he impressed. Klopp then called on him and he didn’t disappoint, but a groin injury ended his season in April and he’s still playing catch-up.
We’ve all seen his technical ability and recognised his potential. Now the 18-year-old Spaniard needs minutes to continue his development and kick on to another level.
Andy Jones: Harvey Elliott. It is easy to forget that he is only 20 as he has been around Liverpool’s first-team squad for a couple of seasons. He made the club’s fifth-most appearances last season (46) but finished it out of the starting XI and has been limited to substitute appearances in this one.
The England Under-21 international has made those minutes count, though, with a consistent run of impressive cameos. He looked sharp throughout pre-season but his chances of starting Premier League games look limited due to the form of summer buy Dominik Szoboszlai.
Elliott’s best opportunities will come in this competition. It will be crucial to show he can turn those impact substitute appearances into 90-minute contributions. There will be a responsibility to creatively link the midfield and attack in these matches.
Harvey Elliott will be targeting Europa League success (Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)
Caoimhe O’Neill: Jarell Quansah. In January, Quansah was subbed off in the final minutes while playing for Liverpool’s under-23s in another European tournament, the Premier League International Cup.
Joey Barton, who was there at Kirkby watching the club’s youngsters defeat their Paris Saint-Germain counterparts, had already seen enough, though. The Bristol Rovers manager signed Quansah on loan that month for the rest of last season. He was not alone in calling it a night when Quansah went off, as half a dozen scouts noticeably followed suit.
The 20-year-old, who went on to start 15 games in League One under Barton, has always stood out at the academy as a calm leader, consistently wearing the captain’s armband. A dependable figure in central defence with a gentle pass and hard tackle, Europa League football should suit him following his first Premier League start against Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend.
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(Top photos: Getty Images)
