It has been a year since Liverpool lost Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona and yet, the Reds are doing better than ever without the Brazilian.
Jurgen Klopp’s men are at the very top of the Premier League this season with a considerable 7-point gap over Manchester City. They are also due to face Bayern Munich in the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League.
While Coutinho was the dominant creative spark for Liverpool he has hardly been a miss this campaign after the arrival of Xherdan Shaqiri. The Swiss attacker was brought in from a relegated Stoke City last summer for less than 10 per cent of Coutinho’s transfer sum – £13.5m.
Klopp admittedly has utilised him mostly as a substitute in Premier League fixtures and as a starter in Cup games but Shaqiri has been massively impactful nevertheless. He has already racked up 6 goals and 2 assists in just 15 Premier League games this season.
The 27-year-old has been fielded from both central and wide positions and proven to be effective. With Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain injured, Shaqiri has added the missing ingredient into Liverpool’s attacking mix.
Coutinho will always remain a major figure in the club’s history but it would be fair to say that Jurgen Klopp has managed to cover up his absence quite well. Last summer, the Reds brought in Naby Keita and Fabinho to secure the midfield space.
With the front three of Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah also firing on all cylinders, it is almost a certainty for this Liverpool side to win silverware soon.
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