Jurgen Klopp Warns Fringe Liverpool Players to Expect Big Test in Coming Weeks

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has suggested that his squad depth could be sternly tested as the Reds face an intensified period of defining winter fixtures over the coming weeks.

Last season’s finalists face two huge crunch games in the Champions League as Liverpool taken on PSG and Napoli in clashes which will decide their chances of progression to the knockout stages.

Meanwhile, a gruelling run of games in the Premier League will see Klopp’s men pitted against Everton and Manchester United at Anfield, with tough trips to Bournemouth and Wolves also on the agenda. Asked whether his side must utilise their strength in depth, Klopp replied, as quoted by the Independent: “We have to.

“Hopefully we can. It’s quite difficult to change what we always had to around the end of December. We played December 30 and Jan 1 and had to make eight or nine changes.

“It never feels what you want to do because of rhythm, tuning, other important stuff as well. Three, 4, 5, 6 changes if you can.

“It is then about different options for different opponents. It’s good to have different players to close different spaces, hopefully it stays like this.”

Liverpool’s struggles to compete across all competitions last term was widely seen to have been a result of a lack of strength in depth beyond the starting eleven.

A shortage of rotational options saw Klopp’s side struggle to match the star-studded artillery of Manchester City in the Premier League, though a strong run of form and the form of star players was enough for Liverpool to reach last season’s Champions League final in Kiev.

A summer of heavy spending looks to have vindicated the situation, however, and Klopp will be counting on his big-money stars to deliver in taking Liverpool to the next level this term. The Reds travel to face Watford in a Premier League clash at Vicarage Road on Saturday.