After beating La Liga side Osasuna in a pre-season friendly, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp touched on a plan he has in place for fringe players Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Takumi Minamino.
The Reds coolly dispatched of the Spanish outfit 3-1 in front of the typically loud Anfield crown with Roberto Firmino scoring a brace and Osasuna defender Jesus Areso redirecting a Minamino shot over his goalkeeper and into the back of the net.
The solid performances of Klopp’s men will give the Reds' fan faithful some hope heading into the upcoming campaign as they look to bridge the gap between themselves and last year’s runaway winners Manchester City.
Liverpool struggled last season due to their lack of strength in depth which came under the spotlight due to several injuries, however, their fringe players look to have improved for a full pre-season and Klopp’s recent comments suggest they are not going anywhere fast.
Speaking to Liverpool.co.uk about Minamino and Oxlade-Chamberlain, who is of interest to several clubs on loan, Klopp spoke about the rejuvenated pair, he said: “Look, I know Ox for so long now, it was not necessary to talk.
"It was clear what the thing is – he needed a full pre-season. [The same] for plenty of players. For Taki (Minamino) it was the first pre-season with us properly; it was the first pre-season for a long time with Ox."
Klopp’s lack of a Plan B upfront came under fire last season as Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota struggled to produce consistently.
But now with Japanese winger Minamino seemingly settled in the squad, the German boss will have another option from the bench and to rotate with the regular starters.
Obviously, Klopp is extremely pleased with his improved options from the bench.
Should Oxlade-Chamberlain and Minamino stay at Anfield? Comment below
He said: “That’s what you need and now we have a proper situation and with how it looked tonight, come on, make the line-up for Norwich. Who do you want to leave out after these two games?
“That’s how it should be, the boys had to put pressure on themselves with the performances they put on the pitch and that’s what you wish for in an ideal world.”
Former Arsenal player Oxlade-Chamberlain struggled for minutes last season due to injuries, starting just twice and making 11 appearances from the bench.
If the England international is back to his full fitness then he will a different option for Klopp in the heart of the pitch, with the Ox’s desire to be a presence in the final third the very opposite to the likes of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho.
Klopp continued to heap the praise on his players. He said: “Hopefully they can all stay fit and they can put for the whole season pressure on each other in a very positive way – who wants to play has to play like we did today or in yesterday in moments.
"That’s the football we want to play and that’s the football that made us successful and could potentially make us successful again. We’ll see."
Although it seems that Minamino and Oxlade-Chamberlain are going to stay at the club and be squad players, Liverpool are reportedly still keen to add to their already strong side.
Lille’s Renato Sanches and Belgian winger Jeremy Doku have both been linked with moves to Anfield this week.
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