Jurgen Klopp names four substitutes who should be starters at Liverpool

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp hailed the depth of options at his disposal after the 2-0 win over Everton on Saturday.

The Reds were made to work for victory in the Merseyside derby at Anfield, with a first-half red card for Everton forcing the away side to resort to a strategy of all-out defence for much of the game.

Klopp's side struggled to break down the Toffees low block, until Michael Keane's handball gave Mohamed Salah the opportunity to opening the scoring from the spot on 75 minutes.

Salah doubled his tally deep into stoppage time after finishing off a Darwin Nuñez led counter.

While it was ultimately Liverpool's number 11 who bagged the match-winning goals on the day, Klopp's substitutions had as big a hand as anyone in the victory.

Nuñez's pace earned him an assist for the late clincher, while Harvey Elliott was impressive off the bench again, helping to find ways through Everton's stubborn defence.

Meanwhile, experienced defensive pair Joel Matip (who replaced the already booked Ibrahima Konate) and Joe Gomez also came on in the win.

Speaking after the game, Klopp admitted that all four players deserve to be starters in their own right.

“The closer the boys are to be a starter, the more likely it is you will have an impact,” Klopp said in his post-match press conference.

“These boys that came on are all starters. They should start, but they cannot always. That’s why we can really make a difference with the boys who are coming on.

“So far that’s is a real strength of ours, it has to be because sometimes games go the way they go, sometimes in one direction, sometimes in the other and you always need to have an impact and today again, really good.”

The lack of depth that had been considered an issue by many in a disappointing 2022/23 season now appears to be a thing of the past, with new signings and developing stars adding quality to the ranks in a strong start to 2023/24 for Liverpool.

Klopp will have plenty of opportunity to give out starts to deserving players in the coming weeks as the fixture scheduled becomes more congested into the winter months.

Next up, Liverpool host Toulouse in the Europa League (Thursday, 26 October), before welcoming Nottingham Forest to Anfield at the weekend in the Premier League (Sunday, 29 October).