Article written by Imraan Adam @imadam786
In honor of the Liverpool legends match on Saturday afternoon, which saw various Liverpool players from down the years put on that famous Red shirt again and step out on the hollow turf at Anfield, I’ve decided to try and come up with my all time greatest Liverpool team. To make this a bit harder for myself I decided to put in two rules, firstly all of the players had to fit into the Klopp mould and be able to instantly play the way Klopp wants. My second rule was I was only allowed to use one player from the current Liverpool team. So here we go, this is my all-time greatest Liverpool legends team.
Goalkeeper; I’ve decided to choose Elisha Scott in goal. For those of you don’t know the Northern Irishman kept goal for Liverpool from 1913 to 1934 and he is still the longest serving Liverpool goalkeeper in the clubs’ history. The reason why I’ve gone with Scott is that I heard from the people that saw him play his distribution of the ball awesome and he was the first sweeper keeper of his generation. We know that Klopp likes his keepers to be able to distribute the ball quickly and accurately hence why he went out and brought Karius last season. I think Scott would have fitted into what Klopp wants from his keepers and even though we don’t play with a sweeper keeper Klopp still likes his keepers to always be on the toes and be able to rush out if needed.
Right back; I’ve gone with Phil Neil as my right back. He was energetic, was able to get up and down the pitch with ease and he could also deliver across under pressure, he just seems like the most natural choice.
Left back; I debated about this position for a long time and kept swapping players in and out but the play I decided to go with was John Arne Riise simply because of the rocket of a left foot. Again he fits the bill in terms of what Klopp would want from a full back and he could also score, boy do we know he could score!
Centre back; This caused a big debate in my house last night as me, my sister and my cousin Ebrahim were all throwing names into the hat and the all trying to justify our selection, all while my sister was cooking Sunday dinner. The partnership we finally agreed on and the one I think made sense was Alan Hansen and Sami Hyypiá. I wanted Hansen in there just because of his ability to bring the ball out of defence and to be calm and cool under pressure. As for who partnered him, this is where the debate came about, I initially went with Jamie Carragher until Ebrahim reminded me that Carragher wasn’t that good in the air and neither was Hansen. So the dilemma was if we came up against a striker like Lukaku both of our centre backs would’ve just been bullied in the air. I needed someone in there who could read the game and also be physical, big Sami was the natural choice.
Deep lying midfielder; My three in midfield are mouthwatering and no one who I told disagreed with my selection. To play the number six I chose Xabi Alonso. He is still the greatest passer of the ball I have ever seen in a Liverpool shirts and talking to fans are a lot older than me they agree with the statement. He has such a wide range of passing it’s impossible to leave him out and he is definitely an upgrade from Jordan Henderson, in fact he’s more than just an upgrade, if Henderson was the first iPhone, Alonso would be the iPhone X he is that much better.
Centre midfield; Again these two players more or less pick themselves, Steven Gerrard and Philippe Coutinho are arguably two of the best midfielders we have had at the club. Gerrard is the engine of the team, able to drive forward from midfield and also get back when needed, where else could Coutinho is that creative spark, someone who can pick out a pass when he needs to unlock a tights defence. Both of them have a wicked short and they both can score goals that are simply out of this world, Gerrard gets the armband because I think he’s the most natural choice to be the skipper.
Wide right; So this is where my one player from the current Liverpool team comes into it, Mohamed Salah has been on fire season and even though he’s only been with us for nine months you can’t ignore him so put him on the right.
Wide left; This is very tricky position to fill and I tried many different players but the one I finally went with was Steve Highway. Highway had the pace and energy to fit into this Klopp team and I really do think he would’ve been a welcome addition.
Centre forward; Again this cause a huge debate in my family’s kitchen last night, you can imagine the amount of amazing centre forward we have had Liverpool and with so many to choose from it took us ages to decide on a suitable candidate, but we did and the player I finally went with was Ian Rush. Known for being the player that started the whole defend from the front movement Rush was basically doing the modern day equivalents of the pressing game that Klopp thrives on. Rush was brilliant at this and would regularly win the ball back. Klopp would’ve absolutely love Rush and that’s why he gets my nod.
Substitutes; So my substitute keeper has to be Pepe Reina, again like Scott has distribution was amazing I think he would have fitted into this team, even if it’s only as a backup. Jamie Carragher would be my backup centre back, his passion and willingness to put his body on the line would mean when our backs are against the wall here be the ideal person to bring them even if it was as a third centre back. Javier Mascherano, the Argentinean was the ideal holding midfielder who was not afraid to get down and dirty and would even take players out if necessary. If we’re hanging onto a lead Mascherano would be the ideal player to bring on just to add a bit of grits in midfield. Graeme Souness was the “hard man” of his generation and if the midfield is getting over overrun he’s the kind of player you need on the bench to change the game. John Barnes, a pacey and tricky winger Barnes would always be able to create a bit of magic out of nowhere. Dirk Kuyt, I’ve never seen someone graft harder in a Red shirt, he was full of energy and would run and run and run until the final whistle. Kenny Dalglish, The King had to be in the team somehow. Arguably the greatest player ever to put on the Red shirts, the only reason he didn’t make the first 11 is because I don’t think he would’ve fitted into the Klopp mould, however the beauty of Kenny is that he was such an intelligent player he would probably have learnt the role and by midway through the first season he would’ve force his way into the starting lineup.
So there you have it, this is my all time legends team let us know what you think by dropping a comment below and tell me what your team would be.
Article written by Imraan Adam @imadam786
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