Liverpool’s Midfield Problem and the Search for a Solution
Liverpool’s midfield has a problem. Everyone can see it, and most supporters would give you the same answer if you asked where the next signing should land: right in the middle of the pitch.
Andoni Iraola has tried to graft his intense, front-foot football onto this squad, but the heart of the team is out of sync. His game lives on coordinated pressing and control in central areas. At the moment, Liverpool have players who can do parts of that job. What they don’t have is a unit that works in harmony.
Individually, the pieces make sense. Together, they don’t quite click.
A midfield that doesn’t quite fit
The imbalance starts with profiles. Iraola is working with too many midfielders who want to do similar things, and not enough who want to do the dirty, disciplined work behind them.
Dominik Szoboszlai is built for chaos. He wants to hunt the ball, chase lost causes, and suffocate opponents high up the pitch. In a well-constructed Iraola system, he’d be the perfect aggressor – provided there’s someone behind him who sits, knits play together, and offers a platform in possession.
Ryan Gravenberch is not that player. He wants to carry the ball, glide past challenges, and break lines on the dribble. Asking him to anchor a midfield and dictate from deep strips away his strengths.
Alexis Mac Allister comes closer to the role Liverpool need. He can drop in, receive under pressure, and guide the ball through the thirds. Even so, it’s not a flawless fit. He’s a clever midfielder who can do a bit of everything, but he isn’t a natural, specialist shield.
The ideal answer inside the club might one day be Trey Nyoni. His profile suggests he could grow into that deeper role, but the leap from promise to Premier League responsibility is huge. Throwing him in before he’s ready risks stalling his development and leaving Iraola’s system exposed.
So Liverpool are left searching for a bridge. A player who can stabilise the present without blocking the future.
Klopp’s new Germany pick points to a solution
That brings the conversation to Vitaly Janelt – and to Jurgen Klopp.
For the first time, the former Liverpool manager has selected his own Germany senior squad. Among the more eye-catching names in that list is Janelt, the Brentford midfielder handed his first call-up. It’s a reward built on numbers and on style.
This season, Janelt has covered the third-most distance in the Premier League, racking up 58.8 kilometres. He’s also sitting fifth in the division for interceptions, with 3.20 per 90 minutes. Those are not vanity stats. They scream work-rate, awareness, and a knack for reading danger.
He thrives in high-intensity football. Klopp has seen enough to bring him into the national setup. The same attributes that attracted the former Liverpool boss make him an obvious candidate to plug the gap at Anfield.
Janelt can sit, screen, and still step in to break up play. He understands how to operate in a pressing structure, when to jump, when to hold, when to offer himself as the simple pass. That’s exactly the kind of platform Szoboszlai and Gravenberch need behind them, and the kind of balance Iraola has been missing.
At 28, he’s in his prime. Crucially, he wouldn’t slam the door on Nyoni. He’d buy Liverpool time – a season or two of stability – while the teenager develops at the right pace instead of being fast-tracked out of necessity.
Liverpool don’t need a superstar in that role. They need someone who runs, thinks, and sacrifices for the system.
Right now, Vitaly Janelt looks like that man.
