Where are Jurgen Klopp's first Liverpool XI and subs now? - ft. Milner & Coutinho | OneFootball

Where are Jurgen Klopp's first Liverpool XI and subs now? - ft. Milner & Coutinho | OneFootball

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·16 July 2023

Where are Jurgen Klopp's first Liverpool XI and subs now? - ft. Milner & Coutinho

Article image:Where are Jurgen Klopp's first Liverpool XI and subs now? - ft. Milner & Coutinho

Liverpool have always been among the best teams in the Premier League but it's worth noting that the Reds were struggling somewhat when Jurgen Klopp first took over in 2015.

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We're not talking relegation form by any means, but with the club failing to adequately replace the world-class Luis Suarez, Liverpool found themselves 10th in the table when the German first took over.

Fast forward eight years and Klopp has helped Liverpool win the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup and the Champions League.

To highlight how the club's fortunes have changed, we're looking back at the first-ever starting XI selected by Klopp, plus the accompanying substitutes and where they are now.

Remarkably, none of the 18 players remain at Anfield, highlighting the transformation Klopp has manufactured since his arrival.

GK: Simon Mignolet - Club Brugge

Mignolet was first choice when he first joined the club in 2013 and remained so for the best part of four seasons.

But a number of high-profile and decisive mistakes saw Klopp lose faith in the Belgian and he eventually joined Club Brugge in 2019.

The 35-year-old remains at Brugge now and is closing in on 200 games for the club.

Believe it or not, Mignolet was replaced by Klopp with Loris Karius.

We all know how that one turned out.

RB: Nathaniel Clyne - Crystal Palace

Clyne is another who started as a regular under Klopp and was perhaps unlucky not to feature more for England.

However, a string of injuries coupled with the emergence of Trent Alexander-Arnold saw the Englishman fall out of favour.

In 2020, he joined Palace, where he's faced similar injury problems and made just 51 appearances across three seasons.

CB: Martin Skrtel - FK Hajskala Ráztočno

Despite enjoying a successful career at Liverpool, Skrtel was sold by Klopp in the summer of 2016 to Fenerbache.

He spent three seasons in Turkey before a failed spell at Atlanta saw him last just three weeks at the Italian side.

Nowadays, Skrtel is back in Slovakia, where he plays for semi-pro side FK Hajskala Ráztočno.

Remarkably, the former defender is playing a lot further forward for his new team and even takes free-kicks for the team.

CB: Mamadou Sakho - Montpellier

Sakho arrived at Liverpool from PSG with plenty expected of him.

And though his header vs Borussia Dortmund in the Europa League quarter-finals will live long in the memory, his time at Anfield was mostly underwhelming.

The Frenchman was sold to Crystal Palace in 2017, before being shipped out to Montpellier in 2021, where he remains today.

Moreno was excellent going forward at times, but was often a liability defensively.

In 2019, Klopp determined that enough was enough and sold the Spaniard to Villareal.

The following year, Moreno suffered a cruciate ligament injury which kept him out of action for more than six months.

But in 2021, he was part of the Villareal side that won the Europa League, scoring in the decisive shootout vs Manchester United.

CM: Emre Can - Borussia Dortmund

Klopp was a big fan of Can, even if the German was pretty inconsistent at the best of times.

However, the midfielder chose to run down his contract and signed for Juventus on a free in 2018.

After just two seasons in Italy, Can moved to Borussia Dortmund, where he remains today.

The 29-year-old formed a good partnership with Jude Bellingham in central midfield, but the Englishman has now moved to Real Madrid.

Lucas Leiva - Retired

The Brazilian made almost 350 appearances for the Reds and established himself as a cult hero.

In 2017, he joined Lazio, where he was a first-team regular for five seasons.

After re-joining former club Gremio in June 2022, Lucas played 18 times before announcing his retirement in March 2023.

Despite his impressive club career, Lucas was capped just 24 times by Brazil.

CAM: Adam Lallana - Brighton

Lallana spent six seasons at Liverpool and scored some impressive goals in that time.

Yet, for a player that was once viewed as one of the most promising talents in English football, he never quite lived up to his potential.

Still, after leaving in 2020, Lallana joined Brighton and has remained a solid Premier League player ever since.

LW: Phillipe Coutinho - Aston Villa

What a player Coutinho was for Liverpool.

The Reds were desperate not to lose the Brazilian but when Barcelona came calling with an offer of £142m, it was too good to turn down.

It's turned out to be brilliant business, however, with Coutinho flopping hard at the Catalonian club.

Nowadays, he's fighting for his place at Aston Villa and looks a shadow of his former self.

RW: James Milner - Brighton

Many were surprised when Liverpool chose to bring in an ageing Milner, but he proved to be one of their best signings in recent memory.

Capable of playing in a number of positions, Milner made 332 appearances for the Reds, before leaving the club this summer.

He's now joined Lallana at Brighton and will no doubt prove to be a valuable addition for the Seagulls.

ST: Divock Origi - AC Milan

Though he was never a regular, Liverpool fans will forever remember Origi for his plethora of memorable goals.

His scorpion kick vs Preston, his goal in the Champions League final and his last-minute winner vs Everton are just a handful of goals that are etched in Liverpool folklore.

In July 2022, the Belgian signed for AC Milan on a four-year contract but has scored just twice in 36 appearances so far.

Substitutes: Joe Allen, Jordan Ibe, Adam Bogdan, João Carlos Teixeira, Jerome Sinclair, Kolo Toure, Conor Randall

With the exception of Joe Allen, who made more than 100 appearances for Liverpool, none of the subs enjoyed successful careers at the Reds.

Allen is now back at Swansea, where he started his career, while Ibe plays for Adanaspor in Turkey.

Toure is now retired and most recently managed Wigan, before being sacked in January.

Bogdan played just two Premier League games for the Reds and is now enjoying his club football at Ferencváros.

Teixeira was touted as a player for the future but his Liverpool career never took off. The Portuguese midfielder has played for numerous clubs since and is currently at Shanghai Shenhua.

Finishing things off, Randall is playing his football at Ross County as of now, while Sinclair is a free agent.

There you have it. 18 players – none of whom remain at the club.

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