As Jürgen Klopp rebuilds his midfield this summer, André continues to make headlines for Fluminense as Liverpool follow suit.
Liverpool are in a curious position at the moment as Jürgen Klopp has an exceptionally talented but unbalanced side at their disposal. The German coach has plenty of attacking firepower within his ranks, but his players are too inclined to lean towards the attacking side of the game.
In fact, the 56-year-old said so in his very first conversation with Wataru Endo last week.
The Japanese international was officially announced as a new signing from Stuttgart on Friday afternoon and was greeted by Klopp in the dressing room shortly after arriving on Merseyside.
Speaking on camera to the club’s media team, the Reds boss said: “Once you’re available, we really need you. We really need you. Your heart, your legs and your footballer’s brain, we need it
.” We have a very good team. Ready to work, but very offensive.
Endo will help Liverpool balance now that he’s signed for Anfield, but Klopp needs more reinforcements if he really wants to find balance on the pitch. His words, after playing against Chelsea in the Premier League opener last week, explain the problem he has to solve.
Somehow, the Reds recorded a possession percentage of just 35% against the Blues and when Klopp was asked to ponder that stat, his response was ‘an absolute joke’.
“It wasn’t our idea for this game, but it happened,” he said in his pre-Bournemouth conference. “We had too much ball possession.”
Cody Gakpo managed just 10 assists in 65 minutes against the Blues, with Trent Alexander-Arnold also giving the ball away far too often. In fact, based on numbers released by defender Scouse in-game, there was a 45% chance that one of his passes would hit an opponent, which is pretty incredible.
Liverpool had no control against Chelsea. That momentum improved to some degree on Saturday afternoon against Bournemouth, but there is still plenty of room for further development as Klopp appears to need a midfielder who can hold the ball and set the pace Match.
The Brazilian midfielder was recommended for a move to Liverpool earlier this summer. Sky Sports reported the Reds had been
“in contact” with the player but nothing materialized; at least not yet. The 22-year-old maestro currently represents Fluminense in his home country with his season about halfway through.
As Liverpool seek reinforcements to bolster Klopp’s engine room, Andre continues to impress in Brazil. Indeed, he started for Fluminense against América MG on Saturday afternoon and presented himself as one of the most dominant players on the pitch, with more touches than anyone else.
His total of 127 touches put him in a championship of his own, ahead of second-seeded Nino by just 87 touches. André was present throughout the match and his disappearance definitely caught Klopp’s attention.
In fact, he completed 105 of his 109 pass attempts in the fight, garnering an impressive 96.3% completion rate.
André isn’t particularly keen on scoring goals or creating chances, but he’s as confident and reliable as can be when he’s on the ball. The Brazil international simply never loses possession of the ball and given Klopp’s controversial ‘absolute joke’ statement, he could be a perfect fit for Liverpool.
