before the break. Milner, buzzing around the left flank, found Sadio Mane in the area and the striker broke
the deadlock with a marvellous, curling shot that left the home team bewildered. It was not what
Southampton deserved.
Hasenhüttl’s plan was clever. The Austrian knows – like everybody else – that Liverpool’s front three pick
themselves. Likewise the defence. The midfield is a different matter. There is a strong sense that Klopp has
not quite found the right blend in the middle of the park. It has not been too much of a problem because the
full backs are the source of so much creativity but, when Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson are
pinned back, Liverpool are much less dangerous.
On Saturday, Klopp had little choice in the midfield department. Naby Keita has been unavailable with
muscle issues since May and Fabinho and Jordan Henderson ran themselves into the ground in the extra-
time and penalties Super Cup victory over Chelsea in Istanbul last week. The German’s options were
severely limited.
“I don’t have a favourite midfield,” he said. “I like them all. If they are all in good shape I have decisions to
make. If only a couple of them are in good shape my decisions are easier but I like to have difficult decisions
to make. This was easier because Fabio and Hendo were killed after the [Super Cup] game.”
Milner was joined by Georginio Wijnaldum and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. For the first 45 minutes the trio
were overrun by Southampton.
Oriol Romeu was the dominant force in the midfield before the break. The Spaniard was quick and brutal in
the tackle – he left his studs on Mane early on – and keen to get the ball forward when in possession. Romeu
was not afraid to go long, setting Nathan Redmond and Che Adams running at the defence. Chances piled
up and Virgil van Dijk was at his most visibly agitated since he signed at Anfield. Adrian saved superbly
from Maya Yoshida, Adams should have scored from a free header and loose balls were scrambled away
from the Liverpool box far too often for comfort.
This was where Klopp’s midfield needed to impose themselves but they struggled in the face of
Southampton’s industry. Oxlade-Chamberlain started promisingly with a probing run down the middle but
the game was bypassing the 26-year-old. He was tidy enough in his distribution but, in the second half when
Liverpool began to get on top, he sat deep while Milner ranged forward. Before Oxlade-Chamberlain
suffered a cruciate ligament injury against Roma last year he seemed to be the threatening presence from
deep that would give the team an extra dimension. He has not yet recovered that form.
Klopp seemed to acknowledge that after the game, moving on quickly questions about the former Arsenal
man’s performance. “[Oxlade-Chamberlain] is a good player, he gives you something special, but there are
other players,” he said. “Hendo, when he plays that position, is pure power, so it’s all good.”
It is likely that Klopp will plump for this power against Arsenal on Saturday. Henderson and Fabinho – who
the manager said had “full-body cramp” after the Super Cup – seemed strongly in the German’s thoughts.
They could well be back to face the Gunners, who have also recorded a pair of wins in their opening two
Premier League games.
Wijnaldum worked his usual shift and, once the away team got on top in the second half, Southampton lost
their grip on the midfield. The home side allowed Alexander-Arnold and Robertson to surge forward. When
Liverpool get into their comfort zone it makes life hell for the opposition and a sputtering midfield becomes
less of an issue. Mane was the pick of the team, shading Milner with his performance. The Senegalese
created the second goal for Roberto Firmino by winning the ball back from a Southampton throw and
supplying the Brazilian, who danced across the area before firing a low drive into the net.
It should have been all over but Adrian misplaced a clearance to Danny Ings and the former Liverpool
forward pulled a goal back to set up a nervy ending. By then Milner was gone, replaced by Fabinho, who