Chris Wilder was warned by an ex-Sheffield United manager. To be exact, he was warned by himself.
Fast forward to 2020, Wilder’s first season in charge of the club, a sport that was being transformed by Covid, and the match between Liverpool and Sheffield United that year was a dispute.
The Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was the most vocal supporter of making five subs a permanent fixture in the manager’s kit. Wilder felt that smaller clubs had fewer substitutes and was the voice of the opposition, branding him ‘selfish’.
The German won the argument and, a few years later, the match. It may have been the last meaningful moment in the managerial meetings between Klopp and Wilder, and it came from two substitutes: Andy Robertson, introduced in the first of two double-substitutions by Klopp, crossed and then Cody Gakpo headed in. It put him on the verge of a personal 50th direct goal contribution from Liverpool substitutes; Gakpo’s was the 24th and Robertson’s was the 25th, and on a night when Alexis Mac Allister restored Liverpool’s lead with a wonder strike, the importance of Robertson’s cross for Gakpo was evident long before he crossed. His speed added something extra. It was a testament to the value of a natural, attacking left-back.
Robertson may not really belong in a discussion about substitutes: a normal starter was only on the bench as he returned from injury. Yet there is a broader truth. Klopp has become the best in the business at deploying his reinforcements. Pep Guardiola, the manager he often describes as the best in the world, can be reticent to turn to his bench. Klopp does so willingly, boldly: he took Mohamed Salah off at 1-1 against Sheffield United. Some of his best changes don’t bring a goal or an assist, but he trusted in teenage talents in the Carabao Cup final; he gave Jarell Quansah a debut when his 10 men trailed at St James’ Park. They went on to win 2-
Over the course of the season, Harvey Elliott has probably been their most influential substitute, across 22 appearances from the bench. The most significant cameos, however, are arguably Darwin Nunez’s two-goal display at Newcastle and his match-winning turn against Nottingham Forest.
If it points to the depth of Liverpool’s talent – which that has been tested still further by injuries – Klopp has conjured something from everyone this season to maximise his squad. But there are a couple of other elements. Klopp’s five main forwards are all very different: he is never making like-for-like changes among them, but he has the skill to perm the right player for each moment. And amid the midfield makeover, virtually all of the options are largely constructive. Yet simply possessing a lot of high-quality footballers is not enough in itself to render a manager a master of substitutions. Klopp, with his capacity to read a game and alter it, with his understanding of his players and when to use each, has shown he is much more than a charismatic motivator.
