BBC pundit and former Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson joined The Football Show on Off The Ball on Wednesday where he spoke about Jurgen Klopp.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Lawrenson thinks Liverpool will retain the Premier League crown even with a lack of transfer activity during the summer.
"Aside from Karius, most of Klopp's signings have been on the money..."
Liverpool legend Mark Lawrenson assesses his side's fortunes as they begin the defence of their Premier League title ⚽️📺@PaddyPowerhttps://t.co/tPWUWhjPd2— Off The Ball (@offtheball) September 9, 2020
"You have to trust the manager, he has improved things every single year," said Lawrenson of Jurgen Klopp.
"I think Naby Keita is going to be a big player for them this season. He showed signs at the end of last season that he'd settled down. His English is far better for communication.
"He'll be a big bonus. Would it be a big blow if Wijnaldum went? I don't think he's irreplaceable and I think they'll go out and buy the boy from Bayern Munich [Thiago Alcantara] if he thinks that Wijnaldum is going to Barcelona."
Klopp's kids
Given the quality of the Liverpool front line players, Lawrenson reckons Klopp will trust the younger players at the club to fill in over the season.
"He's also very keen on these kids," said the former Liverpool defender, "and I know they are inexperienced, but who is Klopp going to get who is seriously going to challenge for a place in the team?
"I think Klopp has studied it and he's got Harvey Elliot and Fitzgerald and Williams and all those kinds of boys. They've all gotten a little bit of time [on the pitch]. They've all done really really well.
"I'm not talking about relying on them week-in week-out, but I wouldn't mind betting that by the end of the season one of them will have played a lot of games for Liverpool."
The reliance on youth by Liverpool will be part of a prudent strategy given the global economic condition according to Lawrenson.
"I think in terms of the club, they are trying to get the debt down. It's not massive, the debt, but they are trying to manage it a little bit.
"They are extremely worried about where everything is going with Covid. FIFA or UEFA were saying that transfers in the next two to three months might be as much as 30% down.
"So Klopp and Liverpool are just playing this waiting game. They've still got a few weeks left if they do really need anybody."
