WWKD: What would Klopp do? The Luis Suarez replacement edition

It is no secret that Borussia Dortmund manager, Jürgen Klopp, is a mad genius when it comes to signing players.  He created his two-time Bundesliga-winning side by throwing together a motley crew of after-thoughts, 'big' club rejects, and lower-tier league stars.  It made me wonder whom he would go after to replace Suarez.

He was actually in a somewhat similar situation having lost Robert Lewandowski to Bayern Munich this summer.  Klopp replaced the 25-year-old Polish striker with Capocannoniere winner, Cirro Immobile of Torino.  Bit of an odd choice for Klopp, but unlike Rodgers, the German no longer has the luxury to develop players.  That's what two titles and a trip the Champions League finals does to supporter's expectations, but what if it was 2010?

That's when Klopp bought Lewandowski, a little known striker who was coming off a stellar season with Lech Poznán, when he lead the Ekstraklasa in goals scored.  He wasn't really replacing anyone, even though Nelson Valdez left the club that summer, but Klopp knew that the 54 goals his club scored the season before would never be enough to win the league.  Lucas Barrios, the team's leading scorer with 19 goals in his first season, stayed on, while Shinji Kagawa was also added.

So basically Klopp would be looking for a star player in a league that has similar style of play.  Call me cray, but the player that probably fits the bill best is Stevie May of St. Johstone in the SPL.  The 21-year-old striker has produced at every level he has played.   In 2011-12, he was loaned out to Alloa Athletic of the Scottish Third Division, where he scored 22 goals in 19 matches.  The season before last, he spent loaned at Hamilton Academical, where he found the net 25 times in 33 matches.  Last year he was one of the leading scorers in the SPL with 20 goals for the Saints.

May has an uncanny style of play, he doesn't possess great pace, but he's quick and tricky on the ball.  He also has a keen sense when to let loose, scoring goals by catching opposition defence and keepers off guard with swift and odd-angled shots.  He is also a decent passer of the ball, tying for his club lead with 5 assists.

Unfortunately, Sheffield Wednesday got to him first, but that could be a good thing.  If he continues to perform in the Championship as he has in every league he's played, Rodgers would be mental not to snatch him up.  I honestly would go ahead and buy the 21-year-old Scot and then loan him back to Wednesday.  He just seems to be one of those players who's style baffles not only opponents, but supporters as well.

Here's a video of all his goals from last season:

A future Asian star who could solve our striker issues

Heung-Min Son is a 22-year-old South Korean forward, currently signed to Bayer Leverkusen.  He came to Germany six years earlier as a youth player for Hamburger SV.  In 2010, he made his Bundesliga debut, 'breaking the duck' in his first match for HSV versus 1. FC Köln.  After three seasons for the fading club, he transferred to Leverkusen, where last season he posted his best numbers to date.

That is what is most impressive about Son, he not only has improved each season, he also seems to be adding weapons to his already abundant arsenal.  He has always possessed explosive pace, excellent ball control/passing skills, and a keen sense of awareness on attack, but now his 'specialized' passing and shot accuracy have improved significantly over the years.

Here are his 'regular stats' from the past four seasons:

	npg90	ap90	gc90	cc90	ccv	pass%	sdr90	tti90	gopd
2010-11	0.37	0.00	0.37	0.37	0.000	0.771	2.50	12.73	0.05
2011-12	0.37	0.07	0.44	1.03	0.071	0.784	2.79	11.54	0.35
2012-13	0.40	0.07	0.47	0.84	0.080	0.774	1.54	10.78	-0.15
2013-14	0.38	0.15	0.53	1.29	0.118	0.801	3.27	10.34	0.05

...and here are his 'specialized' passing and shot percentages:

	cr90	cr%	lb90	lb%	sacc%	shot%
2010-11	0.12	0.077	0.50	0.444	0.368	0.158
2011-12	0.22	0.273	0.74	0.625	0.306	0.139
2012-13	0.07	0.111	1.31	0.722	0.449	0.154
2013-14	0.65	0.309	1.25	0.805	0.458	0.120

He has improved each season in nearly every stat with his true turnover index 90 showing a maturation that I'm not sure if I've seen before.  His goal-scoring has been consistent, though he'll need to show  improvement there and in creating goals in general (assists) to reach the next level.  The 'specialized' passing I mentioned above, particularly his successful cross and long ball percentage from last season are already respectable rates, who knows how accurate he can become?  That's the thing, he has all-world potential, but he'll have to move to a bigger club with better players to reach it.

His last season with HSV makes this point.  They lost arguably their three best attacking players in Mladen Petric, Paolo Guerrero, and Gohkan Tore the summer prior.  Van Der Vaart and Artjom Rudnevs were added, but the damage was done.  Son had to become a major factor instead of fourth-choice on attack and even though he put up decent numbers, he was as unprepared as any 20-year-old you expect would be.  His move to Leverkusen gave him 'more room to breathe' and it showed in his performances.

Buying him now may be a bit premature, but I still think he'll excel in Rodgers' system with the likes of our players.  He is valued at around £12m, but Leverkusen would not even think about selling for any offer less than £20m.  Son is going to be good, possibly great at times, for the next 8-10 years, so as a long term investment that's pennies.  The odds of this happening though? Bleak to none.

Liverpool 2, Dortmund 0: Thoughts at the break, panic on the streets of Merseyside

Victor Moses, Abel Xavier, Gabby Paletta, and Mark Gonalez, what do all these Liverpool legends have in common?  They scored on their LFC debut and their goals actually counted.  Iago Aspas scored in his first pre-season match and we all know where it went from there.  It was nice for Lovren to be gifted a set-piece goal on his debut, but at the end of the day, meaningless.  He has been impressive though.

When it's your first match for your new club, regardless if it's preseason or not, and you are shouting 'orders' at your new teammates, that's impressive.  Lovren brings a much-needed presence to the club, someone who is not afraid to take command and responsibility for his side's result.  Carragher had that fire as did Reina in his first few years at the club, last season it was only Gerrard and even he wavered from even a few seasons ago.

Coutinho has been our best player so far, that assist was class and Gerrard-esque.  It's good to see the Brazilian is paying attention to his captain's endless talents.  I can't really say the same for Sterling who has been wasteful to say the least.  He has to do better when he's one-on-one on the box.  Studge is being Studge, as long as he's healthy, he's a threat to score every match.

This is about as close to European football that a friendly can get.  I'm relatively confident this isn't Dortmund's best eleven, but they have been 'spritely'.  Their pace, quickness, and passing has been trying, but our defence, save Glen Johnson on two legs and not his ass, has shut down their every opportunity.  I'm hoping Kelly or me Uncle Joe comes on in the second half for our challenged fullback.

The rest of the side has been 'adequate' but going up 2-0 in the first fifteen minutes seemed to take a little off from both sides.  Since then, Dortmund seems less driven to score and Liverpool more content to take the result.  Hopefully it'll open up in the second half and we'll see another goal or two from Liverpool.  It would be especially nice to see Lambert find the back of the net.

Three 'lesser known' strikers who could help us win the Prem

Aritz Aduriz
Yes, Aduriz is 33 and has never played out of Spain, but I never claimed to be 'realistic' about these possible signings, they are 'wishful thinking' at best.  He is coming off a career year though, in fact, three of the last four seasons have been the best for the Bilbao striker.  His 16 goals and 8 assists last season means he created nearly a goal every 90 minutes and his chance created value of 0.258 is simply mind-bottling.

He does have a few negatives though, first and foremost he posted a ridiculously bad 61.5% pass success percentage last season.  It was a career low and most players usually improve their passing stats as they get older.  He also lack pace which should be no surprise considering his age, but we have Sturridge and Sterling so we don't necessarily need more speed.

Dario Cvitanich
Another Argentine striker, Cvitanich had a very impressive season the year before last with 19 goals and 2 assists in just 29 matches, giving him a goal created per 90 of 0.81 or 4 goals every 5 matches.  The Nice striker 'fell off the pace' last year only netting 8 times in 31 appearances, but may have regained his form with a brace today in the opening Ligue 1 match for Nice against Toulouse.  Cvitanich is a great finisher, especially outside of the box.  Here's a taste of what he could offer:

Stefan Kießling

Kießling is probably the best esoteric striker in Germany.  How can a player who has scored 84 goals and posted a 0.75 goals created per 90 min average in the past five seasons in the Bundesliga be so uncoveted?  He may only be 1.91 m (6'3"), but it's as if he's the Peter Crouch of German football.  His inconsistency may be one reason, the Lichtenfels native has been up and down his whole career, for example posting 25, 7, 16, 25, and 15 goals the past five seasons.  His passing is subpar as well with a career percentage of 69.1%.

The most impressive thing about Kießling is his magic skills, how he got this goal to be counted is still a revelation:

The Brazilian 'alternative' to the striker issue

I've written about his German teammate, Max Kruse, already, but Borussia Möchengladbach's other offensive weapon, Brazilian forward Raffael, deserves a look as well.  In 34 appearances, he scored 15 goals and assisted on 7 more in the Bundesliga last season.  None of those were penalties, giving him a 0.45 goal per 90 minute average and a goal creation rate of 0.66 per 90.  His most impressive stat though is his take-on rate of 5.1 successful dribbles per 90 at a 68.7% efficiency.

The Fortaleza, Brazil native came to Europe in the summer of 2005, joining FC Zürich of the Swiss Super League.  His impact was instant as he helped lead his new club to back-to-back league titles, scoring 40 goals and dishing out 20 assists in 70 appearances, nearly a goal created per match.  He would leave Switzerland for Hertha BSC in the January 2008 transfer window for £3.8m.

His stay in Berlin was not as fruitful.  In his four-and-a-half seasons there, he scored just 33 goals with 29 assists in 140 appearances, and twice his club suffered relegation.  After the second relegation, he transferred to Dynamo Kyiv for £8m, but continued his poor form, lasting only half a campaign where he scored just once in 9 league appearances before being loaned to Schalke in January 2013.

Though he made just 16 appearances for Gelsenkirchen club, his performance accented by a goals created per 90 average of 0.79 and a chance created per 90 of 2.71 was enough to earn him a transfer to Gladbach last summer.  His pace, quick feet, and positioning make him a threat to score nearly every time his club have the ball in the opponent's third.  He is also a solid passer, posting an 83.7% pass completion rate and creating 2.1 chances per 90 the last five seasons.

The negatives of signing Raffael are that he is 29-years-old and I doubt he would come cheap coming off his somewhat sensational season.  Gladbach really want to keep the squad together so they can have a shot at Champions League qualification, so prying a major contributor to that goal would be costly.  He did just turn 29 and probably has a couple of seasons left in him, but I'm unsure how the wear and tear of the Prem would effect him.  At this point though, we need competent bodies and Raffael would be a solid add in that regard.

A German 'Ace' not named Reus worthy of consideration

Max Kruse is one of those rare footballers who does a lot of things well that the average fan fails to recognize.  He doesn't score a lot of goals, he doesn't even get that many assists, and in fact, he's a fairly average passer.  So what does he do that makes stat junkies like myself drool?  He's simply amazing on the ball and extraordinary with specialized passing.

He spent last season at Borussia Möchengladbach and the season prior at FC Freiburg, his impact on each was profound, but I'll get to that in a bit.  First a look at his stats from both years:

	cc90	ccv	cr90	cr%	lb90	lb%	tb%	sdr90	sdr%
13-14	2.93	9.2	1.97	44.9	3.91	84	53.9	3.88	67.4
12-13	2.85	8.6	1.28	20.5	3.03	79.2	72.2	2.84	60.8

Nearly three chances created per 90, a successful cross rate rivaled by no one in the Prem and only the well-esteemed Ricardo Rodriguez bettered in the Bundesliga, 3-4 long balls per 90 at an 80+ percent completion rate, and successful dribble stats that only the likes of Ribery, Firmino, Draxler, and Gotze equaled.  Pretty impressive company for a relative unknown, but those aren't the only things that make Kruse an attractive transfer target.

The year before he transferred to Freiburg from St. Pauli, the Black Forest club finished 12th.  Kruse led them to a fifth place finish and a Europa league spot, four points shy of Champions League football.  It was their second-highest finish in the Bundesliga ever and only the third time they had reached the Europa/UEFA Cup.  Last season, after he left for Borussia Möchengladbach, Freiburg dropped to 14th.

Prior to joining his current club, Gladbach finished 8th, scored 45 goals, and tallied 47 points.  Last season they finished 6th, scored 59 goals, and earned 55 points.  Much of their success was due to Kruse and his partner up front, Raffael.  The bottom line is, he wills his side to win and his uncanny style mesmerizes and befuddles opposition players and coaches.  I honestly think he would be a great addition to Liverpool, just imagine he, Gerrard, Sturridge, Coutinho, and Sterling passing the ball about the pitch like they were playing against a bunch of ice cream truck clowns.

Today's Banter: Bellamy quit Liverpool?, Wigan limping, Babbel eyes return, & more

- This is interesting, according to Wigan midfielder Jason Koumas, Craig Bellamy quit us because of Rafa's rotation. Quit us? Who is Bellamy kidding? He barely had one foot in the door before most fans wanted him gone. The bottom line is, he just wasn't good enough for us. Too many offsides and not enough creativity. Room for Torres and Voronin were needed and Craig B had to go. In the link above, Koumas then goes on to say, like Bellamy did when he joined us, that he was a childhood Liverpool fan and wants the Reds to go on and win the title this season. Then he questions Rafa's rotation policy after saying it's hard to argue with Benitez' record due to our boss' ways. In the end, he just sounds confused.

- Wigan might have an even tougher time than usual against us as they will be missing five players due to injury. Kevin Kilbane, Ryan Taylor, Antonio Valenica, Denny Landzaat, and former Red Emile Heskey are all very doubtful for tomorrow's clash. It really doesn't matter if they have all their best players or not, if we play well, we should win.

- Per usual, the opposition manager has to chime in on his thoughts about Rafa's rotation policy and Wigan boss Chris Hutchings is no different. He claims that most players at Liverpool have grown to accept Rafa's tinkering ways and since a majority are also foreign, they are used to dealing with it. Hutchings also goes on to add that it doesn't really matter who Benitez puts out there, they are all top players and the Lactics will just have to deal with it.

- Former Liverpool defender Markus Babbel would like to return to the club he won the treble with in 2001 in the capacity of manager one day. The 35-year-old is currently an assistant with the club he ended his career with, VfB Stuttgart. The former European Championship winner with his native Germany was also part of the Bundesliga winning side last year, his final season of playing.

- Finally, Rick Parry feels the time is right for us to win the title. Though the 52-year-old Chief Executive of the club refuses to make a prediction on the grounds of frivolity, he thinks this year is different than past years as there is also expectation but not true belief.