Jurgen Klopp has voiced a longing for having an attacking quartet of Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Philippe Coutinho for two full seasons at Liverpool.
When Salah arrived at the club in the summer of 2017, Klopp already had Mane, Firmino and Coutinho to call on, creating an envious list of attacking options.
But the quartet would start only seven times together under Klopp before Coutinho forced a record £142 million move to Barcelona in January 2018, closing the door on the German’s plans.
In an engrossing interview on That Peter Crouch Podcast, Klopp admitted the loss of Coutinho paved the way for the success to come, but that he wished he had more time with his quartet.
“The players, they were fantastic, but to win the Premier League, you need some special players, and we brought them in step by step, year by year, with the money we earned from other transfers and stuff like that,” Klopp started.
“I would have loved to play two full seasons with Phil Coutinho, Sadio, Bobby, and Mo. Wow.
“We had a few games where it looked really good, and I had kind of an idea that could work, and then everyone knows what happened.
“It was good for us, not so good for Phil, and that’s how it is with decisions, you only know later if it’s right.
“But we could bring in with this money, Virg and Ali, and without them, nothing would have happened. Without luck in life you are lost, and we were lucky to have these guys.”
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Wednesday, December 6, 2017: Liverpool's players line-up for a team group photograph before the UEFA Champions League Group E match between Liverpool FC and FC Spartak Moscow at Anfield. Back row L-R: goalkeeper Loris Karius, Joe Gomez, Dejan Lovren, Ragnar Klavan, Emre Can, Sadio Mane. Roberto Firmino, Alberto Moreno, Philippe Coutinho Correia, Mohamed Salah, Georginio Wijnaldum. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
On the few occasions Salah, Firmino, Mane and Coutinho all started, Liverpool’s results included a 7-0 win over Spartak Moscow, a 3-0 victory against Southampton and that 3-3 draw at Sevilla.
It promised plenty, but it was always on borrowed time once Barcelona made their move for the former No. 10, which, as it turned out, was the turning point for Liverpool under Klopp.
Virgil van Dijk arrived for £75 million and Alisson followed in the summer for £65 million, with the Champions League, Super Cup, Club World Cup, Premier League, League Cup and FA Cup all lifted in the succeeding years.
As for Coutinho, he would play only 106 times for Barcelona before loan moves to Bayern Munich and Aston Villa, and later a return to his youth club in Brazil, Vasco da Gama, for whom he no longer plays.
Talk about sliding door moments!
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