Jurgen Klopp must exploit Liverpool's £20m bargain and finally replace Wijnaldum

When pushed on the suspension of Inter Milan midfielder Nico Barella for Wednesday night's Champions League clash, Jurgen Klopp brushed off the Italian's absence very quickly.

"The replacement might be Arturo Vidal, experience at its best," said the Liverpool boss when asked about the former Juventus, Bayern Munich, and Barcelona ace.

After all, Klopp knows all too well the dangers of a key midfield absentee, as well as the intrinsic benefits of an extra experienced midfielder within your ranks.

The Reds' results began to slide last season when Klopp was forced to uplift his midfield anchor Fabinho and deploy him at central defence.

Fortunately for Klopp and the Reds, the Brazilian midfield general has not had to vacate his trustee spot in front of the back four, enabling the midfielders ahead of him to work their usual magic.

HAVE YOUR SAY! Do Liverpool need to sign an extra midfielder to cope with Georginio Wijnaldum's departure last season? Comment below

Normal service appears to be resumed now Fabinho is back rooted at the heart of the Liverpool midfield.

And with the defence and midfield now under the stewardship of the former Monaco ace, Thiago Alcantara has finally been able to announce himself as a reliable and stable presence in Liverpool's midfield.

His sumptuous half volley in Liverpool's 1-0 home victory against Porto in the Champions League was a statement of confidence as much as it was a demonstration of his talent.

Many football critics and journalists were ready to hand Liverpool a second consecutive Premier League title the minute he was unveiled at Anfield.

And having arrived from a treble winning season with Bayern Munich, which saw them become the first ever side to record a flawless 100% record in their victorious Champions League campaign in 2020, there is little surprise that Thiago's arrival almost prompted the adjourning of red ribbons on the Premier League trophy.

But nearly two years since his arrival, the Spaniard's time on Merseyside has been anything but smooth.

The central defensive crisis which forced Klopp to play Fabinho, and at times, Henderson, in the backline, resulted in the former Bayern Munich ace being thrown into the deep end of the Premier League.

After coming on as a second-half substitute in the Reds' 2-0 away victory against Chelsea last season, Thiago missed the next two matches through Coronavirus, before playing his first 90 minutes in the Merseyside Derby against Everton - he went on to miss the next ten Premier League matches through injury.

Thiago was either carrying out Fabinho's duties as the lone defensive midfielder, or was slightly in front of Wijnaldum, who was also deployed out of position in front of the backline out of necessity.

But with Ibrahima Konate's arrival easing the defensive crisis, and the likes of Joel Matip and Virgil van Dijk back to full fitness, Thiago could be left to do what he does best - take the game by the scruff of the neck.

Unlike the likes of Steven Gerrard, Thiago is not the kind of player who can single handily turn a contest by getting himself on the scoresheet.

But he can snatch the ball away from the opposition, starving them off possession and energy, while the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane take advantage of opposition fatigue.

Injuries, whether it is too himself or the Reds' mainstay stars, have constantly sidelined the Spaniard, and this season he has once again been restricted to a bench role.

But Thiago and the rest of his teammates are all fit and firing, and now could be the perfect opportunity for Klopp to truly unleash the Spaniard.