The Swiss International is desperate to prove his worth at Anfield and summon his winning formula to add another major title to his name.
Called as ‘Alpine Messi’, Shaqiri’s transfer, from relegated side stokes City in the summer, raise some eyebrows. This is entirely because in middle of other lacklustre signings, his once looked bleak. But the deal brings a different mood to the club’s project. In the last two seasons, Liverpool depended on some star filled individuals to drive them forward. Sadio Mane, the Senegalese born match winner, became an effective figure to collect points for the Reds since his transfer from Southampton in the summers of 2016. Then it was a glorified season for Egyptian sensation Mohammed Salah with his pace and power and goals, of course, earned him the golden boot and the PFA Player of the year award.
The reason behind bringing Shaqiri is the injury concern and significant rests needed to these important players for the team between congested schedules. Liverpool faced difficulty in dealing with such situations when there main players, mainly forwards, were absent for one reason or the other.
The bench wasn’t strong at those moments, forcing Klopp to change his game plan or call up inexperienced players on the side. It resulted in constant dropping of points as in the case of misled January month of 2016 when Mane was side lined for a hamstring pull and it came back to haunt in the Champions league final when Salah was subbed off due to a ligament tear on his left arm under challenge from Real Madrid’s centre back Sergio Ramos. That game is mostly counted for goalkeeper Karius’s howler for the failure in Kyiv but Salah’s injury was a talking point as well.
In fact, Shaqiri’s introduction strengthens the bench for he brings in a lot of experience and stature to better results. Playing for German giants, the Swiss superstar proved a super sub in numerous occasion winning the Champions league two German cups and Bundesliga thrice. He also achieved huge success in his native land, securing three titles with Fc Basel before attracting interest from the Bavarians. And the stylish winger believes he will give his all for his new destination now.
He also express his thought about the type Liverpool side may look now in order to achieve their objectives this season.
However, Shaqiri’s influence on the pitch has been restricted to only 27 minutes in the first four games of the 2018/19 campaign. This is because Mane, Salah and Firmino are firing steadily with no concerns over their display whatsoever. But against Leicester, the Swiss International was quick to step in to replace Salah and continue the counter press game in 2-1 win at the King Power. Also, in the pre-season friendlies he showed promise in producing his finest artworks.
Even with the star studded signing of Naby Keita and Fabinho aiding the Red’s future strategy, Shaqiri will get the nod now and then. And then onwards we will be able to witness the very best of him.
