BACK in January, a bizarre moment of TV camera jiggery-pokery made it briefly look like Jurgen Klopp had made Xherdan Shaqiri disappear in the aftermath of the FA Cup defeat to Wolves.
The how-did-that-happen moment was quickly shared online to capture the clicks but since then it’s a snapshot that has taken on added meaning as the Swiss international has been notable by his absence for Liverpool.
Sunday’s attritional stalemate at Everton was a case in point. Liverpool had enjoyed more of the ball and the better of the chances in a dog of a match, but inspiration in the final third was in short supply from The Reds, particularly in the second half.
It seemed like the perfect moment for a player with the skill-set of Shaqiri – someone who can commit a defender, thread a pass, score a goal and is a threat from set pieces.
The Goodison Park scoreboard showed only six minutes remaining when Klopp turned to his bench for the third and final time as he sought to transform what was unfolding as a damaging draw into a vital victory.
That bench included Shaqiri, the man who has commanded more than £50million in transfer fees and has six Premier League goals to his name for Liverpool already this season, including a deflected double as a substitute hero in the 3-1 Anfield win over Manchester United.
But Klopp ignored the claims of the former Bayern Munich and Inter Milan player, instead opting to replace Sadio Mane with Adam Lallana, a player who last found the net for Liverpool on the final day of the 2016-17 season, scoring in the 3-0 win versus Middlesbrough at Anfield.
As the game petered out into a draw gleefully celebrated by the Gwladys Street faithful, it was always going to be a decision that would be questioned post-match. So it proved, with the manager asked if he had taken enough risks in an attempt to secure three points.
It was a query that sparked a spiky-sounding response, with Klopp saying: “An extra attacker just to go wild? You think it's like PlayStation; bring on an extra attacker and football changes? It's not like that. We are offensive enough. Football doesn't work like that. We don't lose our nerve.”
Picking apart any manager’s moves from afar is always difficult as it comes minus the same information that he possesses and processes to reach a conclusion.
How fit is Shaqiri? Has he fully recovered from the abdominal strain that kept him out of the match-day squad against Bournemouth in early February? What’s he been like in training?
Nevertheless, it doesn’t feel unfair to assume that if the £13million summer signing from Stoke City is fit enough to sit on the bench he is fit enough to play at least some part. So is it an issue of trust in certain situations?
Again, there is a danger of dot-joining too much, but Klopp’s previous comments about Shaqiri, coupled with a recent unwillingness to turn to his talent, suggest that there are aspects of his game he remains unconvinced by.
December was the most productive month for the Swiss international in the red of Liverpool, with four of his six goals so far arriving against Manchester United, Burnley and Newcastle United.
Yet, even during a spell that had supporters fawning over his contribution, Klopp hinted that areas of his game still needed work.
There is a considerable body of evidence across the manager’s three-and-a-half years in charge that he is prepared to wait and work until the precise moment he believes his plan has clicked with a player.
And perhaps that is what we are seeing with Shaqiri.
At the end of December, Klopp said of his contribution: “Good, good, good – he adapts more and more to our football. With the ball he [has] changed our style.
“You can see in the moment when Shaq gets the ball in a bit of space, everyone is running. It’s because everybody expects to get the ball in behind and stuff like that. That’s a good sign and gives him a few options [and] that helps of course.”
Perhaps more ominously, he added: “So it’s fantastic so far, really fantastic, and there is still a lot to come. He knows that and we are in constant talks about where he can still improve his game, but with the ball he is obviously doing brilliant things.”
The unspoken here is what Shaqiri does without the ball.
His last appearance in a Liverpool shirt was an 18-minute spell as a substitute against Manchester United in the 0-0 draw at Old Trafford. During that time, according to the Statsbomb site, Shaqiri made just three attempts to press the ball.
Divock Origi, who was on the pitch for only 11 minutes, clocked up five attempts.
It’s the smallest of samples but while Origi has worked his way into favour recently, it appears Shaqiri has a task on his hands to impress his manager, one not helped by seven appearances – totaling 300 minutes of football – minus a goal or an assist.
His last goal was on Boxing Day in the win over Newcastle, while his last assist came away at Huddersfield in October.
Again, we can’t know how for sure how Shaqiri feels or how Klopp feels but surely both men are unhappy with the current situation.
Shaqiri said earlier in the season: “I’m 27, my best age to perform at a high level, so I hope the best times are coming. I have the qualities to be in the team, to have an impact, to score goals, to give assists and decide games.”
While Liverpool can boast five successive clean sheets in all competitions, they could clearly do with a player with the qualities described above fit and firing after three draws in those very same five games.
Whatever it takes to make that happen, as quick as he disappeared at Wolves, Klopp could do with the Shaqiri of old reappearing against Burnley.
A £10 bet on Shaqiri to score against Burnley returns £22.00
