The trio of Sadio Mané, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah have deservedly received plaudits for their exploits last season but as with any top team, Liverpool’s success has depended on a number of nuanced factors. And one of them is the fascinating role of the attacking midfielder.

Liverpool used a variety of midfield setups last season and most included at least one player who could explode forward and support the attack. The players most often functioning in these roles were Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Georginio Wijnaldum.

The aforementioned number 8’s do not act as creative fulcrums in the usual sense but rather focus on forming an effective spatial relationship with the front three. This manifests itself most commonly with aggressive forward dribbles.

For example, Oxlade-Chamberlain often drove at the opposition with the intention of drawing defenders towards the ball before releasing it to one of the front three. Wijnaldum has done the same, albeit less frequently. These actions create space for the front three to function in and are the basis of their brilliance.

This goal is a great example of how The number 8’s can compliment the attackers. Oxlade-Chamberlain carries the ball forward with pace, forcing the only defender with a hope of stopping Salah to move over and block his progress. The ex-Arsenal man slips the ball through, creating a 1v1 with the goalie which the Egyptian puts away.

Alternatively, the dynamism of the front three has the potential to tie up defenders and open up pockets of space for deeper players. These can be exploited with aggressive dribbles from midfield.

This goal is effectively the opposite of the one seen above. Instead of the midfielders creating space for the front three, the 8’s are the ones benefitting from the work of those in front of them. Mané and Salah are pushing the defensive line back while Firmino drops deeper, dragging Fernandinho and Delph with him. This opens opens up space between the lines which Oxlade-Chamberlain exploits wonderfully.

As you can see, the attacking midfielders’ ability to drive forward with pace and strength is a crucial attribute that allows for a productive relationship between the midfield and attack. This is reflected in Jürgen Klopp’s signings. One attacking midfielder has joined the club in each of the last three summer windows – all of them are notably strong dribblers.

Wijnaldum and Oxlade-Chamberlain have already shown the importance of the number 8 to Liverpool’s system and new arrival Naby Keita is set to take that to a new level. The Guinean is a powerful box-to-box player who is particularly potent with the ball at his feet. Combine that with his defensive work rate and exceptional passing range and there’s cause for excitement on the red half of merseyside.

Video by Match Center on Youtube

As evident from this video, Keita is already showing his quality in preseason. He is seen consistently winning the ball back, making penetrative runs and setting up attackers with through balls.

Keita is of the necessary ability and style to fit Klopp’s system superbly. If he does so, Liverpool are sure to be a force this season.