So bad in training – Liverpool man ghosted by Jurgen Klopp yet again

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is at it again.

The German has ghosted Takumi Minamino against Tottenham as he chose to send on Divock Origi as the final substitute.

Origi replaced Roberto Firmino as the clock ticked down on an excellent victory over Tottenham Hotspur. Goals from Firmino, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Sadio Mane sealed the deal, yet Minamino still wasn’t given an appearance.

Since scoring against Crystal Palace, the former RB Salzburg star has played just six minutes – all of them came as Liverpool chased a win against Burnley.

To have Origi ahead of you in the pecking order is the kiss of death for any forward at the club. The Belgian looks surplus to requirements at Anfield; so where does that leave Minamino?

The 26-year-old must not be performing at the required standard in training, or still can’t display the right level of appreciation for Klopp’s tactical demands.

We always knew it would take time for Minamino to hit the ground running, but I don’t think anyone could foresee a situation like this where he appears to be completely frozen out of the team.

https://twitter.com/LFCLaurie/status/1354908878853574662

The potential of the player is clear, and when he’s on the pitch he offers more than Origi – who has lost his golden touch completely. The Belgian doesn’t influence matches as he did, and that supersub label has been worn away by the sands of time.

Liverpool and Takumi Minamino: an unhappy marriage?

Klopp is unlikely to go into too much detail about why he’s making those choices, and so it’s left to us to speculate. A lack of effort in training could be working against Minamino, although a lack of understanding of his tactical role appears to be the most likely answer.

In this packed schedule, where finding the time to train properly is difficult, maybe the manager wants to use a player who has been at the club for a long time and is fully up-to-speed with Klopp’s needs.