Three Liverpool players who have a point to prove before the season finishes

The season for Liverpool has come to a long drawn out bitter end as they went on a shoddy run of form throughout April that saw them drop points in four league games as well as getting knocked out of the Europa League.

It isn’t to be the perfect picture-book ending for Jurgen Klopp after nine years at the club that fans will never forget as next season he will be watching from the stands with his feet up, rightfully so.

Next season then provides the biggest change Liverpool will have had in a long time as according to Paul Joyce Arne Slot will be taking over the hot seat at Anfield in what is one of the worst-kept secrets in football at the moment.

So, all of the club's players, whether they’ve been here throughout Klopp’s reign or have only just joined, will be going through something new when pre-season rolls around with a new boss.

Who are the ones who need to show that in the last two league games, they are more than ready to take another step up with new beginnings?

3. Ibrahima Konate

This could be a controversial start as Ibrahima Konate has proved that he can be one of the most difficult defenders to face on his day however the fact Liverpool had a little fall-off with some attacking issues has seemingly overshadowed the defensive frailties that the side has had.

One of the stats of the season is just how many times the Reds have gone a goal down, a remarkable 23 times in 36 league games. This alludes to an issue in the backline and the fact that they have been notoriously slow starters.

In addition to the defensive issue, Konate's availability has been a bit of a concern, as since joining the club back in 2020, he has only played 51 league games. 

Also, Jurgen Klopp has suggested that youngster Jarell Quansah may be ahead of him in the pecking order now, as he said in his press conference for the Aston Villa game.

“We are only playing once a week, and we have to pick who is looking best & Jarell (Quansah) is training really well. Doesn't mean Ibou (Konaté) isn't training well. But I have to make a decision,” said the Liverpool manager.

So now it will depend on whether he gets a chance in the last two games of the campaign, but the French international needs to show that he is capable of getting back to his best for the European Championships and the Reds.

2. Ryan Gravenberch

Jurgen Klopp’s last signing at Liverpool will be Ryan Gravenberch, so he will always go down in the history books in some way or another.

He was up against it from the start, though, for this season, as he didn’t have a pre-season with the squad, having signed on deadline day, which has always been something Klopp has insisted is important.

The Dutch international showed some early signs of potential, contributing three goals in his first three Europa League games.

However, after that point, he didn’t have consistent starts, nor did he really build on those flashes in the Premier League, as it seemed that he may have struggled with the division's physicality.

In a recent game against Fulham, though, he showed what he is all about by scoring a fantastic goal on the edge of the box for his first in the league while running the show on the left-hand side of midfield.

At just 21 years old, it is clear to see he could have a big future, hence why Bayern Munich moved up for him when he was at Ajax.

So it will be interesting to see how many minutes he gets in the last two games and if he can replicate the performance against Fulham to give Arne Slot something to think about in the summer.

1. Darwin Nunez

The hottest topic of the last two seasons when it comes to Liverpool players has been Darwin Nunez. He joined for a big fee with massive potential, and he could be the next big thing leading the attack for Klopp’s men. 

He has clearly divided opinions as after his first campaign, many couldn’t decide if there was a lot of promise there or whether he was too inconsistent, having scored 15 goals in his debut season.

Nunez has improved his numbers, and on the face of it, he looks to have had a rather strong season with 31 goal contributions, but that doesn’t unfortunately tell the full story.

The bad habit of missing glaring chances has continued even though he has also shown supreme confidence with some goals, the audacious Brentford lob being one which had everyone applauding just how full of himself he can be.

When Liverpool needed him most though he faltered with the big chance in the Merseyside Derby possibly being the tipping point for some as instead of sliding the ball into the bottom left corner he hastily smashed the ball right at Jordan Pickford.

Since that game he has been benched in back-to-back games with Cody Gakpo getting the nod and impressing as if it were a month ago he may have been one of the players with a point to prove but he has shown he has a lot more to give with the latest game against Spurs proving exactly that.

The cameo against Spurs when he missed a one-on-one with an erratic attempt won’t do much to stop the doubters but he still has time to close the 2023/24 season on a high.

It looks like Nunez won’t be starting the last two games of the Klopp era, so if he does come off the bench, he has to show that his natural instinct in front of goal is there, so Slot believes he has something to work with.