Liverpool have raided the St Mary’s Stadium so many times over the past few years they probably have a season ticket there. Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert, Dejan Lovren and Sadio Mane have all made the move to Anfield from the south coast, and on Wednesday night the Reds had a scout in place to watch Virgil Van Dijk. But their eye might have been caught by another player, not one of Southampton’s, on display at the St Mary’s.
Leicester City put on an impressive show of dynamic, counter attacking football against the Saints during the week, claiming a 4-1 win to lift them to eighth place in the Premier League table. At the centre of that show was Riyad Mahrez, with the playmaker the dynamo through which the Foxes’ play flowed through.
The upturn in Mahrez’s form of late has been remarkable. The Algerian has created more chances in his last three games than in the 13 appearances before that. Four of the five goals he has scored in the Premier League so far this season have come under new manager Claude Puel. After a fallow period, Mahrez has rediscovered his best form. He is a forced to be reckoned with.
Liverpool’s scout would have seen this on Wednesday night. Of course, the Anfield club are preparing to be raided themselves this January, with recent reports speculating that Barcelona have agreed a deal to finally sign Philippe Coutinho. That would be an almighty blow to Jurgen Klopp’s side as they attempt to challenge near the top of the Premier League.
And so Liverpool must draw up a contingency plan. They might still have hopes of keeping Coutinho, at least until the end of the season, but they must accept that convincing Coutinho to stay might be beyond them. This is why they should look to Mahrez. The Algerian could ease the pain of losing Coutinho, with the playmaker thought to be on the look out for the next step in his career as well. It’s a move that would suit both parties.
Of course, Mahrez wouldn’t exactly be a like-for-like replacement for Coutinho. While they might both be playmakers, the former tends to drift in from the right flank. In fact, Craig Shakespeare took to using Mahrez as an out-and-out winger. Liverpool are well-stocked in the wide areas, with Mohamed Salah and Mane the two best at what they do in the Premier League.
However, Puel has seen where Mahrez’s true strength, where he can have most influence on a game. Under the Frenchman, the playmaker has been allowed more freedom to drift. He has been played in behind the central striker, and that’s where he could be of use to Liverpool in a post-Coutinho age.
This would change the nature of Liverpool as a team somewhat. Coutinho is far better at dropping deep to pick up the ball. The Brazilian tends to drift to the left side rather than the right, like Mahrez. However, the Algerian is a player of a similar mould. He would rebalance Klopp’s side in the event of Coutinho’s departure.
Players like Coutinho are hard to come by. Mahrez isn’t of the same caliber, but he possesses many of the same qualities that make the Brazilian so important to Liverpool. His technical ability on the ball would give the Reds a platform behind the central striker. It’s easy to envisage Mahrez striking up a relationship with Roberto Firmino. The Algerian is a natural fit for Liverpool and he should be their contingency plan for the doomsday scenario regarding Coutinho’s future.
