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With the 2018-19 season approaching its midway point, plenty of fans will begin assessing the overall performances of their summer buys.
Liverpool’s transfer business focused on bolstering areas that needed work, particularly in the goalkeeping department.
After Loris Karius’s blunder-filled display in the club’s Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid, manager Jurgen Klopp sanctioned the signing of Alisson from Roma.
Midfielders Fabinho and Naby Keita also joined the party, as did Stoke City winger Xherdan Shaqiri.
Most of the buzz centred around Alisson given how much of an upgrade he was on Karius and Simon Mignolet.
Excitement also surrounded Keita and Fabinho, while Shaqiri received a mixed response following his arrival at Anfield.
Ironically, he is the one that has arguably made the most impact since becoming part of Klopp’s charges.
It would more than likely have been explained to Shaqiri before he signed on the dotted line that he would be playing a bit-part role this season.
The Switzerland international generally plays in wide areas, although he can also be situated anywhere across the front three or as a number 10.
With the likes of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane being at the club, it was always expected that Shaqiri would be lower down on the pecking order.
However, as the infographic shows, the speedy attack-minded star has displayed impressive performances every time that he has been on the pitch.
As well as scoring two goals and creating two assists, Shaqiri has put himself in dangerous positions to take a shot at goal.
The 27-year-old has only been on the pitch competitively for a total of 380 minutes, but he has been a key figure in almost every outing.
Against Fulham last weekend, he scored in the 2-0 triumph and his versatility allowed Klopp to switch formation to 4-2-3-1, which meant that Salah, Firmino and Mane could still all play.
It remains to be seen whether Shaqiri will begin making the first XI, but one thing is for sure, he is proving to be very important to Klopp.
