Liverpool head coach Jurgen Klopp knows that his chances of getting Jack Grealish would be slim at best given how the £100million winger is thriving at Manchester City, but he may not care too much if teenager Ben Doak continues to impress in pre-season.
The brilliant academy product was given another opportunity by the Reds manager, and Doak did not disappoint, scoring in a stunning 4-0 thrashing of Leicester on Sunday morning.
Doak, who is still only 17 years old, replaced the great Mohamed Salah at halftime and put on a mature display in the second half. Given that the Egyptian had set up two assists for his teammates Bobby Clark and Darwin Nunez, they were huge shoes to fill.
Doak, however, delivered as he scored Liverpool’s fourth goal of the match by powerfully heading the ball past Leicester goalkeeper Mads Hermansen.
In addition to the goal, the young Scottish winger showed why comparisons have been made with England star Grealish with his direct running and intelligent movement. The fact he was namechecked by Klopp was no coincidence as the 55-year-old hailed the attacking quartet’s ‘special’ performance in the second half.
“We have a lot of options in the areas and the boys need to show up,” Klopp told reporters. “It’s not pressure, it’s just the situation. I think it was clear when we scored three in the first half, but second half, Cody, Dom, Luis and Ben – to be honest, that was pretty special.”
The teenager arrived from Celtic last summer and there is notable excitement about his rise from the youth team to the fringes of the first-team squad. There is no question he remains a raw talent, but Klopp’s nurturing presence means he should be able to chisel him into a fine player, and likewise, Doak’s pace and work rate will allow him to fit seamlessly into his plans.
Part of the plan could be utilising his energy to mould him into a hybrid role, which Grealish has embraced at City as the wide left player in Pep Guardiola’s 3-2-4-1 formation. Klopp experimented with a similar system last season and although they played a 4-2-3-1 against Leicester, that tactical variety could be key for Klopp, who clearly admires his talents.
“Ben Doak, obviously nice signs, he’s with us in training again,” said Klopp earlier this summer, as quoted by the Daily Record.
“[He is a] special boy, really confident, has something nobody else delivers really. This kind of dribbling, this kind of straight-forward bravery… all these kind of things.”
Grealish barely appeared in his goal against Leicester. It rather demonstrated Doak’s superb anticipation in the last third. All eyes were on the ball when the in-swinging delivery was whipped in, but Doak saw the opening to run into and bet that the ball would come his way, and it did.
In this case, credit should go to Liverpool’s set-piece coaches. It might have been a practiced routine. However, if he was simply behaving instinctively, it demonstrates the exact reason Klopp is willing to give the teenager a bigger role in his squad during preseason.
That might change as the start of the new season approaches because Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo started the game on the bench due to the intense competition for spots. Klopp has a history of giving young players an opportunity to shine if they are outperforming expectations, particularly in domestic cup events.
Doak definitely accomplished that against Leicester, and with additional opportunities to shine against Bayern Munich and Darmstadt before their preseason campaign comes to an end, he may be able to influence the German’s decision.