Why James Milner could be crucial to Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool
The England midfielder has a proven attribute vital to the 'full-throttle' football expected at Anfield
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Research shows that James Milner could prove crucial to Jurgen Klopp as the new Liverpool manager attempts to instil his philosophy at Anfield.
Upon his arrival at the club last week, Klopp explained: "I am very excited by the challenge we face and eager to start the job and begin implementing our ideas and ways of working with this team. This is a talented group of players and there is still much to compete for this season.
"Winning is important but so is how you win and how you play the game. I believe in a playing philosophy that is very emotional, very fast and very strong. My teams must play at full throttle and take it to the limit every single game."
Klopp became renowned for past-paced, high-tempo football during his successful time at Borussia Dortmund but in order to implement that at Liverpool, he'll need the right players.
Statistics from the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index suggest Milner has the necessary attributes.
For a start, the summer signing has covered has covered more ground than any player in the Premier League so far this season.
| Player | Team | Nationality | Matches Played | Distance Covered (KM) |
| James Milner | Liverpool | England | 8 | 99906.59 |
| Andrew Surman | Bournemouth | England | 8 | 96191.39 |
| Matt Ritchie | Bournemouth | Scotland | 8 | 95415.11 |
| Aaron Ramsey | Arsenal | Wales | 8 | 93565.86 |
| Gareth Barry | Everton | England | 8 | 91901.59 |
Even more impressively, research shows that Milner has covered more ground in each of his eight matches played than anyone else in the Liverpool squad has in any game. Below illustrates the top 10 distances covered by Liverpool players in a match this season.
| Match Date | Opposition | Player | Distance Covered (KM) |
| 12/09/2015 | Manchester United | James Milner | 12.901 |
| 20/09/2015 | Norwich City | James Milner | 12.708 |
| 26/09/2015 | Aston Villa | James Milner | 12.574 |
| 04/10/2015 | Everton | James Milner | 12.574 |
| 29/08/2015 | West Ham | James Milner | 12.544 |
| 24/08/2015 | Arsenal | James Milner | 12.404 |
| 17/08/2015 | Bournemouth | James Milner | 12.147 |
| 09/08/2015 | Stoke City | James Milner | 12.051 |
| 17/08/2015 | Bournemouth | Adam Lallana | 11.697 |
| 20/09/2015 | Norwich City | Philippe Coutinho | 11.374 |
No other Liverpool player has covered more than 12km in a match; Milner though has covered over 12km in every single game.
Klopp spoke about the "talented group of players" already available to him at Liverpool. The stats suggest it's likely Milner was in his thoughts.
Data courtesy of the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, the Official Player Rating Index of the Barclays Premier League
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments