This time last month, it felt as though Liverpool’s 2023/24 campaign was about to be derailed.
The Reds, already without the likes of Dominik Szoboszlai, Andrew Robertson, Thiago, Wataru Endo, Kostas Tsimikas and Mohamed Salah, were also going to be without Trent Alexander-Arnold for some time after the right-back injured his knee in the FA Cup win over Arsenal at the Emirates.
Jurgen Klopp was going to have to navigate the busy month of January without a host of starters.
Fast forward to early February, Liverpool are into the Carabao Cup final, they’re in the fifth round of the FA Cup and are currently five points clear at the top of the Premier League table.
Robertson, Szoboszlai and Alexander-Arnold have all returned from injury just in time for another trip to the Emirates this weekend in what is a must-not-lost clash for the Reds.
And yet heading into this game, there is a genuine debate over whether or not Liverpool’s creator-in-chief, Alexander-Arnold, should be in the starting XI. This sort of conversation would’ve been unimaginable four weeks ago.
When the No66 is fit, he’s one of the first names down on Klopp’s teamsheet. He is one of the untouchables in this Liverpool team.
Well, he was.
In his absence, Conor Bradley has announced himself to the world.
The 20-year-old thrived during his loan spell with Bolton last term.
The young full-back made so much of an impression that he won the Player of the Year award, the Player’s Player of the Year award and he was also jointly named the Young Player of the Year.
The Sky Bet League One club wanted him back on loan for this season but his parent club had plans for him.
Injuries delayed his emergence
Speaking in April last year, Klopp said: "The plan at the moment is to bring him back and keep him, but we will see. Bring him back, go in the pre-season and then enjoy the steps he made, then we will decide together what we are doing from that moment on."
He no doubt would’ve played a significant part in the early stages of the Carabao Cup as well as the Europa League had it not been for a back injury. The Northern Ireland international is making up for lost time though.
Bradley was brought off the bench in the game against Arsenal for the final 15 minutes. He was up against Gabriel Martinelli, a tough ask for most full-backs, but his cameo finished with him having a 100% record in tackles and ground duels.
The youngster then caught the eye as a starter in the Carabao Cup semi-final against Fulham. He finished the game having completed 88% of his 56 attempted passes while also creating two chances.
Defensively, he was a juggernaut, winning all six of his tackles, recovering the ball on six occasions and involving himself in 19 ground duels (with a 53% win rate).
He followed that up with another fine showing, this time against Bournemouth in the Premier League. The 13-cap international registered his first assist for the club in this game and once again impressed with the defensive side of things.
He finished the game at the Vitality Stadium having won two of his three tackles, two of two aerial duels and five of 14 ground duels.
Like-for-like switch? Not quite...
What has really impressed most with Bradley is that he’s not tried to be Alexander-Arnold. Klopp hasn’t asked him to masquerade as one of the best full-backs in history either.
The team have adapted to allow him to play his natural game.
He’s much more of a traditional full-back in terms of playing profile and there are similarities to Andrew Robertson.
He scurries with the ball. He covers so much ground and just never stops running. The advantage he has over the Scotland skipper is that he looks so much more comfortable in possession.
In Bradley, Liverpool have what feels like an old-school full-back who can also pick a pass like so many of the modern greats. They have the best of both worlds in that regard.
The right-back notched two assists in the FA Cup win over Norwich. The first arrived after a marauding run down the right flank before he slid a well-weighted pass into the feet of Darwin Nunez.
His second was a wicked cross from out wide that Ryan Gravenberch converted.
With Alexander-Arnold back, the expectation was that Bradley would find himself benched for the visit of Chelsea.
He got the nod though in the starting XI and it turned out to be an inspired decision with the youngster running riot at Anfield. He played a pivotal role in the 4-1 dismantling of the Blues, scoring once and assisting twice.
It took his tally to five assists and a goal in five starts.
Klopp heaped praise on the flying full-back in his post-match press conference: “‘What a wonderful kid he is. Outstanding finish, the whole game, the contribution, the involvement. It's a job to play against (Raheem) Sterling, that's not easy. I'm really happy for him.
"I've known it for a while. In my left ear is Pep Lijnders and in my right ear is Vitor Matos, telling me. I remember Pep sitting in my office telling me he's put both of his hands in fire. I have loved him from the first days and didn’t need a lot of convincing."
Does Bradley keep his spot?
While Bradley might not be as influential to this Liverpool team as Alexander-Arnold, and the sample size is much smaller, he is posting almost identical expected assists (xA) averages to the senior right-back.
He isn’t just holding his own in the starting XI, he’s made the full-back position his own.
Klopp now has a big decision to make.
Does he go with momentum and roll Bradley out at the Emirates or does he opt for Alexander-Arnold’s experience? The fact the latter hadn't just waltzed back into the starting XI when fit shows the impact Bradley has had and how highly those at the club rate the youngster.
Liverpool might now be more dangerous than ever with their full-back options.
Who would've thought that at the start of the season?
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