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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

Simon Rice
Tuesday 13 October 2015 15:32 BST
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James Milner
James Milner (GETTY IMAGES)

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.

Jurgen Klopp's best quotes

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

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