The Reds’ current squad has an average age of 26.3, with eight members of Klopp’s first team currently aged 30 or over. And six of those eight players were named in the starting XI against Fulham on Saturday: Virgil van Dijk (31), Joel Matip (30), Jordan Henderson (32), Thiago (31), Mohamed Salah (30) and Roberto Firmino ( 30). Only two did not see the full 90 minutes, with James Milner (36) taking the middle age after being introduced on time. But it is Klopp’s line-up that has caught the eye as, according to Opta Joe, it is the first time since 1994 that Liverpool have named six players aged 30 and over in a Premier League starting line-up. 30+ – Liverpool have six players aged 30+ in their starting line-up today, the first time they have done so in a Premier League game since February 1994 against Southampton. Mature. Firmino, Henderson, Matip, Salah, Thiago, van Dijk | Barnes, Grobbelaar, Nicol, Rush, Whelan, Wright. pic.twitter.com/ThNe0PS9ec — OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) August 6, 2022 The last time was when Bruce Grobbelaar, John Barnes, Steve Nicol, Mark Wright, Ronnie Whelan and Ian Rush were all named in Roy Evans’ squad against Southampton in February 1994. Fulham’s line-up is one that is full of experience and know-how, but also one that underlines how necessary continued development will be for Klopp’s side. The arrival of Fabio Carvalho (19), Calvin Ramsay (19) and Darwin Nunez (23) provided fresh blood and hopefully it will soon be their turn to rely on, among others the likes of Ibrahima Konate (23), Harvey. Elliott (19) and Curtis Jones (21). But, as they did last season, Liverpool are still relying heavily on their seniors this season and the question is will they still be at the top of the over-30 list at the end of the campaign? Last season, the Reds had the highest percentage of minutes played by players who, in 20223, were slated to be 30 or older, at 46.2 percent. This was 6.3 per cent higher than the next side on the list in Newcastle. It’s no surprise that we saw the club make a concerted effort to reduce the average age of the squad in the summer but, for now, Klopp is clearly content to still turn to his veterans.
