In the aftermath of a stinging defeat, it's always very easy for fans to reach for the shotgun and start picking off the players they 'never want to see near my club again' or some such dramatic statement. More often than not however, they move on, players are given a second chance and clubs aren't quite so quick to throw half their squad on the scrap heap after one abject performance.
However, the good news for despondent Liverpool fans today is that, in this instance, you may actually get your wish. It won't be as a result of an absolutely abhorrent performance in the second half in Basel of Wednesday but it's quite possible that when Jurgen Klopp names his next competitive lineup, he won't have to rely on a large section of the squad that brought Liverpool to within 45 minutes of a return to Champions League football.
It's probably being a bit dramatic to say a cull is on the cards but there's no doubt that Klopp will be anything but satisfied with the squad that he inherited. The likes of Dejan Lovren, Nathaniel Clyne and Divock Origi may have pleasantly surprised him but they're the exceptions that prove the rule and he's entirely correct to suggest that another season without Champions League football will do little to prevent him bringing in the kind of players he wants to see this summer.
Liverpool fans may be expecting the likes of Mario Gotze to be attracted to the Klopp project once again and while that's a possibility, they shouldn't be expecting a ream of World Cup winners to come marching through the door. Klopp built his Dortmund side out of intelligently assembled jigsaw pieces as opposed to established stars and it's unlikely he'll be pushing for star names for the sake of it. Quite simply, there's enough overpriced talent at Anfield that promises so much but regularly fails to deliver when it comes down to it.
While we'd simply be throwing darts in the dark trying to guess the players that Klopp will attempt to bring in, it's rather easier to speculate about the players that he'll look to clear out.
Players that will leave
Kolo Toure
A surprisingly useful servant this season. He'll be remembered fondly at Anfield but it's unlikely he'll be given a new contract.
Christian Benteke
They won't recoup the £32 million paid but anything between £20-25 million will be happily accepted. A square peg for a round hole under Rodgers and under Klopp, the Belgian has only served to become squarer as the hole becomes rounder.
Martin Skrtel
Kolo Toure shouldn't have been relied upon when he was and Skrtel is to blame for that. Alongside Lucas, he's as part of the furniture as anyone at Anfield at the moment but it's time for that to change. A defender that looks great when things are in trouble but the fact that he often causes that trouble can and will no longer be ignored.
Lucas
He resurrected himself from the scrap heap time and time again but it may be best for everyone involved that Lucas finally steps aside. A wonderful, if under-appreciated, servant, the Brazilian is just too far down the pecking order for it to be worth him clinging on any longer. Midfielders are needed and it's unlikely that James Milner or Jordan Henderson will leave this summer so Lucas may be best served by looking elsewhere and taking the credit that he deserves from a fanbase that may only really miss him when he's gone.
Joe Allen
For Allen, see Lucas minus a couple of years of toil. He's shown in flashes this season that he's an adequate squad player but Klopp needs more than that and keeping the likes of Allen around because he's good enough to be involved is not the kind of thing that revolutions are made of. Take the tough decision and move on.
Steven Caulker
No explanation needed.
Adam Bogdan
As above.
Players that should leave
Daniel Sturridge
It's called gegenpressing nowadays but you can just as easily say 'work-rate'. Regardless of what you call it, Daniel Sturridge has no intention of getting involved in it any time soon. I will of course be lambasted for the suggestion and it's worth remembering that's all it is but you have to think that Klopp will be re-watching that second half performance today and pulling his hair out at Sturridge's lethargy in defending from the front.
Plenty will disagree but even when fit Daniel Sturridge plays for Daniel Sturridge and that's a situation that Klopp will never accept.
Simon Mignolet
A new contract not long after Klopp's arrival was baffling for everyone involved. The German boss may appreciate his game intelligence but even at that he has to see a keeper who sucks confidence out of his defence. Perhaps he's simply too nice but Mignolet is not the dominant force at the back that Liverpool need and with Danny Ward in reserve, there's really no need for him to stick around battling it out with whichever impressive German keeper that Klopp decides to bring over from the fatherland.
Players that should be given another season
Alberto Moreno
The likes of Adam Lallana and James Milner could just as easily be added in here but Moreno deserves special mention because of the entirely deserved criticism that he received last night. He looked like the Sevilla fan that he's always said he is and the Anfield faithful are unlikely to forget that.
However, as bad as he looked in defence last night, it might well be worth affording him the opportunity to get over that disappointing display. He has been below par all season but he has youth on his side and the possibility of converting him into an all action winger should not be discounted either.
With Joe Gomez returning from injury, it's unlikely Moreno will start next season as Liverpool's first choice left back no matter what but that's not to say he'll be sent home with his tail between his legs either. One more season to develop before he's added to Liverpool's extensive list of horrendous left backs.
