Which Departed Red Have Liverpool Missed the Most This Season?

Don't let the smile fool you—Jurgen Klopp is a ruthless manager.

The German's arrival at Anfield in October 2015 left him working with someone else's squad. Over the remainder of the season, he took the chance not only to instil his philosophy but also assess the players former boss Brendan Rodgers had left behind.

When the summer arrived, however, Klopp turned into football's version of Edward Scissorhands. He chopped away at the roster like Johnny Depp's character going at a privet hedge.

Some of his decisions were straightforward; there was no desire to have Mario Balotelli lingering around any longer than necessary, it was just a matter of finding a club willing to take on the Italian. Martin Skrtel, meanwhile, had outstayed his welcome and was rightly shipped out to Fenerbahce.

Others, however, were tougher calls. In allowing so many players to leave (TransferMarkt lists 18 departures—including those sent out on loan—since the end of last season), Liverpool were going to be left with a smaller squad, one that Klopp opted not to add to in the January window this year.

But while they say absence makes the heart grow fonder, have the Reds really missed any of the old boys? Bleacher Report put the question to you, the reader, via a Twitter poll:

While it was no surprise to see Mamadou Sakho come on top, perhaps 52 per cent was a surprisingly low number for the defender. Still, we took a greater look at the three main options offered, listing them in reverse order of how they finished in the vote and asked how they could have aided Liverpool in 2016/17.

Christian Benteke: The Missing Piece that Didn't Fit

From the outset, Christian Benteke looked a strange signing by Liverpool.

It wasn't just a question of price. The Belgian was hardly a bargain at £39.53 million, yet Aston Villa will feel they could have asked for more were it not for a release clause set into his contract.

It wasn't a question of pedigree either. Certainly not in terms of goals—Benteke had scored 49 in 101 games for his previous club, an impressive record considering Villa's struggles to retain their top-flight status.

No, the doubts were there from the outset because the Reds, apparently, were choosing substance over style. Here was Benteke, a big, strong striker who feasted on service from out wide, joining a Reds squad that had just lost their leading winger, Raheem Sterling, to Manchester City.

For Brendan Rodgers, it felt like the last act of a desperate manager.

Still, Benteke played just six times before the Northern Irishman lost his job. Klopp continued to use him after taking charge, albeit 22 of his 36 appearances under the German came off the bench.

"I did not fit the tactical system of the new coach," the forward said after leaving Liverpool last summer, per James Gray of the Express. "That was not easy mentally because I was left to fight a losing battle."

At Crystal Palace, however, the Belgian has prospered as the centrepiece of the team's forward line. He's scored 11 Premier League goals, including four headers and two penalties.

Notably, he's only failed to complete 90 minutes in four of his 28 starts in the league. Even during a scoreless seven-game run that stretched from the middle of December to the end of January, Benteke continued to be a key cog for the Eagles.

He was never going to be afforded such patience at Liverpool, though, particularly as he hardly fitted the mould of a Klopp striker. Could you see him pressing and harrying opposing defences in the same manner as Roberto Firmino? No is the correct answer.

While the 26-year-old could still have served a purpose in certain situations, there is little to suggest Liverpool are worse off for his absence.

If someone as talented as Daniel Sturridge struggles to get minutes when fit, Benteke would surely have festered even longer on the sidelines, had he stuck around. A move away suited all parties (as is also likely to be the case for Sturridge this summer).

Joe Allen: The Welsh Xavi

Hampered by the above nickname handed down to him by Rodgers, the manager he followed from Swansea City, Allen's Liverpool career was book-ended by a sticky start and a late lease of life.

Famously dubbed the Welsh Xavi after joining, he looked unable to cope with the pressure of expectation.

Yet towards the end of his time on Merseyside, the player went from overrated and underappreciated to something akin to cult-hero status. Maybe it was because of the long hair, but something changed and the cold-hearted haters thawed a little towards him.

Klopp didn't take long to warm to Allen, who was involved throughout the 2015/16 season and became a regular off the bench in the club's unlikely run to the UEFA Europa League final.

Yet there was no denying he was stuck down the midfield pecking order. A starring role for Wales at Euro 2016 was followed by a move to Stoke (who paid £13.18 million). Like Benteke's exit, the deal made sense for all involved, and Allen has blossomed away from the limelight of Liverpool thanks to regular minutes.

That doesn't mean Klopp doesn't still think about his little super sub, according to quotes he gave to James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo ahead of the 4-1 win over Stoke last December:

Do we miss Joe Allen? Yes. He’s a nice guy, unbelievably strong player.

But it was a kind of joint decision. We had a clear conversation and it was about what I could kind of guarantee.

It wasn't that he asked me how many games he would start but for the past one or two years he hadn't been a fixed line up player. Sometimes injuries were the reason.

At a time when the Reds are without injured skipper Jordan Henderson, the presence of Allen—who has missed just one league game so far this season—would have helped. Yet he would still be no more than a plaster over a paper cut, a temporary solution that could be removed once back to full health.

While tidy on the ball and industrious without it, the 27-year-old made the right move for his career. Had he stayed on at Liverpool, it is hard to see how he would have been anything more than a regular...on the bench.

Mamadou Sakho: The French (Dis)Connection

Unlike Allen and Benteke, Sakho's (temporary) departure from Merseyside wasn't down to a lack of opportunities or a failure to fit in with the side's playing style.

The Frenchman was regularly used by Klopp until his 2015/16 season was cut short by a doping ban. He would have expected to be in the mix for a starting role on his return, only to rub his manager up the wrong way during the club's pre-season tour of the United States.

"It's not that serious. He missed the departure of the plane, he missed a session and then was late for a meal... I have to build a group here, I have to start anew, so I thought it maybe made sense that he flew home to Liverpool and after eight days, when we come back, we can talk about it," a bemused Klopp said.

However, it turns out the former Borussia Dortmund coach holds a grudge.

Sakho spent the first half of the season stuck in purgatory/playing for the under-21 team. Thankfully, Crystal Palace rode in to rescue him from Klopp's doghouse with a loan deal in the January window.

While the centre-back started life at Selhurst Park by helping his new team keep three successive clean sheets, some Liverpool supporters questioned whether Klopp should bury the hatchet and bring the player back into the fold.

The Reds have the leakiest defence in the top six, with their tally of 40 goals against three more than even second-from-bottom/surely doomed Middlesbrough have conceded.

Joel Matip and Dejan Lovren are a steady enough pairing. Ragnar Klavan, however, only looks the part if you want him to represent you at a facial hair convention, while Lucas Leiva's occasional appearances at the heart of the defence remind you that slow, under-sized square pegs cannot be jammed into round holes.

With exciting prospect Joe Gomez slowly making his way back after two injury-plagued seasons, you can easily see how there is space in the first-team squad to include the larger-than-life Sakho.

However, you often become a better player when you're not in the team. Fans have a way of blurring out the bad moments from their memories, and Sakho's performances for Palace don't necessarily suggest he would immediately shore up Liverpool's leaky rearguard.

"He will defend resolutely, he obviously gives his all in games. But he’s a bit erratic and rash to play at the top level, and that's why Liverpool let him go," pundit Gary Neville told Sky Sports (h/t James Cambridge of the Express).

Liverpool also let Sakho leave because he wouldn't adhere to the standards expected off the field. Klopp saves his hugs for those who buy into being part of his ethos. Those who play by their own rules just get the cold shoulder instead.

Per Neil Jones of the Liverpool Echo, Sakho's Palace spell is less about repairing old wounds and more a case of appearing in the shop window. Eventually he will be sold to the highest bidder.

Thanks But No Thanks

It was noticeable that when asking for alternative names in the poll, a number of responses stated how Liverpool did not need any of their recent departures back.

Having Allen, Benteke and Sakho would have been particularly helpful during a busy January when the wheels came off Liverpool's trophy-chasing bandwagon in spectacular fashion, but it's hard to believe the Reds would now be hot on the heels of leaders Chelsea if any of the trio were still around.

And what about any other names suggested?

Bring up Jon Flanagan—AKA the Red Cafu—and you're living too far in the past (an unhealthy thing Liverpool supporters tend to do). The Flanagan we saw in 2013/14 would have helped this season, possibly even squeezing out James Milner to start on the left side of the defence.

But injuries have hampered the full-back's career in the last two years. Sent out on loan to get games, the 24-year-old has barely featured for Premier League rivals Burnley.

Unlike Flanagan, Lazar Markovic is performing during his temporary spell with Hull City. The speedy Serbian caught the eye of the Tigers, who took him in January after his season-long deal at Sporting Lisbon was cut short.

Still, his situation feels similar to Sakho's. Liverpool will be pleased he's playing now but not necessarily because he's coming back to Anfield to be part of their long-term plans.

According to Simon Jones of the MailOnline, West Ham United are ready to pay as much as £16 million for Markovic in the summer. Yes, that's right. £16 whole million.

That money will come in handy because after a major pruning job during the last off-season, Liverpool should be more concerned with additions than subtractions this coming summer.

Hindsight has a way of showing up football managers and their transfer dealings, but Klopp won't have lost too much sleep over those he allowed to leave since taking charge.

All fees referenced in the article are from TransferMarkt unless otherwise stated.