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Liverpool will be hoping to get back to winning ways against Watford on Wednesday having drawn four of their last five games but clearly Jurgen Klopp is going to have to make some adjustments ahead of the clash.
Regardless of the pretty uninspiring run of results, the Anfield outfit sit pretty at the top of the league, with their point against bitter rivals United keeping them above Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola is fortunate enough to have pretty much two world-class starting XIs to choose from; Klopp doesn’t quite have the same luxury in depth but he does have a handful of quality options to call upon when any of the regulars aren’t performing.
Who, then, should Klopp hand a start to, and who should he bench?
Milner benched, Alexander-Arnold in
Trent Alexander-Arnold absolutely has to come back into the starting XI for this game as the Reds sorely missed his pinpoint delivery in the final third against United, whose deep-seated approach left little room in behind.
Natural midfielder Milner deputised at right-back for his compatriot and his poor passing made him subject to criticism from the Anfield faithful on Twitter…
While the 33-year-old’s industry makes him a fantastic player to have in the team, there is little room for him in the midfield and he cannot be allowed to play at right-back when Alexander-Arnold is fit.
The 20-year-old scored a beauty of a free-kick last time the two sides met and he will surely be back on such duties again for this clash, should he get the nod on the right of Klopp’s back four.
Additionally, the Liverpool number 66’s output in defence is far better than that of the former Manchester City man – Alexander-Arnold completes 1.7 tackles and 1.2 interceptions a game to Milner’s 1.5 and 0.8, respectively.
Start Keita, bench Henderson
It is clear that without the central, creative presence of Roberto Firmino in the team that Mohamed Salah is often isolated or off the boil out on the wing – the Egyptian was dispossessed a whopping six times on Sunday and was dominated by Luke Shaw, who had a stellar game at left-back for the Red Devils.
Firmino was replaced just after the half hour mark and left Old Trafford on crutches. Although Jurgen Klopp has said the 27-year-old may still start at Anfield on Wednesday, it is surely unlikely considering the Merseyside derby is this weekend – losing the Brazilian to a long-term injury would be disastrous.
Should the former Hoffenheim man be ruled out, then, Klopp must fill the creative void in his team somehow – enter Naby Keita. The Guinean has hardly had a smooth ride since finally arriving on Merseyside in the summer, but his quality close-control makes him as natural a deputy for Firmino in the 10 role as Liverpool have got.
Check out the video below for fan reaction to Man Utd 0-0 Liverpool…
Xherdan Shaqiri surely starts on the wing, with Salah up front and Fabinho and Gini Wijnaldum holding down the midfield, both of whom leave no room for captain Jordan Henderson. The England international completed 0 key passes on Sunday and was the most wasteful of the Reds’ midfielders in terms of passing accuracy, not to mention that he had a touchline bust-up with Klopp.
