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| Saturday October 24 |
Premier League | Anfield
8 pm GMT / 3 pm EST
Sheffield United are winless in the 2020/21 season, with a draw last week at Fulham and five losses (including a penalty shootout loss to Burnley in the second round of the League Cup).
The Blades have approached the games by giving up possession a bit and relying on their organization and tactical approach. Even if we’re all tired of hearing about “overlapping center halves” at this point, Wilder’s method of overloading spaces with his defenders has been effective and fun to watch, and more games are needed to see if his tactics have been implemented. or if they just had a bit of bad luck.
Their main problem is the conversion of opportunities, as they have converted only 19% of their opportunities so far this season, up from 24% last season. Although this seems like a small difference, Sheffield United does not create many opportunities and tends to rely on the good quality of the opportunities it creates, both through open play and from set pieces. This is coupled with another potential problem: Sheffield United can no longer rely on Dean Henderson’s skill at goal, and Henderson’s performance levels were crucial for a team that played largely for narrow wins in 2019/20. Aaron Ramsdale is a player to watch.
His underlying metrics on both offense and defense aren’t terrible, and his counterattacks are a bit more efficient at this point than they were last season. Your finish alone, rather than your overall focus, may need attention. Manager Chris Wilder could well give Rhian Brewster, who joined the Blades from Liverpool near the end of the transfer window, his first start for his new team. Both coaches value the young man highly and his ability to score from several different areas could allow Sheffield United to be a little less predictable.
As Wilder has pointed out, injuries have hit him hard, with Jack O’Connell out for the season, while Lys Mousset and John Fleck are out for long stretches as well. The new Max Lowe is questionable following a head injury on his Fulham debut.
Liverpool projected lineup (4-3-3)
Adrian; Alexander-Arnold, Fabinho, Gomez, Robertson; Henderson, Thiago, Wijnaldum; Salah, Firmino, Mané
This will be the first game in 75 Premier League games for Liverpool that will not feature Virgil Van Dijk, and the Reds will be looking to take all three points at home without the Dutchman aiming at the baseline. Joël Matip might be healthy enough to take his place alongside Joe Gomez, but Jürgen Klopp might want to give Fabinho a chance to get into the rhythm by playing in the heart of defense.
Sheffield United could be the go-to team for Klopp’s men at the moment, as a high-intensity game that could well be wide-open is suited to the creativity and bribery one would expect from a Liverpool with a point to prove. While Brewster is a threat, Klopp could enjoy a threat he knows so much about, as the team comes into this test with little time to prepare after their Champions League match midweek.
Aside from Van Dijk, Klopp has confirmed that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Konstantinos Tsimikas are unavailable. Although he noted that Alisson will not be “rushed” back, the coach did not confirm whether the goalkeeper, Naby Keïta, or Thiago will be available for this match or not, so keep an eye on the training footage. If it fits, wait for Alisson and Thiago to show up.
If he starts, this will be Andy Robertson’s 100th Premier League appearance with the Reds. The left-back was one of the star players against Ajax in the middle of the week, and this achievement underscores his importance to the team, as well as the stable nature of this Liverpool team, as Robertson’s milestone would closely follow goal number. 100 by Mohamed Salah with the red jersey.
What the managers had to say
Jurgen Klopp: “It will be a very intense match, it’s Sheffield, that’s how they play! If you want to win the game you have to be intense yourself. And if Rhian [Brewster] is in the field we know we must not let it end at all. Wherever he gets the ball, he’s a natural spiker and that’s his biggest threat. ”
Chris Wilder: “It’s pretty easy for all clubs when they’re doing well to say ‘we have a fantastic group of players and a great team spirit.’ Y [after results like ours in 2020/21] it is tested, and there is no greater test than going to Anfield on Saturday night, regardless of the situation there. Even though they have a couple of injuries to world-class players, I still don’t expect anything less than 100% from them. “
The officers
Referee: Mike dean Assistants: Darren Cann and Mark Scholes Fourth official: Andy madley WHERE: Andre Marriner VAR assistant: Scott ledger
Kick-off is scheduled for 8pm GMT / 3pm EST tomorrow, and television listings for the match can be found on LiveSoccerTV. In the meantime, we’ll keep you updated with all game preparation, including team news as it goes live, our matchday thread live, and post-match recaps from The Liverpool Offside staff. If you’d like to join the discussion, sign up for an SB Nation account and voice your opinion on the action as it happens.
