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reiogo Jota was the man of the match when the Wolves played at Anfield last December, even if he missed a couple of opportunities that could have allowed his team to claim something of the game. As it was, they lost 1-0, had a goal disallowed through VAR intervention and probably left Merseyside without realizing that Jürgen Klopp had become a fan of one of their best players.
Jota will line up with the home team when the teams meet again on Sunday, or at least he will if Liverpool stay in the same starting lineup that they used against Ajax midweek. That would mean leaving the enormously talented Roberto Firmino on the bench once more, which many think is a sensible compromise given that Jota is already in double digits for goals this season. Others, including Klopp, would regret the omission of a player who frequently brings out the best in his teammates.
With Raúl Jiménez long-injured and Jota out, the Wolves lack scorers and will fight to justify the confidence of anyone who supported them earlier in the season to end Liverpool’s long unbeaten streak at Anfield.
Meanwhile, Klopp happily admits to creating an area of uncertainty by adding an extra player to his already impressive three forwards. “At the moment, the attack line is the only one of our lines where we have more players than we can use at the same time,” he said.
“In all other parts of the team it is more a question of choosing the players who can still walk, but we have no injuries at the front and so every week I have a difficult decision.”
As everyone should know by now, Liverpool’s injuries have been piling up this season and Klopp can’t understand why the five-substitute caution that was taken to help deal with last season’s hectic schedule during the pandemic now has been abandoned, despite the majority of Premier League coaches. believing that it should be returned. The Liverpool manager says the situation is set to get worse in the traditionally intense period between now and the new year, with all clubs playing every three to four days, and not just those participating in European competition.
“I am concerned, like all coaches, for the well-being of the players,” he said. “I’m not just talking about fatigue and physical injuries, but the toll this situation is taking on mental health. My players are under immense pressure both at home and on the field. I know people will say that they are well paid, but they are still human beings in a difficult position. “
Hopefully, the presence of some 2,000 spectators on Sunday will be a sign that normalcy is beginning to recover, a bit like Trent Alexander-Arnold in training ground, although no one imagines that the packed stadiums will return in a hurry. .
As a football lover as well as Liverpool manager, Klopp misses the old atmosphere more than most. “I love a packed stadium, the noise, the energy, everything,” he explained. “For me there is no other sporting event like a soccer match, nothing else can be compared.
“When you know the kind of atmosphere a big crowd can create at Anfield, you also know that 2000 people are not going to be the same; that’s not the type of audience that will be able to push us through a difficult game, for example, we will have to do it ourselves. But it will be good to have people back and if this is the beginning of the end for empty stadiums, it is certainly very welcome. “
The empty stadiums are part of Liverpool’s victory last season that Klopp will recall without feeling. “Everything is more difficult without the fans on the field,” he said. “We coped very well with the change last season, but as footballers it is our job to cope. Our task is to offer results and benefits in any circumstance.
“Sometimes you can meet a hostile crowd at an away game and you have to ignore it and focus on playing your football. An empty lot is not exactly the same, but it is another challenge that must be overcome. You have to create your own atmosphere, your own intensity.
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“Last season the boys did it, this season it’s still too early to tell. I don’t think this is a season for setting goals or breaking records. All the teams are just trying to get over it and play the best football they can, but by Christmas it will be clear that a great team will be a big factor.
“Partly for that reason, Chelsea are looking good right now, they can incredibly switch teams from game to game, but we can all worry about that later. This weekend we only have to worry about the Wolves. “
