[ad_1]
Games continue to come at a fast pace for Jurgen Klopp and his Liverpool team.
As soon as the quiet celebrations of the 2-1 victory over Sheffield United on Saturday night ended, thoughts immediately turned to the Champions League.
The Reds’ campaign in Group B continues to roll after a 1-0 win against Ajax in Amsterdam last Wednesday.
This time around, it’s Denmark’s FC Midtjylland standing in their way after starting their own continental campaign with a 4-0 loss to the adventurous Atalanta.
Three points at home for the team expected to be the Spanking Boys is a must for Klopp on Tuesday night.
But who will be the team that will help you achieve that goal?
Liverpool are likely to persist with four defenders from Trent Alexander-Arnold, Fabinho, Joe Gomez and Andy Robertson.
Joel Matip might have a good shot at retirement, but the Reds boss will deliver a more detailed summary of his fitness level when he meets with the media at Anfield on Monday afternoon.
Given current concerns about Matip’s ability to stay in shape over the long term, Klopp may be willing to stick with the central defense association that helped them win two at the top last week.
As always, midfield is where the real shuffling could come into play.
Klopp went for something like a fluid 4-2-3-1 against Chris Wilder’s Blades on Saturday night.
Diogo Jota started with the usual trio of Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah and, although the performance of the first part left a little to be desired, the second one improved a lot.
Given that Firmino kicked off his season with a goal against United at Anfield, Klopp might be wary of eliminating the Brazilian for this one, despite continued assertions from Takumi Minamino.
So Klopp’s big conundrum for this game is whether or not he sticks to the same template for a game where his team will dominate the ball.
An enthusiastic approach against the Danes could be the key to moving up to six points in Group B, but if all four retain their place, what will happen to the two in midfield?
Jordan Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum are pushing to start once again, but Thiago Alcantara could be back in the fold after missing both games last week following Richarlison’s red card in the 2-2 derby draw with Everton.
James Milner is also defending his own claim after a second half cameo against Sheffield United.
If Klopp is back to writing with his three-man engine room, then Thiago’s fitness could be key to whether or not Milner returns to the team.
Perhaps the decrease in the number of midfielders on Saturday was the real factor behind the change of formation on Saturday?
“Let me put it this way, this is an area where we have a lot of options. In midfield we had some positions where we saw how we could change and all these kinds of things,” Klopp said after the game of his forward. options.
“We thought it was better to change the system before the game than during it.”
It would appear that for the first time in two years, Klopp’s thought process on selecting his team will focus on systems rather than individuals.
Three more points will be a big step towards another rift in the round of 16.
[ad_2]
