Jurgen Klopp faces Naby Keita’s dilemma as Liverpool reflect on strikeforce reform



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Liverpool started the season disappointed by losing the Community Shield to Arsenal at Wembley on Saturday.

The Reds rallied to draw 1-1 after 90 minutes, but were ultimately beaten 5-4 on penalties in the decider.

The new champions begin their defense of the Premier League crown when they entertain the promoted Leeds United on Saturday of the week.

Jurgen Klopp will now consider his options while keeping his fingers crossed for those now heading into the injury-free international return.

And here we look forward to the changes the Reds boss could make when his side is next in action.

Michael Edwards and Jurgen Klopp.jpg

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Williams on hold

Defensively, there is only one real draft pick for Klopp, who to play as a right back.

Trent Alexander-Arnold has not appeared in preseason, but will meet England on Monday for their Nations League matches against Iceland and Denmark.

Instead, Neco Williams had a difficult time against Arsenal, but will be ready to play again if Alexander-Arnold is not quite there. Another option is James Milner.

Andy Robertson has responded to the arrival of Kostas Tsimikas with a handful of good performances and was Liverpool’s best player at Wembley.

With Joel Matip only expected to return to training this week, Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez will almost certainly remain at the heart of the defense.

Keita calling

The midfield found itself with something of a fault against Arsenal during the first hour.

That changed when Naby Keita was introduced, as the Guinean had been highly inclined to start after good form since returning to action after the lockdown in June.

Gini Wijnaldum was below average against the Gunners, although Fabinho improved his performance against Red Bull Salzburg, while Milner was solid as a substitute skipper.

Klopp hopes Jordan Henderson can be available, but Liverpool is unlikely to take any chances given such a hectic start to the season.

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Change of attack approach?

The above assumes Liverpool stick to their tried and trusted 4-3-3 formation.

However, the Reds were much more dangerous when they traded to 4-2-3-1 during the last half hour against Arsenal.

The key to that was the introduction of Takumi Minamino from the left, which allowed Roberto Firmino to fall behind center forward Mohamed Salah as Sadio Mane switched to the right.

With Divock Origi absent, Xherdan Shaqiri recovering from injury and Rhian Brewster prepared to work on the bench, Minamino is emerging as the first genuine alternative to the regular three forwards.



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