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The day has finally come. After what seems like forever, Liverpool are playing a soccer game today, and it’s not much bigger than the Merseyside derby.
Both teams enter the clash at Goodison Park eager to get off to a good start after the international break, and from Liverpool’s point of view there are a number of questions that will need answered. To begin with, how do you react after the humiliation at the hands of Aston Villa?
Jürgen Klopp will have to motivate his players even more than usual after what happened at Villa Park. Players will know that that wasn’t good enough and will be eager to prove that it was just a problem rather a real cause for concern.
The journey through Stanley Park offers a series of questions that will be answered when Klopp announces his team at 11.30am on Saturday morning. Are you staying with Joe Gomez as central defender? Who starts in the midfield? Is Thiago Alcântara back with captain Jordan Henderson? And what do we do with Roberto Firmino?
All of these questions need to be addressed. Here, our writers have taken a look at which team they would choose to send to Goodison Park. There will surely be some variations here.
Mark Wakefield
Here we are again. Another Merseyside derby and another chance for Liverpool to position themselves as the best club in town.
Something has to change after the defeat at Villa, be it just the mindset of the players or the actual staff. Changes to the Goodison trip seem likely, but not entirely because of Birmingham. There are some players who deserve a spot in the starting lineup after getting back to top form.
Gómez fought big that day, and with Joël Matip returns to the fight, his height and strength in the air could prove vital to face the threat of Dominic Calvert-Lewin. And you have to start with Thiago, we’ve all been waiting to see him in proper action for what seems like forever and as long as he’s fit enough, Henderson is a must-have in a great game like this.
Up front is where I would like to experiment. It may sound a bit risky given it’s a Merseyside derby, but I certainly think Diogo Jota deserves a start. I still dated Sadio Manje, but in the middle and left Firmino on the bench. You need a break, especially after traveling to the other side of the world with Brazil.
Mark XI: Adrian; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Fabinho, Thiago, Henderson; Salah, Mané, Jota
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Joel rabinowitz
Usually we could narrow this down to who starts in midfield, but right now I think there are legitimate discussions about the front three (specifically who starts in the middle) and the back four (who is Virgil van Dijk’s teammate? ). Assuming everyone who’s returned from international service is actually fit and available (which is not a fact), that raises some intriguing selection dilemmas.
I can see the merits of going with Joël Matip in this one, given Joe Gomez’s somewhat erratic form and the fact that Matip is probably better equipped to combat the Dominic Calvert-Lewin aerial threat, but since he hasn’t kicked a ball yet all season, I don’t see that. throw it away. immediately on an accessory of this nature from the beginning. So I’ll stay with Gomez along with Van Dijk.
Fabinho is also an option there, of course, but I would like to see him anchor the midfield here. He failed to get off the bench for Brazil during the international hiatus, so hopefully he is fresh enough to start (despite the long-distance journey). I will go with Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara ahead of him on both sides, who I think is capable of exerting a really high level of control against Everton’s midfield. There is a good mix of defensive and offensive qualities among that trio.
Naby Keïta has been confirmed as unavailable, while Gini Wijnaldum started all three of the Netherlands matches during the break, so I’d be tempted to give him a break for this with a view to bringing him back against Ajax midweek.
Up ahead, Mohamed Salah is nailed, and Sadio Mané will also be fine after returning from isolation. The question is, does Klopp stick with Roberto Firmino given his recent struggles, or does he try something different? He started in both games for Brazil, so fitness is likely a big factor here. My hunch is that Klopp will give him the go-ahead if all is well, and I think that’s probably the right decision, leaving Diogo Jota and Takumi Minamino as great options from the bench (if need be).
Joel XI: Adrián, Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson, Fabinho, Thiago, Henderson, Salah, Firmino, Mané (4-3-3)
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