Jurgen Klopp made four decisions at Liverpool for Arsenal after confusing double delay
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp tried to turn things around against Chelsea but two calls didn’t make much sense. There are four decisions to be made against Arsenal.
When Liverpool tried and failed to score against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge – the truth being that the home team often made the breakthrough more likely – there was an obvious question that Jurgen Klopp might have to answer.
Who would score if Liverpool had a chance to find the back of the net? Roberto Firmino sported a purple patch earlier this season but that was a while ago and Diogo Jota hasn’t looked confident for months despite being fit. There is an argument for Darwin Núñez but Klopp has effectively clarified his thoughts on it by dropping it.
Salah never misses a game and got away with it with 20 minutes to play against Manchester City on Saturday. Andy Robertson was dropped off at the same time, with most assuming the reason was rotation before heading to Stamford Bridge.
Instead, Liverpool’s top scorer and outfield player remained on the bench for a long time and Mohamed Salah was only introduced after 65 minutes.
But both sat in London on the bench. And when it was clear Liverpool were unlikely to score and Kostas Tsimikas was having a good time at left-back, Salah and Robertson were still not introduced until the match schedule was set and the two teams risked losing by going all out. winner.
Neither Jota nor Firmino appeared to score – the sooner Jota finds a way to end his losing streak and give himself a big boost the better, and he can only do that by playing – while Núñez should have dribbled a few and then scored himself if the magic should come from him.
The attack on Liverpool didn’t click and the full-backs looked like a shadow of what was needed, the decision to swap three of the back four certainly didn’t pay off, even though Virgil van’s illness Dijk couldn’t be helped.
Trent Alexander-Arnold had a tough season but Joe Gomez never seemed able to create anything and there was no straight relationship between him and Jota. It’s nice when the rest of the team plays well and can compensate, but that’s just not the case at the moment. The delay in introducing Robertson and Salah was understandably staggering as Liverpool needed their regulars in those positions long before they were added to the mix.
Coupled with the swap of Cody Gakpo for Firmino and the restoration of Alexander-Arnold in defence, there is no doubt that Liverpool should have made these four decisions long before Arsenal.
Curtis Jones has done enough in midfield to perhaps suggest he could keep his place – both for lack of other options and for everything else – although Thiago Alcântara could return to training this week.
Liverpool didn’t put in an acceptable performance in the loss to Manchester City, but of the six changes Klopp made at Chelsea, few, if any, really paid off. For starters, Robertson, Alexander-Arnold, Gakpo and Salah all need to return at least on Sunday. Coupled with Firmino’s replacement of Cody Gakpo and the return of Alexander-Arnold in defence, there’s no question Liverpool should already have those four decisions ahead of Arsenal.
Curtis Jones has done enough in midfield to suggest he could keep his job – whether for lack of other options or for anything else – although Thiago Alcântara could train again this week.
Liverpool did not perform acceptably in their defeat to Manchester City, but of the six changes Klopp made at Chelsea, few, if any, yielded any real results. For starters, Robertson, Alexander-Arnold, Gakpo and Salah must return at least on Sunday.