LFC Boston’s Liverpool fan Nick Sapia gives us his take on the latest Reds talking points ahead of Newcastle United, including Darwin Nuñez and Luis Díaz. Liverpool are in for a huge game with Newcastle United in the race to finish in the top four of the Premier League this season, with the Reds hoping to build on a much improved performance in Monday’s Merseyside derby.
We asked Liverpool fan Nick Sapia of LFC Boston a few questions about the Reds ahead of kick-off, including around midfield and how Jürgen Klopp should line up the team.
I don’t want to get carried away, but I’m very optimistic going into this match. Firstly because the Reds have some momentum after a good performance in the derby, combined with some key players returning from injury. Secondly, I have my doubts about how good Newcastle actually are.
To their credit, they managed to get results and were tough to beat, but they drew five of their last seven games and were beaten at home by Bournemouth last weekend. Add in the fact that Newcastle will be missing Bruno Guimarães, who is dealing with his own injury woes and has a cup final to worry about next weekend, and this is a game Liverpool can win. A draw wouldn’t be the end of the world, but I feel the three points are within reach.
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Liverpool are set for a big game with Newcastle United in the race to finish in the top four of the Premier League this season, with the Reds hoping to build on a much better display in Monday’s Merseyside derby.
We asked Liverpool fan Nick Sapia of LFC Boston a few questions about the Reds before kick-off, including midfield and how Jürgen Klopp should line up the team. There’s a big week ahead, starting with Newcastle. What do you expect?
I don’t want to get carried away, but I’m very optimistic in view of this match. Primarily because the Reds have some momentum after a good performance in the derby, combined with some important players returning from injury. Secondly, I have my doubts about how good Newcastle really are. To their credit, they managed to get results and were hard to beat, but drew five of the last seven and were topped at home by Bournemouth last weekend. Add that Newcastle will be without Bruno Guimarães, dealing with their own injury problems and worrying about a cup final next weekend and it’s a game Liverpool can win. A draw wouldn’t be the end of the world but I think the three points are up for grabs.
Luis Díaz is back from injury. If Liverpool can get into a decent position and then bring him back, that would be ideal… There is no doubt that his comeback will be absolutely massive. His tireless energy will be a major physical and emotional boost to what we hope will be a strong end to the season.
I can’t wait to see how it will be used when it returns. He was undoubtedly Liverpool’s best player before his injury, but at the same time Darwin Nuñez found his place when he replaced Díaz on the left wing. I didn’t feel like Nuñez and Díaz were compatible earlier in the season as they seemed to want to occupy the same spaces. However, if you can arrive on the same side, the pace and the danger that you can create together are exciting.
It was a performance by Henderson that shows you why he’s skipper. While individual performance was a step in the right direction, the entire midfielder was the most promising and something that can be more than unique.
As others have pointed out, Liverpool prevailed in recent seasons and a half tactical development under Klopp and has gone from the classic 4-3-3 to the one who leads more players in attack positions ( That is to say on the right side of the midfielder). Especially in the context of Fabinho, one of the main problems of this season was that he had to cover more space in the middle of the field due to this tactical change, which coincided with a certain physical drop. Looking back at his career stats, I’m shocked at how much football he’s played at Monaco (he’s played more than 3000 minutes in four consecutive seasons).
Stefan Bajčetić’s presence in midfield helps as he can be anywhere from a six to an eight to provide a more solid defensive presence alongside Fabinho, giving Henderson more freedom to press and do all the things he did well against Everton . I want to see this midfield as much as possible because of its effectiveness as a unit.
It was exciting to look at the bench against Everton and see a lot of options. The best line-up for Newcastle and/or Real Madrid is Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, Gomez, Robertson, Fabinho, Bajčetić, Henderson, Salah, Gakpo, Nuñez. Having Jota as a target threat off the bench is a big plus.
It’s great to have Jota and Firmino back and it will be necessary to find ways to keep them up in the coming weeks. However, I don’t think Liverpool are able to start games with four forwards simply because I’m not sure they have been able to train him enough, and it’s still a work in progress.