After a poor performance in a 3-3 draw with Brighton, Jurgen Klopp is faced with the decision to remove Trent Alexander-Arnold from the spotlight in Liverpool’s Champions League clash with Rangers.
Many expected the Reds’ 2-1 victory over Ajax, their last game before the international break, to be a turning point, but Saturday’s performance suggests it was another false dawn.
Liverpool, at least, have a chance to put things right quickly, with a British Champions League meeting with Rangers just three days later.
With the club’s injury list down to four senior players as things stand, Klopp has options to work with, particularly in attack, but it is his use of Alexander-Arnold that will be in the spotlight.
The Liverpool boss must weigh whether leaving his right-back on the bench will do him more harm than good.
Much also depends on who replaces him. With Calvin Ramsay still out of shape, Joe Gomez and James Milner would be the only viable options.
Here, we look at two ways the Reds could line up against the Rangers.
team news
There were no significant injury updates from Klopp’s pre-match press conference.
The eleven of Liverpool against Rangers
If you ask Alexander-Arnold, there’s no way he wants to be dropped from the squad, and since there’s no similar replacement, there’s a good chance he’ll continue at right back.
However, Klopp has the option to make changes in other areas, especially in attack, with all five senior strikers fit and available.
Roberto Firmino is in fine form, scoring twice against Brighton on Saturday, but he is unlikely to start three games in the space of a week.
If, as expected, the Liverpool boss chooses to rotate, the XI could look like this:
This is how the Reds team would look:
Allison; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Fabinho, Elliott, Thiago; Salah, Diaz, Jota
However, there is a scenario where Klopp feels the need to protect Alexander-Arnold, given the intense criticism he has received in recent weeks.
If he’s on the bench, Gomez may be the best natural replacement, having performed well at right back at times last season.
Nunez is also a strong contender to start with, and Klopp may feel this is the best opportunity to give the Uruguayan a game, with matches against Arsenal and Man City on the horizon.
Bearing that in mind, could this be the Liverpool line-up?
Gómez will replace Alexander-Arnold Elliott with Henderson Núñez in attack along with Salah and Díaz
That would leave the team looking like this:
Allison; Gomez, Matip, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Fabinho, Elliott, Thiago; Salah, Diaz, Nunez
With another 12 games between now and the World Cup mid-season break, Klopp will know to rotate in the coming weeks.
The biggest challenge will be finding the right times to cut and switch certain players, and not exhaust the ones you don’t feel like they can ‘rest’ too often.
The Reds need to find a way to win football games, and let’s hope that starts Tuesday night.
