Liverpool’s schedule shows no signs of relenting as they travel to West Ham on Sunday for their final game of 2024, but Arne Slot is armed with options to choose from.
The Reds ended their year at Anfield with a win, hitting back to clear the fog with a 3-1 win over Leicester.
It wasn’t Liverpool’s most eye-catching performance from the slot, but the three points added to their tally are all that matters as the Reds aim to maintain or strengthen the gap on their challengers.
West Ham pose a different challenge on Sunday and they will be without several key players for the game. That doesn’t mean Liverpool can underestimate the team in 13th place.
So how did Slott manage to win his side in the capital? Let’s take a look.
team news
Liverpool’s squad remains fit ahead of this clash, but there are still a handful of players missing from the slots.
Liverpool XI vs. west ham
Liverpool’s squad is largely healthy, but looking at how Slot could set up his team against West Ham, there are few positions up for grabs.
Luis Diaz didn’t play a single minute against Leicester in midweek, so it’s unlikely we’ll see him starting on the bench again. This means Darwin Nunes will be left out of the XI.
Szoboszlai started after coming off the bench against the Foxes, but now Curtis Jones has taken Slot’s advice and been given another chance to “excel against West Ham”.
With a week left between this game and the next, a decision will be made on whether Andy Robertson will get the nod for the third time in a week or whether Kostas Tsimikas will go in.
It will ultimately be decided whether Scotland need a break after playing 176 minutes in their last two games.
- No change in defense for 3 consecutive games
- Jones maintained his midfield position without Szoboszlai.
- Diaz returns to the forward line in place of Nunez
Here’s how Liverpool line up:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenwerch, Jones, Mac Allister; Salah, Gakpo, Diaz
If Slot were to look at the brief switch between Leicester and West Ham instead of the week between Manchester United’s visit, his selection choices may be different.
Tsimikas will certainly be considered after playing 49 minutes on his return from injury and providing an injection of fresh legs at left-back with Robertson showing he can no longer maintain his consistently high standards.
Slott explained before the game that the departure could come too early as Liverpool are ‘still managing’ Jota’s fitness. However, Nunez may be selected ahead of Gakpo because he has less playing time late.
The XI mentioned above is the most likely situation, but at least Slot has options for every situation, including Jota, Federico Chiesa, Harvey Elliott, Wataru Endo and Jarell Quansah.
The two teaks included in the lineup are:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Gravenwerch, Jones, Mac Allister; Salah, Diaz, Nunez
Although Robertson performed well on Boxing Day, asking for a third back-up in a week when Tsimikas is fit may be asking too much of the 30-year-old.
But Slot has shown he is satisfied with the results of playing the Scot for the full 90 minutes across six successive games recently. So we can’t calculate it.
Either way, the Reds should have a strong enough XI and options on the bench to get the result they want on Sunday and finish 2024 on a high.
