It’s morning everyone.
Today is Liverpool in the Premier League. There was some pre-match encouragement as Bukayo Saka and Jurien Timber arrived at the team hotel last night and took pictures with the squad. Of course, there’s no telling if they’ll be healthy enough to start, but if they’re there, that’s a good thing.
Let’s start from the back. If the Timbers are able to play from the beginning, the decision comes down to exactly where they will play. I think he and Ben White could be swapped at centre-back and right-back, but less physicality is usually asked of the man in the middle, so he would probably start for the Netherlands from there.
If he can’t start, the headache will actually start. Thomas Partey can play as a right-back with Ben White in the centre. There is a possibility that Jakub Kiwior could be used on the right-hand side of the central defensive duo. It’s a position he’s played in on our team more than once before. And another potential option would be to move Declan Rice to a back four and use the numbers we have in midfield.
The left-back’s decisions/problems could also play a part. Riccardo Calafiori did not appear to be in attendance, which is not surprising. If Timber doesn’t fit and they have Partey at right-back, I think we’ll see a back four of Partey – White – Gabriel – Kiwi. If the Kiwi is chosen alongside Gabriel, Mikel Arteta will have to choose between Oleksandr Zinchenko and Myles Lewis-Skelly. The former was overlooked for a 20-minute cameo in Tuesday night’s win over his colleagues, and in that respect it seems like a big risk to start him for the first time since August when he will face Mo Salah on Liverpool’s right-hand side.
Let’s not forget that Trent Alexander-Arnold could also play for Liverpool, and there’s plenty to ask of the 18-year-old. But perhaps what he lacks in experience in MLS he can make up for in terms of physical preparation for the game. This intensity. My gut tells me that whatever back four the manager chooses, there’s a good chance a Kiwior will be selected there.
There is plenty of experience in the midfield in the form of Declan Rice, Mikel Merino and Jorginho should Partey need them in defence, and furthermore it is fully expected that Saka will start this player in the future. I’ve been feeling sneaky about his involvement all week and his return will definitely be a huge boost. I think Gabriel Martinelli is the obvious choice on the left, and we’re expecting him to do some damage in the final third, but I think his defensive diligence will be important today.
Up front, I would like to see Kai Havertz as the most advanced player today. I think he can give Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate more problems than Leandro Trossard, who came into this game on the back of a few indifferent performances. Whether that leaves space for something else in midfield, we’ll wait and see. But I strongly suspect this will be a team selection structured to give as little as possible. Experience it from the beginning.
As mentioned yesterday, Arteta’s pre-match message was to not feel sorry for ourselves due to injuries and to look at the situation in a really positive way for both players and fans.
Keep trying, show it, and show how much you want it. An amazing opportunity for others, an amazing opportunity to rebel against certain situations as a team, we need more of a crowd. We need them even more on Sunday. I’m sure they will.
It’s a great game today. This is where we can place the marker after a not entirely convincing start to the season. I think we all understand why: injuries, suspensions, playing with 10 men too often and the knock-on effects of that. But today is an opportunity to show that we can deal with these things and still deliver the right results. It’s harder, some of the absences aren’t ideal, but that’s football for you. You don’t get points for how difficult the conditions are, you only get points for what you do on the pitch, so hopefully we can see some positive performances and results this afternoon.
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Welcome, commies!
