…to, perhaps, half-hide behind. This one could get messy.
Anfield
For this game, there was absolutely no
injury updates available from our manager in his pre-match press conference on
Friday. He simply said that he - and then we on Sunday - would find out
later, following training after he met the press guys and girls.
Therefore, this is absolutely 100% guesswork in terms of who is fit ‘n’ available, so every player you see either in the starting 11 or on the bench in this predicted matchday squad comes with the caveat, “If fit”.
Predicted line-up, subs and outcome:
(Number correct from the starting line-up in the last game: 9/11).
A very fluid 4-1-4-1 / 4-5-1 / 4-2-3-1:
____________________Haaland____________________
Grealish_________________________________Savinho
______________________________Silva_____________
___________Nunes______________________________
____________________Stones_____________________
Gvardiol__________________________________Walker
_____________Ake______________Dias_____________
____________________Ederson____________________
Subs: Carson, Ortega, Lewis, Akanji, McAtee, Ilkay, Foden, De Bruyne and Doku.
Ederson continues in net.
I’m going for a back-4 of Josko, Nathan, Ruben and Kyle.
John to be given a shot as the deepest-lying midfielder, with Matheus and Bernardo ahead of the England international in the middle.
Jack on the left and Savinho on the right is my guess on the flanks; two highly contrasting style wingers.
Erling up front.
Scott and Stefan are two stoppers on the side should they be needed; Rico and Manuel provide defensive cover. James, Ilkay, Phil and Kevin make up four midfielders in ‘the 9’, while Jeremy is a change of wing option from the bench.
Notable absences:
- Rodri – Out with an Anterior Cruciate Ligament injury and will be missing for the remainder of the season following surgery.
- Mateo Kovacic – Out for around 3 weeks with an undisclosed injury that he picked up on international duty.
- Oscar Bobb – Out injured with a fractured leg that he received in training last August. A likely return is deemed to be January / February.
Do I agree with Pep’s (predicted) line-up?
Keeping the ball as much as possible is key this afternoon, I would say – the less they have it the less damage they can do to our fragile side and, so, Jack could be a vital component today.
On the other side of the pitch, if Pep can fine tune Savinho’s final movements in attack then we have a potent weapon to give the home side something else to think about other than Erling. We need to start hurting teams more again; giving them much more to be worried about other than the high possession that we still often have but do little with a lot of the time in recent weeks.
There are some potential game changers on our bench and we need the players that I’ve put on the bench for this fixture to start firing their engines soon too.
Result?
Let’s be honest, our hosts are in top form at the moment and are flyin’ both in the league as well as Europe. They’re also through to the quarter final of the League Cup.
I have to be honest and say that I haven’t really watched them this season so far, for whatever the reason(s); even highlights of their games I’m struggling to recall watching with much focus. However, I have listened to lots of radio chatter and a theme I recall is that, under Arne Slot, the players are allowed a bit more-free-rein [than were allowed under Klopp] and the extra fluidity that has created is working for them…and working very well indeed, I have to add.
On the other hand and despite going into this fixture a whopping 8 points clear of us and 6 points clear of Arsenal in 2nd, I have also heard from a couple of people that Liverpool have not necessarily deserved some of their victories this season (possibly suggesting good fortune?), so it’s mixed messages that I’m getting from my limit exposure to them and their fortunes.
Us? Let’s have it right, we are pretty dire at the moment.
Woefully lacking confidence, especially our defenders, and are just generally looking vulnerable in most areas of the pitch. There’s little or no physical strength in midfield and, something that was mentioned in midweek, a severe lack of proper leadership on the pitch to ‘rally the troops’ when needed; despite having SIX named Captains / back-up Captains.
We need a Vinny; we need a Zabba and we need a Fernandinho.
Huh…someone suggested on the radio the other day that we need a Mahrez too and I nearly wet myself! Yeah, ‘cause he was really consistent throughout a season and was a beacon of strength for the team…
I’m sorry Blues but it would take every single one of our players to play out of their very skins this afternoon (4:00pm KO GMT) just to get a draw; such is the state our side at the moment against a side with their collective heads up and chests out.
I’d grab that possible draw-outcome with both hands in a second, of course…but I’d also even settle for a narrow, 1-0 defeat (😲); ANYTHING to avoid coming out of that place on the wrong end of a drubbing, which would also further-dent our rapidly-fading goal difference.
I’m going for a City defeat but hope-like-hell that I’m wrong, of course. 🤞
Last season’s, corresponding pre-match prediction and result:
Prediction: Win
Result: Draw
(Pre-match blog posting from that game).
Expected weather conditions during the game: After a cold and largely dry week, milder air returns for the weekend - and match - but brings some dampness too. 11 to 12C, rather than 1 or 2C, is the late-afternoon temperature and there will be a little forecasted drizzle in the air to give the pitch surface a perfect-playing sheen. A bit of a southerly breeze accompanies all of that. 🌦
Solidarity
