Liverpool will play Newcastle United in their next Premier League game with Jurgen Klopp facing some selection posers
The Reds started their Premier League home campaign by coming from behind to beat Bournemouth on Saturday.
Quickfire goals from Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah wiped out an early strike from Antoine Semenyo as Diogo Jota later netted after the Reds were reduced to 10 men following Alexis Mac Allister’s red card.
Liverpool will now look to land an early blow on one of their rivals for a top-four place when they travel to Newcastle United next Sunday.
And here we look ahead to the changes Jurgen Klopp could make when his team are next in action.
Van Dijk example
It was very much a tale of two halves for the Liverpool defence against Bournemouth on Saturday, with a wayward showing before the break followed by a much stronger effort in the second stanza.
Virgil van Dijk led by example as captain and was aided by Ibrahima Konate, with the pair the clear first-choice centre-backs ahead of Joe Gomez and Joel Matip.
Gomez, though, came on at right-back at the weekend, and, with Conor Bradley still out, will be on standby should Trent Alexander-Arnold not recover from the knock that forced him off. Andy Robertson improved against Bournemouth and remains ahead of Kostas Tsimikas at left-back, while Alisson Becker again underlined why he is number one between the sticks with Caoimhin Kelleher and Adrian behind him.
Mac Allister headache eased
Just when Klopp was gaining extra midfield options, so he has lost a major one in Mac Allister, an appeal against his dismissal notwithstanding.
Mac Allister had again featured as number six, although with Stefan Bajcetic having returned to the bench after almost five months out and new signing Wataru Endo playing the final half-hour, Liverpool at least now have some choice in the position.
Klopp, though, will hope the ankle problem that forced Curtis Jones to miss out on Saturday isn’t serious, given Thiago Alcantara still wasn’t quite ready for involvement in the matchday squad.
Home debutant Dominik Szoboszlai was excellent and has already nailed down a starting role, with Harvey Elliott again impressing with a late cameo. Cody Gakpo, however, once more found it difficult pressed into a makeshift midfield role. Youngster James McConnell is another alternative.
Gakpo poser
Liverpool now have the ability to mix and match their forward options, although that Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah all scored against Bournemouth and put in a huge second-half effort suggests they may take some shifting.
But Gakpo led the line impressively for much of the second half of last season and scored at Newcastle back in February. And with Darwin Nunez – who has now started only two of Liverpool’s last 12 games – having also netted at St James’ Park, Klopp could decide to name at least one of the duo in the front three, whether down the centre or on the left depending on the fitness of Diaz. who tired in the second half on Saturday.
Teenager Ben Doak was again on the bench at the weekend and offers backup to Salah on the right.
