Liverpool Team Performance: Debate on Rotation Needed
Liverpool fans were in positive spirits after the Reds dispatched of Brentford, but it is hard not to feel discouraged at constant injury problems. Jurgen Klopp‘s men headed to west London for a potential banana-skin encounter, but it soon became clear that they had far too much quality for their opponents.
That was nice! How worried were you before the game & how impressed were you with the performance?
I feared the game all week, in truth. We don’t tend to be at our best in 12.30pm games and it felt like an awkward one. I was worried for the first 10 minutes or so but, after that, Liverpool were fantastic in all facets of their game, hardly giving Brentford a sniff and being ruthless at the other end. It was a real statement victory – Man City and Arsenal fans will have been eyeing dropped points – especially with so much going against the Reds in terms of injuries. This has to be considered a massive hurdle cleared.
As a 12.30pm kick-off with several injuries, this definitely felt like a game in which Liverpool could slip up. As Henry said, it even looked that way at times in the opening stages, but Liverpool managed to sure things up defensively and grow into the match. This was definitely an example of quality winning the day.
Were there any particular standout performers for you?
It was a day when Liverpool were solid across the board. For me, there were no massive standouts but several players were effective in their work. The full-backs, Wataru Endo, Virgil van Dijk all did well, as did Diogo Jota before he went off. After giving the ball away perhaps too often in the first half, after the break Alexis Mac Allister got more offensive and linked up well with Mo Salah for the goal. As I write this, I realise I’ve gone through nearly the full team and missed out the goalkeeper, too – that can’t be a bad thing! I agree with Sam that there wasn’t an obvious standout, but so many good performances. Van Dijk was immaculate, Conor Bradley looks the part more and more, and Endo is also worthy of a mention, doing such an understated job in front of the defence. Jota and Curtis Jones were good before their cruel injury blows, and it was hard to take issue with the performance of anyone. Luis Diaz was worthy of praise, too, proving to be a great outlet on the left wing all afternoon, even if other attackers were noticed more.
A moment to appreciate Salah…
You just run out of superlatives for the man! Liverpool have so many brilliant attacking options, but Salah is still just on another level to any of them, and he showed it in his first game back. His touch was perfect, barring that one one-on-one effort he messed up, and his pass for Mac Allister’s goal was made to look so simple. Then there was the strength and poise for his goal – how many times have we seen him outmuscle bigger opponents like that? This is possibly one of the best three players in Liverpool’s history we are watching, so enjoy him while he’s still here. He was so good! One of his first touches was to pluck the ball out of the sky; it seemed like he had never been away. Once again, he showed he is one of Liverpool’s best creators and, of course, he scored a goal – it’s what Salah does. If he is in top form, it should soften the blow from Jota’s injury.
Finally, how would you switch things up for Luton ahead of the League Cup final?
I would rotate, albeit not hugely, with fresh legs needed for Wembley. I would bring Jarell Quansah in for Konate, just to manage the latter’s minutes given his injury-prone nature, and I would start Joe Gomez over Andy Robertson. Keeping Endo and Mac Allister probably makes sense without both Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai, and I think Ryan Gravenberch did enough to come in. Salah should start, without question, and I would be tempted by bringing in Cody Gakpo for Diaz out on the left, just to keep things fresh. To be honest, I would keep things similar, so am slightly different to Henry, though I would play Quansah and/or Gomez vs. Luton. Endo is clearly important to the team, and there aren’t really any other options barring Harvey Elliott or a youngster, like James McConnell. I think we should try to get through next week with this team then take stock and rest players in the FA Cup, hopefully with a couple of players back then, like Szoboszlai.