Liverpool’s claim to the Premier League title is fading fast but the Reds still need to recover from midweek disappointment when they face West Ham United on Saturday.
Jurgen Klopp’s side suffered an embarrassing 2-0 defeat to Everton in the Merseyside derby on Wednesday night, a result that more or less makes his final season at Anfield an incredibly disappointing end – after fans were shocked by a 2019 season in February quadrupling had spoken.
With just four games remaining and Arsenal and Manchester City having the advantage in the title race, Liverpool may have very little left to gain. But they need to regain at least some pride when they visit east London in Saturday’s lunchtime game. With Klopp favourite To play out the early kick-off, the Reds will need to be far better than they were on Merseyside in midweek.
Liverpool can’t blame their recent problems on injuries, even if they are once again without Diogo Jota, but Klopp could ring in the changes at the London Stadium this weekend.
This is how Liverpool could play against West Ham.
TW: Alisson – The Brazilian has been one of the few whose performances have not been affected by Liverpool’s recent slump and defensive problems mean he may be kept busy in this one.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold – After a great performance against Fulham, the right-back was limited against Everton. However, he still offers Liverpool something unique when it comes to creativity.
CB: Jarell Quansah – Ibrahima Konate was a surprise at Goodison Park and is likely to be replaced by young Quansah at West Ham. The 21-year-old was one of Liverpool’s better players on the bench during the week and also put in a solid performance at Craven Cottage last weekend.
CB: Virgil van Dijk – The captain had a poor day against Everton but remains an irreplaceable member of Liverpool’s back line. He has to get back to his best quickly.
LB: Andy Robertson – The Scot has shown some heart in recent weeks that cannot be said of some of his team-mates and his attacking prowess will be needed on the left.
CM: Harvey Elliott – While he has been better off the bench this season, Elliott showed his quality from the start against Fulham. With players like Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai completely out of form, he should feature against the Irons.
CM: Wataru Endo – The Japan international only came off the bench in midweek and his defensive qualities will be needed against a West Ham side with some excellent attackers.
CM: Ryan Gravenberch – The Dutchman scored his first Premier League goal last weekend and could get the chance to build on that performance on Saturday.
RW: Mohamed Salah – Although things have gone badly in recent games, Salah may just have to be played until he gets back into form. With Jota injured, Klopp doesn’t have many options to replace the Egyptian anyway.
ST: Cody Gakpo – The Dutchman has been a rare bright spot among Liverpool’s attacking players in recent weeks and there is simply no way to bench him for the failed Darwin Nunez.
LW: Luis Diaz – The former Porto player was one of the few Liverpool players to gain any success from the Merseyside derby. He needs to start at the London Stadium and play with similar energy.