After a sluggish 0-0 draw against Arsenal in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semifinal, Liverpool aim to regroup against Brentford FC Sunday. The Reds are 1-0-2 in 2022 so far, and hope to avoid the January swoon that hurt them last season.
Liverpool used a strong line-up against Arsenal on Thursday night, and may come out similarly against Brentford. (For the Liverpool team news go here)
Goalkeeper
Alisson returned to action Thursday after a bout with Covid and had a shut out against Arsenal. There wasn’t much to do for the Brazilian goalkeeper, especially after a Granit Xhaka red card early, but he had a key save in the second half to keep things level.
It was his first shutout since Dec. 11, so it was good sign for Liverpool fans as they move ahead this month.
Defense
There isn’t likely to be much change in the Liverpool defense Sunday. The Reds lined up a strong back four with Andy Robertson, Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
It is possible to see a small change with Ibrahima Konate coming in for Matip, but the other three are likely penciled in as starters.
Midfield
Liverpool lacked midfield creativity for most of the game Thursday, and failed to get much going forward. Fabinho and Jordan Henderson are likely to keep their places, because they are two important pieces in the Liverpool set-up.
James Milner started Thursday, and has been a trusty-worthy player during his time at Liverpool, but has clearly lost a step.
Liverpool are short-handed in the midfield due to injury, but they need to start Curtis Jones or Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Both provide more of a threat moving forward.
Attack
The first game without Mo Salah and Sadio Mane didn’t go well for the Liverpool attack. The Reds took 17 shots, but only one found the target against Arsenal.
With Divock Origi still out, Liverpool basically have three healthy attackers in Diogo Jota, Roberto Firmino and Takumi Minamino.
So unless Klopp gets creative and changes the formations around, those players will have to step up over the next month, otherwise, the Reds aren’t going anywhere in 2022.
Predicted Liverpool Line-up (4-3-3): Alisson, Andy Robertson, Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Curtis Jones, Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, Takumi Minamino, Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota.