Liverpool were humiliated by Napoli on Wednesday night in the Champions League, and Jurgen Klopp will need an instant, strong response this weekend or his team’s season will be finished before it has ever began.
On Saturday evening, the Reds host Wolves at Anfield, and the manager may pitch a revamped lineup to inspire a turnaround.
Even though Napoli won 4-1 at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium last night, the result may not accurately reflect how dominant the Serie A team was.
Klopp stated to BT Sport after the match: “We were not compact defensively or offensively. With Alisson in goal, you have to be really bad to concede three goals [in the first half]. You could see it on the pitch. We were not working as a team. That is why we lose games.”
On Wednesday, the blame might have been placed on a number of Liverpool players, and Klopp will need to cut a number of them in order to elicit a response from his squad.
Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold might be among the first to be benched by Jurgen Klopp, with the latter appearing particularly out of sorts defensively of late.
Although equally awful against Napoli, Joe Gomez might be switched to the right-back position to give Alexander-Arnold a chance to reset, with Joel Matip replacing the disappointing Virgil van Dijk at central defender.
On the left, Robertson is replaced by Kostak Tsimikas, who started last week’s Merseyside derby.
James Milner is likely to be replaced due to his recent struggles despite wearing the captain’s armband until Jordan Henderson recovers from injury.
Milner was substituted for Thiago Alcantara against Napoli, and it seems likely that the Spaniard will start ahead of the ex-Manchester City midfielder; nevertheless, Fabio Carvalho has impressed and might be considered for another start.
Klopp may believe that it is time for a change in the final third, and with Darwin Nunez now available, he has the potential to drop those who have yet to produce.
Mohamed Salah is clearly a potential in this sense, given that he has failed to influence the majority of games so far this season and has resembled a shell of the player who tore apart the Premier League last year.
Diogo Jota also appears to be nearing match fitness after brief appearances against Napoli and Everton, and he could be a better choice than Roberto Firmino, allowing Nunez to play in the centre.
It remains to be seen whether Klopp views Saturday as the appropriate time to enforce such drastic changes once again.
Liverpool potential XI vs Wolves: Alisson; Gomez, Matip, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Fabinho, Elliott, Thiago; Jota, Nunez, Diaz
