[ad_1]
And so the attention, perhaps fortunately, turns to the Champions League for Liverpool.
The Reds have long since finished their group stages with a 1-1 draw at Midtjylland on December 9.
Diogo Jota hasn’t played since and the ongoing juggling of an injury-riddled team finally caught up with the Premier League champions towards the end of the month.
Since the draw in Denmark more than two months ago, Liverpool have won just five of the 15 games played as their season unfolded.
Hopes of retaining their crown have fallen by the wayside and Saturday’s loss to Leicester leaves them with a real fight to finish fourth this season.
For now, however, a beleaguered Jurgen Klopp can refocus as he looks ahead to Tuesday night when the Reds play their very first game at Puskas Stadium in Budapest.
The fact that they are playing against the German opposition in Hungary tells you a lot about the current situation in football and the world in general.
Excluded from travel to Germany on the basis of coronavirus restrictions, Liverpool – and their opponents, RB Leipzig – will instead be forced to travel to the Hungarian capital.
They will soon find out where they need to go when the second leg takes place on March 10.
The Reds may not have the luxury of a home game either, as options continue to be explored by UEFA for the second leg.
Gallows humor, however, could suggest it will likely help Liverpool’s cause given they have been winless at Anfield since December 16.
These factors are, however, beyond Klopp’s control.
What he thinks, instead, will be which team he sends to face last season’s semi-finalists on Tuesday night.
The big dilemma, as is the norm these days, is the central defender.
Ozan Kabak made his Liverpool debut at Leicester on Saturday and was perhaps harshly judged partly responsible for the Foxes second goal when Alisson Becker left his line and collided with the Turk.
Klopp explained the confusion due to a lack of understanding of how Liverpool are defending themselves with Alisson as the sweeper-keeper.
After Kabak, had been at the club less than two weeks when was thrown in the big game at King Power.
He is likely to keep his place against an opponent he will know more than any other in the Liverpool squad not named Naby Keita.
Fabinho’s fitness is the key question.
“I don’t know for now, we’ll see,” was Klopp’s brief response to questions about whether the Brazilian would be on his last muscle complaint on Tuesday night.
If the game comes too soon for him, expect Jordan Henderson to be named center-back again alongside Kabak.
The midfielder will be the last puzzle Klopp will have to solve against Julian Nagelsmann’s side.
Both managers remain fully committed to high pressure football and it will be fascinating to see how the tactical battle unfolds on two legs where traditional back and forth characteristics are not in place.
The two Germans have faced each other before, of course, with the Reds edging Nagelsmann’s Hoffenheim over two rounds of a qualifier in 2017, but Leipzig will present a much tougher test.
Expect Gini Wijnaldum to feature in the middle alongside Thiago Alcantara, who was called up earlier than expected at Leicester following an early injury to James Milner.
Milner’s problem is just the latest in what has been a running theme for Liverpool’s season, further depleting engine room options at a crucial time in the campaign.
Get all the latest Liverpool news, squad news, transfer rumors, injury updates and analysis of what’s to come for the Reds.
You’ll also receive the latest transfer discussions and analysis straight to your inbox every day through our FREE email newsletter.
Register here – it only takes seconds!
This potentially leaves room for a third, Curtis Jones winning this race ahead of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as it is.
At the top, there is unlikely to be a rotation.
With Divock Origi crippled and Takumi Minamino at Southampton, only Xherdan Shaqiri remains alongside the usual first three of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane.
[ad_2]
Source link
