Liverpool get their 2021/22 Premier League season underway at Norwich City on Saturday and Jurgen Klopp is again facing a selection headache, though for very different reasons than the injury woes that derailed the Reds’ title defence last season.
The German’s squad boasts top players back in form after disappointing campaigns last time out, star players back from injury ,a couple of players impressing in pre-season following loan spells away and a £36m summer signing to boot.
With only Andy Robertson and Curtis Jones currently confirmed absentees for the weekend’s trip to Carrow Road, it ensures Liverpool ’s competition for places is stronger than ever heading into the new season.
As such, Klopp has a number of tough decisions to make before sending his side out into action on Saturday evening, so, with that in mind, Theo Squires takes a look at some of the dilemmas the Reds boss still needs to solve.
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Robertson’s replacement
Let’s start with an easy one. Who replaces Andy Robertson?
The Scot suffered an ankle injury in Liverpool’s penultimate pre-season friendly against Athletic Bilbao, and while the prognosis could have been worse, he is still unlikely to return before the September international break.
An ever-present in the Premier League last year, and having only missed four league matches in the past three seasons, the left-back’s absence is a big blow for the Reds.
In the past, James Milner would have been turned to in reserve, having temporarily reinvented himself as a full-back to great success in the 2016/17 season and proven himself to be a more than capable deputy in the years that have followed.
However, Robertson’s injury should open the door to Kostas Tsimikas as he looks to kickstart his Liverpool career following an underwhelming first season with the club.
The Greek was limited to just two Premier League outings, and just three starts in all competitions, but has enjoyed a solid pre-season and is expected to be handed his full league debut against Norwich.
Go, Go, Go-mez for Joe and Virgil?
Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that both Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez would be ready to start for Liverpool against Norwich, having come through pre-season unscathed after season-ending knee injuries last Autumn.
Making their comebacks as substitutes against Hertha Berlin last month, each started one of the Reds’ hour-long friendlies against Bologna, playing just shy of 45 minutes, before then starting one of each of Liverpool’s final two friendlies against Athletic Bilbao and Osasuna with the Dutchman completing just over 70 minutes and the England international featuring for an hour.
Yet while the duo would be fit to start, the Reds are in no need to rush them with new signing Ibrahima Konate settling in well, Joel Matip back also from injury, Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams impressing as emergency deputies last season and Ben Davies also still on the books.
When fully fit, Van Dijk is the undisputed first-choice centre-back. Klopp just needs to decide whether he wants to throw him in from the start against Norwich or continue to tread carefully with the 30-year-old.
The Reds boss then needs to weigh up who he wants to partner the Dutchman, if not start in place of, with Konate and Matip likely to start the season ahead of Gomez and Liverpool’s other options in the pecking order.
Midfield mindfield
Liverpool boast a plethora of midfield options despite Gini Wijnaldum’s summer exit, with it arguably being the most fiercely-competed position in the Reds’ team.
If everyone was fully fit, Klopp’s first-choice trio would pick itself - Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and Thiago Alcantara.
However, with the trio all returning late to pre-season training after their summer international exploits, they are unlikely to be fielded together against Norwich.
Fabinho is ahead of the other two and the player best-placed to start at Carrow Road. However, Henderson and Thiago only made one substitute appearance in pre-season against Osasuna, while the latter has admitted he has been nursing an injury for a number of months.
As a result, both of them are doubts to start Saturday’s Premier League opener though Klopp has plenty of options more than capable of filling in.
Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have both enjoyed impressive, injury-free pre-seasons and will be looking to reignite their Anfield careers after disrupted campaigns last time out, while vice-captain James Milner is still going strong.
Meanwhile, Harvey Elliott has been one of the stars of pre-season in an unfamiliar midfield role and shown he can also be considered as an option in the engine room.
With such depth at his disposal, Klopp has a difficult choice to make regarding who starts against Norwich in the middle of the park but it is one he will undoubtedly embrace.
Firmino or Jota?
The Roberto Firmino or Diogo Jota debate is one that wore on for most of last season as the Brazilian struggled for goals and the Portuguese thrived following his move to Liverpool, and is one that has not gone away over the summer.
For so long the Reds’ first-choice front three has been undisputed with Firmino lining up inbetween Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, but the 29-year-old’s inclusion has been under scrutiny from outsiders even before Jota’s arrival.
Last season he returned just nine goals, his lowest total since the 2012/13 season, from 48 appearances in contrast to his new team-mate’s return of 13 goals from 30 matches.
With Jota reporting for pre-season before Firmino after their respective international exploits, the Portuguese has started alongside Salah and Mane in Liverpool’s recent friendlies, scoring against both Bologna and Athletic Bilbao.
His selection against the latter alongside the Reds’ African duo had led to assumptions he would start the season as first-choice, with Firmino instead utilised in Liverpool’s friendly win over Osasuna little over 24 hours later.
However, the Brazilian firmly staked his own claim of starting against Norwich by scoring a well-taken brace, to ensure Klopp’s Firmino or Jota debate isn’t going away anytime soon.
