Liverpool made a few changes for the midweek game with Atalanta. Things were far from perfect but Jürgen Klopp should have seen enough ahead of decisions at Fulham.
Liverpool did show some improvement against Atalanta on Thursday, however it was not from a very high standard, to put it mildly. The damage had been done a week earlier, but the Reds managed to win 1-0 that evening in Bergamo, despite their Europa League campaign coming to an end.
To a considerable extent, Jürgen Klopp’s changes were successful. Trent Alexander-Arnold, making his first start since suffering an injury around two months ago, looked good until he ran out of steam. Darwin Núñez was frustrating, but Cody Gakpo was a good influence in the middle, earning his spot ahead of him.
Even after Mohamed Salah scored the first goal of the match from the penalty spot, Liverpool did not appear to be exerting enough pressure on Atalanta to win the match. However, if the Egyptian had scored a lob goal to make it 2-0, the outcome might have been different. However, there were some rays of hope.
Alexander-Arnold will eventually get better once more as his fitness increases. Even though he most likely won’t play the entire ninety minutes, he should undoubtedly be in the starting lineup against Fulham on Sunday. Gakpo ought to maintain his spot in the side as well, whether it’s by taking Luis Díaz’s place or by replacing Núñez once more. The alterations were effective, if not for the full duration of the Italian match.
The major choices ought to have been taken for Klopp ahead of Fulham as he mulls over altering his starting lineup for Liverpool. It seems apparent to go with the same back five, though there may be a case to start Harvey Elliott in place of Szoboszlai in the middle.
Liverpool lined out with what most would consider Klopp’s first-choice back five (Alisson Becker and the back four in front of him) for the first time since the season’s second game. Dominik Szoboszlai was comparatively quiet in the midfield, but Curtis Jones showed a lot of promise, and together with Alexis Mac Allister, that is the most evenly matched trio Liverpool can field.
Gakpo should lead the assault, and Salah must play again even if he doesn’t appear to be at his best right now. Diogo Jota doesn’t appear ready to start just yet, and either Núñez or Díaz can finish the side without much argument. It tells you all you need to know that neither is leaping out as the clear solution to the goalscoring woes.
Liverpool needs to be winning every game at this point in the season; rotating is no longer an option. Wataru Endō may find it more difficult to get minutes and Ryan Gravenberch may play very little football until after the summer, but the Reds need to win every game from this point on.
It makes a lot of sense to stick with the starting lineup from Thursday for the weekend, especially since Núñez hasn’t done anything to indicate that his inclusion or exclusion could be crucial. In the same way, the coin flip between Elliott and Szoboszlai may go any way. The logical choice would be to stick with the same group this time around; if adjustments are made, they shouldn’t be significant.
