Liverpool (a) pre-match thread

[cleavers]

Left side worries me. Don't think Mendy, Delph or Zin can cope with Salah if he suddenly finds form - hopefully he turns his ankle in the warm up.

I don't fancy Laporte there either, he played further forward than Mendy does, caught out so many times tonight.

 

[EL APACHE TEVEZ]

Doom and Gloom 2-1 city win

 

[balotelli's back pocket]

Ederson
Walker Otamendi Laporte Mendy
Bernardo Stones Silva
Sterling Aguero Sane

Muric Kompany Danilo Fernandinho Gundogan Mahrez Jesus

4-2 City.

 

[FantasyIreland]

I don't fancy Laporte there either, he played further forward than Mendy does, caught out so many times tonight.

Zinchenko all day over Laporte,as should have been the case tonight.

 

[Deleted member 81382]

Zinchenko all day over Laporte,as should have been the case tonight.

He was good against Oxford and Brighton, I'd worry about him defensively against Salah though.

 

[abu13]

Pep said Delph won't be back this week.

I hadn't heard that, well that makes it interesting then.
I assume a straight swap with Mendy then but not ideal for Sane.

 

[waspish]

We should confuse them and play our youth team.

 

[FantasyIreland]

He was good against Oxford and Brighton, I'd worry about him defensively against Salah though.

Id worry for anyone against Salah,he'll do ok and no worse than any of our other options.

 

[Mikejl]

Atkinson ref, we’re f*cked

 

[sh249]

I did think the same when stones came on and we adopted that formation. Pep will probably try something a little different so it’s not beyond reason.

It’s a system/shape that we’ve used a few times before - particularly during Pep’s first season (around the time we battered Chelsea and somehow contrived to lose). He also used it with Bayern at times. It’s one that I think he perhaps likes as it allows for four central midfielders essentially. And I reckon he sees having more passing options through midfield as one way of possibly beating their press - I suspect that was the thinking behind using Gundogan in that strange position narrow from the right hand side in the first leg of the semi. If I remember right, we also played with three at the back, without wing backs, in the second leg and hammered them for 45 minutes. So given all that - plus our current issues at left back, it wouldn’t surprise me to see it.
Then again, I could be, and probably will be, utterly wrong!