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Liverpool look to ride on momentum despite injury woes

The Reds will be looking to climb the Premier League table this weekend against Leeds as they look to recover from a shock defeat at Nottingham Forest that left them languishing in mid table. 

 

Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson will be closing in on a landmark milestone as he will wear the armband for the reds for the 250th time in all competitions. Henderson goes down as one of Liverpool's most successful captains after bringing Champions League honours and a Premier League title to Anfield for the first and only time in the Premier League era.

 

The 1-0 loss against Nottingham Forest isn't helping the Reds to battle forward after the impressive win against City a week earlier, but fans with Liverpool tickets want to look at the positives. 

 

Darwin Nunez is growing into his new club

 

After a stellar 21/22 season with the added cherry on top of the cake of a Ballon d'Or nomination, the highly touted Uruguayan striker arrived at Anfield from Benfica for a whopping £80 million fee: the highest in the club's history.

 

Nunez did not start well and suffered the ignominy of a Premier League red card against Crystal Palace, causing outrage and backlash from those with Liverpool tickets.

 

Jurgen Klopp was quick to defend his star signing, stating that the team needs to get used to his runs and has room for further development. He added that it is not just the speed and accredited the signing for his finishing. 

 

While bringing praise, he mentioned that he is an exhilarating package, young and has great potential as a striker. 

 

The 23-year-old scored the winner at Anfield vs West Ham before being subbed off prematurely as he was feeling something. His niggling injuries might be the only concern the manager would have since he believes it would hinder his development. The Uruguayan now has six goals in seven starts.

 

Klopp takes the bench

 

The Liverpool boss was dismissed after aggressively falling out with the assistant referee during the high-octane clash against Manchester City at Anfield. The incident occurred when the referee didn't penalize City for a foul on Egyptian forward Mohammed Salah.

 

Despite owning up to his actions, the FA has charged Jurgen Klopp with a breach of FA rule E3, which covers inappropriate comments bringing the game into disrepute, which are threatening, abusive, indecent or insulting.

 

A referees' charity called for an inquiry into the manager's behaviour at the touchlines. Ref Support UK CEO Martin Cassidy was very vocal in his frustrations and criticized the conduct of Klopp and added further on its impact on people in youth football.  

 

Klopp was confident when asked if he would take the bench in the Forest game. Although he added, "but I do not know 100 per cent," while reiterating that relevant protocols had been followed post-incident.

 

Liverpool's Omnipresent injury woes

 

While Nunez should hopefully be available at the weekend having featured and scored in midweek against Ajax, Luis Diaz is still unavailable. The exciting Colombian forward was deemed unavailable for "six to eight weeks" by the Reds' boss following a knee problem at the Premier League encounter vs Arsenal.

 

Additionally, Portuguese forward Diogo Jota was stretchered off in the closing stages of the game vs City. It is heartbreaking for Jota as he is set to miss the much anticipated 2022 Qatar World Cup in a few weeks. 

 

"I don't want to put a number on it now because I always hope in the middle of the rehab there is a very positive development and we can cut days off the rehab phase, but it will be long," Klopp added.

 

Naby Keita and Ibrahima Konate are both set to join the squad back from injury following the Ajax game. Klopp hinted that Keita would need more time to feature in the playing XI as the midfielder has had quite a prolonged break since the injury.

 

Joe Gomez is set to start at Centre Back alongside Virgil Van Dijk as Joel Matip remains unavailable after being sidelined in the game vs Arsenal. Arthur Melo is still out of contention for the foreseeable future. 

 

The Brazilian has been unavailable for selection since their Champions League home fixture vs Rangers. 

 

Formation Change

 

Klopp's customary formation of 4-4-3 has been scrapped, in part due to the injuries in the forward line. With only Nunez, Firmino and Salah deemed fit to play, Liverpool cannot afford to play all three options in every game. 

 

Maintaining a front 2 with rotation seems to be the plan for Klopp. When asked, Klopp went on to mention that his team even adopted a 4-5-1 formation at certain stages throughout the West Ham game, and that will be the run of play in the upcoming games for Liverpool. 

 

The return of Naby Keita and Thiago Alcantara to fitness in the coming weeks means Klopp will have more players to overload the midfield while managing his forward options. 

 

Transfer Watch

 

West Ham skipper Declan Rice has been in transfer rumours for quite some time, and West Ham reportedly wants 150 million for the England international. Journalist Dean Jones speaking to GIVEMESPORT, stated that a Declan Rice transfer to Anfield "cannot be ruled out".

 

He cautiously added that '" it made the most sense" that the former Chelsea Academy player is most likely to make a move back home. Rice has made 207 appearances across all competitions for West Ham United thus far. It will be euphoria for those with Liverpool tickets if the club manages to sign this exciting youngster with proven talent in the Premier League.

 

Sky Sports Darmesh Seth confirmed that Liverpool is in contention to sign Borussia Dortmund midfielder and England International Jude Bellingham. The 19-year-old has been linked with a move to the red half of Merseyside for quite some time.

 

Also in contention for Bellingham are defending Premier League Champions Manchester City. "Money will talk," said Seth, who also confirmed that the reds will be "100% interested" in signing the teenage star. 

 

However, City look favourites to sign the Englishman with the added pull of the in-form former Dortmund and current Man City Star Erling Haaland.

 

With Liverpool amid an injury crisis, the Reds have been touted to sign hot-transfer-rumour candidate Frenkie de Jong. 

 

As per BBC's Alan Hutton, as much it would be prize away the Dutch Midfielder from his secure and lucrative Barcelona contract, which still has 4 years left on it, he insists that Liverpool would try its level best to adorn Frenkie in the Anfield red. 

 

Liverpool tickets are in demand!

 

With a prolonged world cup break coming up, spots to enjoy Liverpool matches are in high demand. And the entire attention spans around Liverpool tickets; games continue to be sold out by the minute. Official retail sites will not be your go-to option with the limited quantity and increased demand but trusted reseller platforms should help you quickly source Liverpool tickets. 


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