Liverpool will entertain Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday evening as Jurgen Klopp desperately looks to get a positive response from his players following the lacklustre 1-0 loss at the hands of Brighton and Hove Albion in midweek.
In contrast, the Mancunian giants are flying high at the moment as they are enjoying a 13-game winning run. Hence, we can expect them to go into this game as the heavy favourites to claim maximum points from Merseyside. Klopp’s slight dig over Man City’s “two-week break” for Covid-19 restrictions earlier this season was not welcomed by Guardiola, who revealed that he was “surprised by Jurgen” and plans to have a talk with the Liverpool manager over the comment when they meet on Sunday.
There is enough spice between the two sides to make this game a mouth-watering clash this weekend. However, the Reds are currently sweating on Sadio Mane, Fabinho and Alisson Becker’s fitness, which would make team-selection quite tricky for the Liverpool head coach ahead of this game.
Here are three things Klopp should do to make sure that his players get a victory over Man City at Anfield.
Play His Strongest Defence And Not His Strongest Midfield
With all of his senior centre-backs out of action, Klopp will have a dilemma of whether to play Jordan Henderson and/or Fabinho in central defence or use them in midfield and play his January signings, Ozan Kabak and Ben Davies at the back.
We think that he should play his strongest defence and opt for Henderson to fill in as a makeshift centre-back alongside Fabinho (if he is fit) or Phillips, who has given a good account of himself in recent weeks. Davies does not have any Premier League experience while Kabak has endured a poor run of form with his former club Schalke this season, so it is doubtful that they would be able to handle the sleek attacking football that Man City have showcased so far in this campaign.
Give Curtis Jones A Chance To Shine As Part Of His Midfield Three
Jones has shown that he is more than capable of adding some attacking flair to the Liverpool midfield that has sometimes lacked clarity and penetration this season. The English midfielder should be included in Klopp’s first-team as he is fresher than James Milner, who has started in each of Liverpool’s past two matches in the Premier League. Plus, Jones is fearless and has the confidence to play a decisive role in a game of this magnitude.
Instil Mane Back To His Frontline If He Is Available
There is no denying that Klopp has missed the services of Sadio Mane in the past couple of matches as Divock Origi and Xherdan Shaqiri doesn’t have the same qualities that the Senegalese speedster brings to the table. Mane has played an influential role in Liverpool’s recent wins over Man City, so the Reds boss should consider playing him if he can make himself fit for this season-defining game this weekend.
