The Swans have the unenviable task of hosting Herr Jürgen’s hounds from the netherworlds of Niflheim who have been conditioned into chasing the ball till the world’s end. Francesco Guidolin’s season could be decided on the back of this fixture, with a win staying his execution, anything else from that may not be enough.
T4O picks out the best team he can put out to stifle the attacking powers and impose their own style.
Defence
Lukasz Fabianski, one of the surprise packages of the last season will be looking to put up a stiff resistance against the likes of Phil Coutinho. The Brazilian who has a happy knack of scoring worldlies, would be out to test the virtues of the Polish keeper from a distance. Ángel Rangel would have task of containing the combinations of James Milner and Phil Coutinho down Liverpool’s left-hand side, which has yielded many of their goal scoring opportunities as highlighted by their passages of play against the likes of Chelsea and Hull City.
The pair of Mike van der Hoorn and Jordi Amat will have to bring their A-game. Their concentration levels are going to be tested to the maximum by the movement of Roberto Firmino, who, so far, has been next-to-impossible to mark this season, owing to his penchant for switching positions, dropping deep, and his late runs into the box that makes for most of his goals.
Former Liverpool target, Neil Taylor will have to muster all his athletic prowess in trying to keep Sadio Mane bottled in. The Senegalese international has been one of the standout performers in Liverpool’s attacking side with his ability to exploit the full width of the pitch.
Midfield
Jack Cork and Leroy Fer would be looking to outnumber the Liverpool’s solitary defensive midfielder Jordan Henderson, who has had a bit of a resurgence. The captain’s armband doesn’t seem to be weighing down any longer, and is currently on of the best passing midfielders in the league, statistically speaking.
Consequently, skipper, Leon Britton would have to keep the onslaughts of Adam Lallana and Gini Wijnaldum in check. Both of these Liverpool players can turn on a six-pence, and turn defence to counter in the matter of a split second. Trying to close down the angles would do better than trying to mark them tightly.
Wayne Routledge may hope to get some joy if Liverpool play Alberto Moreno at left-back. Jürgen Klopp has been most impressed by the application of the Spaniard, but there may yet be a dearth of confidence looming over him.
Gylfi Sigurdsson was a whisker away from joining Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool, but opted instead to undertake the ill-fated move to Tottenham. There will always be an added motivation from the man who scored the past week vs Manchester City in the League Cup, to prove a point.
Attack
Liverpool have always had a problem with dealing with the big men up top, and that problem has persisted for the better part of the past decade or two. If the man they call Lion King, Fernando Llorente, makes the Liverpool box his den, then the Merseyside giants are in from some trouble.
The 6’4” Joel Matip of Liverpool, a figure of composure in central defence isn’t one who is easily rattled, but has conceded that he’d need time to settle in with the physicality that is offered here in the English game. Alongside him, Dejan Lovren who will be returning having been benched for two games, has the occasional howler in him, when put under pressure. The Spaniard will do well to target him.
