Good evening Reds. Welcome to the match build-up for our FA Cup 4th round tie against Norwich City at Anfield on Sunday. That is probably far from your concerns at this moment in time. Mine too. Today we are not thinking about Sunday’s game, something else is on our minds. Jurgen Klopp has this morning announced that he will be leaving his post as Liverpool manager at the end of the season. There is no doubt that this came as a massive shock and not one red can say they were expecting to hear this today. That is what makes it worse. One thought to brighten up a miserable day for Liverpool fans is imagine Jurgen Klopp holding the Premier League trophy in May with his name being sung by the fans. Just manifest it for a second. With that being said there are four trophies to be won that season and that possibility resumes on Sunday in another must win. Let’s talk about it.
The term ‘must win’ gets thrown around far too often because isn’t every game a must win. But this visit from Norwich City comes at an awkward time. There is talk that our season could be in jeopardy and our heads could drop and ultimately not reach the dizzy heights that this season is proposing, due to Klopp announcing his departure. However, I have every reason to believe that this will not happen. Our players have dealt with adversity time and time again and there is enough leadership in the dressing room to ensure our standards remain. But a loss on Sunday could be crushing. We need to keep our momentum strong as we navigate a difficult period for the club. The manager’s position has not even been discussed since Klopp took over in 2015 because of the excellent work he has done. But now, there is going to be much talk about who comes in alongside other questions. Some of the players in our squad have only ever known Jurgen Klopp, none more so than our current vice captain Trent Alexander-Arnold. So it is a possibility that there will be confusion in the camp and that could lead to mixed perforamances. But like I alluded to earlier we have enough experience in the squad to put this news to the side and just keep grinding out results.
Team selection for the game. I would anticipate Klopp to name a strong team whilst giving key rest to some big players. I would expect Kelleher to start. I understand Alisson played in the 3rd round but I believe that was because we were playing Arsenal and Klopp generally went full strength in that game. Back four. There is no reason as to why Conor Bradley would not keep his place after impressive performances against Fulham and Bournemouth. I would like to see Virgil Van Dijk receive a rest this weekend, with Ibrahima Konate and Jarell Quansah partnering up. Left back is arguably the best news. I think Andy Robertson is in contention to start as it is a great game for him to improve his match fitness. Joe Gomez more than deserves a rest. The Scottish skipper has been in full team training for over a week now and was of course part of the team that travelled to London midweek,
We are short in midfield. I am not sure about Alexis Mac Allister or Dominic Szoboszlai in this one. My three would be Curtis Jones in the six, with Harvey Elliott and Ryan Gravenberch in front. Not too many options to be totally honest. Bobby Clark is a player who could start as Klopp highly rates him, but there is no need to push a player when we have other experienced players to choose from. The frontline again we do not have much choice. I envisage it will be three from four: Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz. I would personally like to see Luis Diaz rested this weekend after playing a full 90 on Wednesday. I would expect Trent Alexander-Arnold to be part of the squad as he has recovered from his knee issue. Other absentees include Thiago and Kostas Tsimikas, who were both seen in training today which is a massive boost.
Kelleher. Bradley, Konate. Quansah. Robertson. Jones. Elliott. Gravenberch. Gakpo. Jota. Nunez.
This team has more than enough quality to win this tie on Sunday without the need for a replay. Whist I have not watched Norwich City this season, it is a simple case of if we do our jobs then we should comfortably head into Round 5. I would predict a 3-0 win for the reds on Sunday.
Thank you very much for reading the match build-up. Please get your opinion in the comments, it would be massively appreciated. Enjoy your weekend Reds, and try not to be too sad about Klopp’s announcement. We still have four months to win four trophies, and that task continues on Sunday.