On Saturday, Liverpool began their Premier League home campaign by rallying from behind to defeat Bournemouth.
Quick goals from Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah cancelled out an early effort from Antoine Semenyo, and Diogo Jota scored after the Reds were reduced to 10 men after Alexis MacAllister was sent off.
Liverpool will now try to strike an early blow against one of their top-four opponents when they travel to Newcastle United next Sunday.
And now we look ahead to see what adjustments Jurgen Klopp might make when his squad returns to action.
Van Dijk as an example
The Liverpool defense’s performance against Bournemouth on Saturday was very much a tale of two halves, with a shaky first half followed by a much stronger second half.
As captain, Virgil van Dijk set a good example and was helped by Ibrahima Konate, with the two clearly ahead of Joe Gomez and Joel Matip.
Gomez, on the other hand, came in as a substitute at right-back at the weekend and, with Conor Bradley still out, will be on standby if Trent Alexander-Arnold does not recover from the knock that forced him off. Andy Robertson improved against Bournemouth and maintains his lead over Kostas Tsimikas at left back, while Alisson Becker demonstrated why he is the number one goalkeeper with Caoimhin Kelleher and Adrian behind him.
Mac Allister’s headache has subsided
Just when Klopp was getting more midfield alternatives, he lost a key one in Mac Allister, despite an appeal against his removal.
Mac Allister had played again at number six, but with Stefan Bajcetic returning to the bench after nearly five months out and new acquisition Wataru Endo playing the final half-hour, Liverpool now have several options in the position.
Klopp, on the other hand, will be hoping that the ankle injury that forced Curtis Jones to miss Saturday’s game isn’t significant, considering that Thiago Alcantara wasn’t nearly fit for inclusion in the matchday squad.
Dominik Szoboszlai made his home debut and has already secured a starting spot, while Harvey Elliott impressed again with a late cameo. Cody Gakpo, on the other hand, struggled once more when thrust into a makeshift midfield role. James McConnell, a youngster, is another option.
Gakpo poser
Liverpool now have the ability to mix and match their forward options, albeit the fact that Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, and Mohamed Salah all scored against Bournemouth and put in a massive second-half effort suggests that some moving may be required.
Gakpo, on the other hand, led the line impressively for much of the second half of last season and scored against Newcastle in February. And, with Darwin Nunez – who has now started only two of Liverpool’s last 12 games – also scoring at St James’ Park, Klopp may decide to name at least one of the duo in the front three, whether down the center or on the left, depending on Diaz’s fitness.
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Ben Doak, a teenager, went back on the bench at the weekend to provide cover for Salah on the right.
