Liverpool visit Aston Villa on Saturday and Jurgen Klopp should make a couple of changes to enhance his team’s chances of winning.
The Reds have barely put a foot wrong this season but there have been signs in the last few league games that they aren’t quite at their fluid best.
They struggled to break down both Manchester United and Sheffield United in their previous two league away games and though Villa are less resolute defensively than those two sides, Liverpool should do what they can to add to their attack.
A key change which could help that is continuing with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in midfield. The 26-year-old put in an impressive display against Arsenal midweek and now has three goals from his last two starts – two of which were brilliant strikes.
He offers the ability to drive forward with the ball – averaging 1.1 successful dribbles per game – and that makes him hard to stop but also opens up space for the front-three, which could be vital in getting the best out of Roberto Firmino, who has dipped a little recently and is without a goal or assist in his last four league games.
With that in mind, here’s how Liverpool should line-up at Villa Park.
The other noticeable change is Joe Gomez coming in for Dejan Lovren. It is an area that Klopp can’t seem to make a decision on – since Joel Matip’s injury he has rotated between the two.
Dejan Lovren had featured in Liverpool’s last two games prior to the League Cup clash with Arsenal but he came under fire for his performance against Spurs from supporters, which may well give Klopp something to think about.
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Against Spurs he was arguably at fault for Harry Kane’s goal and he almost cost Liverpool a second by allowing Heung-Min Son to get the better of him.
The Reds cannot afford such vulnerability at the back, and although Gomez has also drawn criticism from fans for his performance against Arsenal, he does at least offer natural comfort when in possession to the extent that he can also be utilised as a right-back, which could make all the difference against a Villa side that will almost certainly sit deep.
Against the Gunners he completed 13 long passes, and if he is able to perform to a similar level on Saturday then he could create chances for the front three, or at least find them in strong attacking positions.
That could be important to unlocking the Villans defence as well as giving the England international valuable game time.
