Liverpool’s pre-season preparations for the 2022/23 season are well underway. Their opening friendly against old rivals Manchester United is now less than a week away and the campaign proper begins with a trip to Craven Cottage on August 6.
While Fulham were not in the Premier League last season, the Reds only took one point from two matches against them in 2020/21. Anything less than a win when next they meet will feel like an early dent in Liverpool’s title challenge.
Fortunately for Jurgen Klopp, he should have a much stronger squad from which to select his starting XI this time around. His centre-backs in matches against Fulham included Fabinho, Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams, while Andy Robertson, Mohamed Salah and Gini Wijnaldum were the only outfield players able to start both games.
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When Liverpool have completed their pre-season programme ( which consists of six matches ), we will have a better idea regarding what tactical plans and formations Klopp has in mind for the new campaign. However, it’s reasonable to assume he will select a close to full strength side for the Community Shield clash with Manchester City on July 30.
As that falls exactly one week before the start of the season proper, the same XI will likely feature against Fulham. A logical line up would therefore be the team which began the Champions League final against Real Madrid, with Diogo Jota replacing the now former Red, Sadio Mane.
What, no Darwin Nunez? Possibly not. Klopp has made clear that he is not expecting his new front man to immediately perform at the level Liverpool require. “There is no pressure on him at all. He signs for a very long time and we intend to nurture his talent and see it grow,” Klopp said after the deal for the Uruguayan was confirmed.
The Benfica man is clearly going to have a key role to play in the campaign though. It will be fascinating to see whether he adapts to Liverpool and their 4-3-3 formation or if it evolves to accommodate him.
There will clearly be a bit of both, and it’s not as if Nunez has never played within that tactical framework before. Both Jorge Jesus and Nelson Verissimo used a front three at Benfica, albeit Jesus preferred a 3-4-3 rather than the formation the Reds deploy.
But when he faced Liverpool in the Champions League, Nunez was the focal point of a 4-2-3-1 set up. While this was Klopp’s favoured system at Dortmund, he hasn’t used it too often with the Reds. It appeared during the autumn and winter of 2018/19, with Xherdan Shaqiri joining the established front three in attack, but hasn’t been seen on a consistent basis since then.
With Fabio Carvalho adept at playing the role in the centre of the attacking three (and Roberto Firmino capable of performing there too), the next step for Liverpool could be to use a 4-2-3-1 framework to get the best out of their latest signings.
This would also open the possibility of a double pivot featuring Fabinho and Thiago Alcantara. The latter thrived in that position for Bayern Munich, and Liverpool have won 25 of the 30 matches when that duo has started in midfield. Whether the Reds employ this formation or not, it’s worth speculating how their line up could look further down the line, in 2023/24.
You’ll have noticed the addition of Jude Bellingham in the above image. As we’re in the realm of speculation, there’s no harm in including a player in whom the Reds reportedly hold significant interest.
Whether the England international joins Liverpool very much remains to be seen. However, he could easily fit into either of the proposed formations shown, as he played in both with Dortmund in 2021/22.
But if he doesn’t become a Red, it’s not as if Klopp will lack options for the midfield. Jordan Henderson, Curtis Jones and Thiago will still be contracted to the club, while Carvalho doesn’t feature in the proposed XIs either. The most important thing is that he and Nunez have added to the squad in a way which should help in the evolution of Liverpool.
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