Jurgen Klopp will be left scratching his head over what to do next after Liverpool’s win over Aston Villa.
The Reds claimed a 3-1 win in their Boxing Day clash at Villa Park to earn a third consecutive victory in the Premier League. Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Stefan Bajcetic scored the goals for Liverpool on their way to the three points.
Liverpool will now prepare to face Leicester City in their next match on Friday night. It will also be the reds’ final match of 2022, as they look to end the calendar year on a positive note.
READ MORE: Cody Gakpo is the next part of Liverpool's £185m transfer plan
READ MORE: Cody Gakpo has given the game away about Manchester United ahead of Liverpool deal
Going into the game, Klopp will have a number of selection dilemmas to consider as he mulls over what line-up to select. He may be inclined to make changes, so we’re taking a look at which ones the Liverpool boss may make for the clash at Anfield.
Bring back Gomez
Klopp went with a centre-back pairing of Van Dijk and Joel Matip against Villa. Given the latter had a rest during the World Cup, this did not come as too much of a surprise.
Ibrahima Konate will only just begin to return to training and is not likely to be ready to start a top flight match just yet. But if Klopp was to give Matip a rest ahead of a busy January schedule, then he could well go with Joe Gomez.
The defender has often been used at right-back over the last few months, mostly as a substitute for Trent Alexander-Arnold. Yet Klopp will know that Gomez’s preferred position is at centre-back.
Should Klopp decide to give Matip a rest, then bringing in Gomez could well be the way to go.
Time for Keita
Having spent almost the entire season out with injury, Naby Keita made his first Premier League appearance of the campaign against Villa, where he came off the bench. But could now be the time to hand the midfielder his first start?
Across his three brief cameo outings so far this term, Keita has only been on the pitch for a total of 48 minutes. Klopp will know that with a busy second half of the season to come, he will need all of his players to be match fit wherever possible.
This will mean handing starts to the likes of Keita when needed. And against Leicester could be the perfect time for that scenario to take place.
Chance for Carvalho
Klopp went with a front three of Darwin Nunez, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Salah against Villa. Two of those were expected, but one was a surprise.
Oxlade-Chamberlain’s inclusion was the first time he’s been named in a starting eleven in nearly a year. And despite putting in a solid display against Villa, you would expect Klopp to make alterations against Leicester.
With no Luis Diaz or Diogo Jota available, Klopp may well turn to Fabio Carvalho. The youngster is yet to find his true position in the Liverpool side, but has always shown glimpses of why the club signed him from Fulham in the summer.
Friday night against Leicester under the Anfield lights could be the perfect opportunity for Carvalho to remind everyone why Klopp and Liverpool hold the youngster in high regard.
READ NEXT:
- Robin van Persie comments on Cody Gakpo send warning to Manchester United and Liverpool rivals
- Former Manchester United boss may have played key role in Cody Gakpo joining Liverpool
- Jurgen Klopp knows real truth about Darwin Nunez as Cody Gakpo hint dropped
- Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez promise much for Liverpool after Jurgen Klopp masterstroke at Aston Villa
- Michael Owen spells out next Liverpool transfer 'hope' after Cody Gakpo deal
