Jurgen Klopp was open about his recent team selections as he prepares to face Arsenal at Anfield on Sunday. Liverpool made six changes for the 0-0 draw with Chelsea.
It came days after he outed his squad for their poor form in the wake of the 4-1 defeat to Manchester City. With Andy Robertson, Mo Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold all rotated at Stamford Bridge the Reds are likely to be a stronger outfit when Mikel Arteta's men come to town.
With a shocking recent record at Anfield the fixture offers a chance for Arteta's men to make their biggest statement yet in the title race. They will also be facing an angry but determined Klopp.
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He bit back against questions regarding his starting XIs in recent weeks, saying: "We had a game against City, which is an influence physically and performance-wise. It is both [a response to poor form and fitness management].
"How can you expect I give you an answer and say 'two were because of that and four were because of that'. That is a real waste of time." He continued to explain how his decisions are being affected.
"We had one proper session since then. The boys don't show me they don't want [to play]. This is not the situation we are in. In training, I have to make decisions about the team based on what I saw in training. That opens the door for everybody.
"I cannot constantly ask for something I didn't get. I am really calm in this moment. I am in it and see everything and base my decisions on that. In the end, we will see what the outcome is."
As for specific individuals, Virgil van Dijk is set to return after not being in the team against Chelsea due to illness. "Virgil is back in training," revealed Klopp. "Luis [Diaz] and Thiago Alcantara] training completely normal."
That pair were doubts heading into the game with Thiago having not played since February 4 in the league due to a hip flexor knock. "The plan for Luis is that he will be 100 per cent available for Leeds. We will probably not involve him for Sunday. Thiago is slightly different and might be available," Klopp finished.
Elsewhere there was no sign of Salah, Diogo Jota or Joe Gomez in training images released by the club but Klopp had nothing to add on their availability. Naby Keita and Stefan Bajcetic are out whilst Calvin Ramsay won't play again for the Reds this season either.
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