Theo Squires - It's the bench for Mohamed Salah
Man City vs Liverpool is huge. When you look at their respective run-ins, it feels like the Reds have to win if they are to win the title. And if they are going to get the better of Pep Guardiola’s men, they need their most in-form players starting.
The words I never thought I’d type. I’d drop Mohamed Salah. With just three goals from open play from 13 games in 2022, he’s not been at his best for a number of weeks now. Whatever the reason, be it contract talks, AFCON final and World Cup exit hangover or simple fatigue, he’s going through a sticky spell. And at the moment, he’s struggling to play through it.
He’s missing chances he’d normally gobble up, his touch is deserting him and he’s making poor decisions. Maybe one game on the bench can reignite his Autumn form and give him that fire in the belly back.
It’s an incredibly harsh call, but with Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota on the books, one Jurgen Klopp can now actually make. They start on the flanks with Sadio Mane down the middle. Guardiola certainly won’t expect it and maybe that could give the Reds an extra advantage to come out on top. Sorry Mo!
Let us know who you think should start in Liverpool's front three against Manchester City this Sunday in the comments below. Does Mo Salah need a bit of respite after the World Cup Qualifiers?
Richard Garnett - Diogo Jota to be the man down the middle
The stakes could not be higher for Liverpool as they travel to the Etihad to face Manchester City in a match that the Reds must realistically win in order to stack the probability of becoming Premier League Champions in their favour.
Where Jurgen Klopp possibly holds the edge over Pep Guardiola is in his wealth of attacking options, making it difficult to second-guess his selection.
Diogo Jota started on the bench against Benfica and I believe that is because he will be the man down the middle for Liverpool on Sunday.
There is a compelling argument to leave Mohamed Salah out of this front three based on his recent performances and lack of goals, but I feel that the noise around such a high-profile omission would be too much of a distraction so I’m including him on the right.
Sadio Mane gets the nod on the left just ahead of Luis Diaz, but you can be sure that the front three won’t look like that by the time that the game is concluded.
What would you like to see our writers debate next week? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter...
