Mohamed Salah will be hoping for a better showing today. — Reuters
IT IS anyone’s guess as to which Liverpool side will turn up at the London Stadium today when they face off against West Ham United.
The Reds could either come out swinging like when they played Fulham last week or horrendously like they did during the 2-0 defeat to Everton in midweek.
Against the Toffees in the Merseyside derby, Jurgen Klopp’s side just looked jaded, passionless and lacking energy.
The profligacy of both Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah in front of goal also did not help, turning a once-feared team into a shadow of its former self.
Liverpool has not been quite the same since the 2-2 draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford earlier this month.
Because when the Reds are good, they are capable of beating any team, even with some “kids” in the starting line-up.
While there is no time for regrets, Klopp will have to shift his focus onto West Ham and do his best to rejuvenate his side to give a better performance.
Alisson Becker should remain in between the post against the Hammers, while there could be some changes in the defence.
Ibrahima Konate, who had a disastrous outing against Everton, could be out and replaced by Jarell Quansah to partner with Virgil van Dijk in the heart of defence, while Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson should be retained on both flanks.
In midfield, Wataru Endo should be recalled back to the side, having started on the bench in midweek, and could be joined by Ryan Gravenberch and Harvey Elliott in place of Dominik Szoboszlai, who had a terrible game against Everton, and Alexis Mac Allister who deserves some rest.
In attack, Cody Gakpo should be recalled back into the starting XI, having missed out in midweek due to the birth of his baby, and to play alongside Luis Diaz and Salah.
At eighth spot, West Ham still have to fight and climb the table to earn a spot in a European competition.
David Moyes will want his team to take advantage of the Reds’ shambolic defence and go at Liverpool with guns blazing to pile on more misery on them.
After getting knocked out by Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen in the UEFA Europa League and a heavy 5-2 defeat to Crystal Palace last week, Moyes will want his side to look for a response.
Lukas Fabianski, Kurt Zouma, Angelo Ogbonna, Emerson Palmieri, Vladimir Coufal, Tomas Soucek, Edson Alvarez, Lucas Paqueta, James Ward-Prowse, Mohammed Kudus and Michail Antonio are expected to start against the Reds.
Goals will be expected this weekend, as both sides just cannot seem to keep clean sheets.
While the Reds have a good record against the East London side, it will count for nought if they keep letting in cheap goals due to shambolic defending.
With Liverpool currently out of the race for the league title, the only thing left is to finish the season strongly.
