Liverpool take on Chelsea in the FA Cup final at Wembley later today. Here, three of our writers select the starting XIs we would like Jürgen Klopp to ...
Meanwhile, Thiago Alcântara is a shoo-in and alongside him Naby Keïta, will have an important role to play — this time at least he will be prepared and expecting to start as well, unlike in the Carabao Cup final. Ibrahima Konaté and Kostas Tsimikas have made a strong case to start in recent weeks, but I expect Liverpool to go with the experience of Joël Matip and Andy Robertson instead. There will be no headaches for Jürgen Klopp in terms of match selection heading into this final. However, Matip has done nothing to lose his place, and the concentration and nous of the senior option should be preferred on this occasion. Sometimes I'll throw in a wildcard shout for the sake of manufacturing some disagreement with Matt, but it's hard to look past his selections for the final. Meanwhile, the goals have certainly not dried up for Mané, who has made himself undroppable through the middle.
Jürgen Klopp will look to evolve his side over the coming years, and Liverpool have been linked with summer transfer moves for a pair of exciting forwards.
Both would make good signings for Liverpool, but if we had to chose one, Zaniolo would be the smarter investment, as he’s three years younger and perhaps has a higher ceiling than Danjuma. With a combined value of £70m, a double raid seems unlikely. Zaniolo can also play as a second striker, but this isn’t a role Klopp tends to use in his 4-3-3 system. Zaniolo is still working his way back to his best form following two major ACL injuries and has at times struggled with the weight of expectation since his return. A return of 16 goals in 34 games across all competitions is a very good showing for a player who has spent the majority of the season playing on the left wing. Liverpool have first-hand experience of Danjuma, with the Reds seeing off Villarreal in the semi-final of the Champions League a few weeks ago. In any given week, Liverpool could be linked with a whole host of players in a variety of positions.
Liverpool were handed injury scares for Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk at Wembley against Chelsea. But Jürgen Klopp and the men themselves have offered ...
Even after playing every single possible match to this point (the Champions League final will be number 63) and winning every trophy there is to win, Liverpool are still going. "I played on but in the end, I can’t risk it for the team and I need to trust Joël [ Matip]. Hopefully, it will be fine." Kostas Tsimikas, the matchwinner, replaced Andy Robertson, but that appeared only to be tiredness.
One Liverpool squad slot comes with financial as well as footballing benefits. FSG could replace Takumi Minamino in that role with an astute free transfer.
Minutes at Liverpool would be even harder to come by, presenting a potential problem for FSG. But they have a trump card. The lure of Anfield, and the setup as a whole, has rarely been stronger. Nketiah would initially only have a realistic prospect of taking over the Minamino role, should FSG indeed choose to sell this summer — the traditional front three has expanded to a front five, none of whom will be easy to displace. Game time is said to be the primary ‘ambition’ behind seeking a free transfer from Arsenal, despite the recent upturn in his fortunes. Meanwhile, the Japan international had shown enough potential to suggest he could be a useful squad option, and FSG were shrewd enough to know that every decent outing for Liverpool would only increase the market for his services. A transfer would never be completed without some prospect of an eventual place in the first team, but certain purchases are definitely more like investments than wholly footballing decisions.