Paul Merson has told Jurgen Klopp he has ‘an embarrassment of riches up front’ as Liverpool prepare for the visit of Nottingham Forest this weekend.
The Anfield outfit are currently fourth in the Premier League table, three points adrift of league leaders Spurs, and will look to pick up their seventh win of the campaign on Sunday against Steve Cooper’s side.
Klopp strengthened his options in the middle of the park with the signings of four new midfielders in the summer but it’s his options in attack that Merson is blown away by as he offered his prediction for this weekend’s game.
“Liverpool should win this one quite comfortably, I think they’ll score a few goals at home to build on their 2-0 win against arch-rivals Everton,” Merson told Sportskeeda. “Jurgen Klopp has an embarrassment of riches up front with the likes of Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo. Between the five of them, they’ll rack up 50 Premier League goals a season even if each of them scores ten over the course of 38 games, which is a very realistic tally considering their start to the season.
“Dominik Szoboszlai has come in and blown people away with his performances, but Alexis Mac Allister is a top player too. He’s playing as a No. 6 which isn’t really his usual position, but Liverpool are winning games right now, so it shouldn’t matter, at least until they sign a specialist defensive midfielder.
“Thiago Alcantara has been incredibly unlucky with injuries, but I’d be shocked if he stayed at Liverpool beyond this season. The Reds are unlikely to offload him in January because he’s still a top player when he’s fit, but at the end of the season, I can see him moving on as a free agent. Liverpool 3-0 Nottingham Forest.”
Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister have been brilliant since their moves to Merseyside but Merson is right to point out that the latter has been deployed out of position.
He can certainly play in the deeper role and showcase his talent but he’s a lot more affective when he’s getting on the ball higher up the pitch and making things happen.
Thiago Alcantara, meanwhile, is yet to feature for the club this term and time really is ticking on his Liverpool career with his current deal expiring at the end of the season.
The Spaniard is such a talented player on his day so it would be a huge shame to see his final campaign at L4 hampered by injury.
For now, though, let’s focus on the impending clash with Forest and hope for another huge three points.
#Ep94 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones🎙️