Jurgen Klopp has teased one possible selection hint when it comes to picking his Liverpool team for today’s Premier League clash against Brentford.
The Reds will be deprived of several midfielders this afternoon, with Thiago Alcantara, Stefan Bajcetic and Curtis Jones all injured, and Alexis Mac Allister suspended. Ryan Gravenberch could also be a doubt due to a slight knee problem which saw him miss the defeat to Toulouse on Thursday (Liverpool Echo).
That leaves the manager with rather limited options in the middle of the park, but one viable alternative has arisen and could be utilised against the Bees.
When asked if Trent Alexander-Arnold might be deployed in midfield today, Klopp replied (via liverpoolfc.com): “Yeah, a possibility, it depends on the situation, the opponent, on a lot of things. We know that he can play there.
“For us, if we just put him there then we lose one of the best right-backs in the world, so we should not forget that completely at least. Of course he is an option for that position.”
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Trent’s starting position today – on the team sheet, at least – could depend on whether or not Gravenberch is fit enough to play.
Dominik Szoboszlai is a certain starter, and the aforementioned absences should see Wataru Endo given a first Premier League start since the last week of August. Harvey Elliott may also come into the line-up if the Dutchman doesn’t recover in time.
However, should those three start, it could leave Klopp with a total dearth of midfielders on the bench, so it’s not unthinkable that one of those might be held in reserve, with Trent starting in the middle of the park and Joe Gomez playing on the right-hand side of defence.
The 25-year-old is no stranger to playing in a more advanced role, having been utilised in an inverted full-back role towards the end of last season to good effect and also doing a stellar job in midfield for England during their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign.
The manager has a few dilemmas to ponder ahead of kick-off, given the number of options unavailable to him, but he’s found a way to handle selection crises in the past and will have been thinking long and hard about how best to set up today.
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