Liverpool team news and updates ahead of Saturday encounter with Bournemouth

Here is a possible starting lineup for Liverpool’s match against Bournemouth on Saturday at  Anfield.

Jurgen Klopp will be appreciative of a newly promoted club visiting Anfield on a Saturday afternoon given that his team has yet to gain traction after three Premier League games.

But the Reds must not believe they have an easy path to three crucial points this weekend thanks to their matchup with Scott Parker’s Bournemouth.

Liverpool must actually reverse a frankly ludicrous trend that started in May before they can consider earning a victory this season. The Reds’ 2-1 loss to Manchester United on Monday was the sixth straight league game in which Klopp’s team has trailed at the half.

And with an injury-plagued and underachieving Liverpool side that have stuttered so far this season, taking just two points from a possible nine, a repeat on Saturday is out of the question.

Klopp indicated he had at least considered rethinking his tactical structure, but a lack of fit and available front-row players denied him the chance to switch to a 4-2-3-1 formation.

“We have five experienced midfielders at the moment and we need to start with three,” he said after United’s defeat. “We could start with two if we had more forwards, but we only have three forwards, so it means we have to start with three and change during the match. How we want to start and how we want to change, we have to decide for the way we think about the game. ‘only reason.

That immediately raises the question of whether Saturday will serve as the ideal trial run for changing the system in an effort to give a team that has so far been curiously devoid of any genuine desire in the final third some attacking flair.

A midfielder being dropped from Klopp’s preferred 4-3-3 formation may provide room for someone like Fabio Carvalho, who shone in his cameo appearance at Old Trafford in the second half as he continues to weigh the cost of injuries.

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A lot has been asked of a 19-year-old to take his first timid steps to stardom at Anfield, but right now, with Diogo Jota injured and Darwin Nunez suspended, it’s a matter of necessity for Klopp as he appears. to face a troubling start.

Carvalho operating behind a three in front of Roberto Firmino, Salah and Luis Diaz will present an additional problem at Bournemouth.

Firmino seemed determined to get away from United striker for the entire match, so Carvalho’s presence in the squad could at least give him a chance to reclaim the space freed by the Brazilian and his natural propensity to wander.

With Nunez disqualified for two more games, he would help Liverpool take full advantage of Firmino’s natural play as a “false 9” without compromising a threat to center in the final third.

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Nunez, who missed Monday’s defeat at United after being shown a red card at Palace, will also miss Bournemouth before completing his home ban against Newcastle next week. With the £64m striker absent, Klopp may be forced to get creative in the final third.

In midfield, Klopp then has four options to get into his two – should he decide to switch to a more attacking formation against the Cherries – with Fabinho vying for a recall alongside James Milner, Jordan Henderson and Harvey Elliott.

Klopp is unlikely to select Elliott as the two as he is relatively new to the midfield role and could line up for a start for Fabinho after being benched at United. It was a brave call from Klopp to give up what is arguably his most consistent and reliable midfielder and it’s the one that hasn’t worked. 

Fabinho could end up in the squad this Saturday but questions about Milner and Henderson will continue. The captain came on as a substitute through his own injury in Crystal Palace’s draw and is not yet 100%.

In defence, Klopp’s hands are fairly tied thanks to Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate issues, but Joe Gomez has been one of Liverpool’s best performers at Old Trafford, starting at least alongside Virgil van Dijk in the Premier League to the first time since 2020 on Monday