Liverpool Manager Jurgen Klopp drops hint on Liverpool team selection after confirming injury damage

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp could face a selection dilemma ahead of Saturday’s game against Nottingham Forest despite the

absence of Roberto Firmino

Klopp returns to Liverpool against Nottingham Forest in the Premier League

Jurgen Klopp has confirmed Roberto Firmino will miss Liverpool’s game against Nottingham Forest – and hinted his team selection will be based on ‘counter-pressure’.

The Reds found their way back to winning ways on Monday by recording an impressive 6-1 win over Leeds at Elland Road.

Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota both grabbed braces, while Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez also scored for Liverpool as they moved within nine points of fourth-placed Newcastle in the Champions League race.

Speaking to the press ahead of the Forest game, Klopp revealed he was in serious injury trouble as Firmino had a muscle problem. The Brazilian will sit out Saturday’s game at Anfield and is also doubtful for the Reds’ trip to West Ham next week if they enter a critical phase of the campaign.

Firmino’s absence reduced Klopp’s attacking options from six to five after Luis Diaz made his long-awaited return in the defeat to Leeds. Jota, Gakpo and Salah made up the Reds’ top three, with Nunez, Diaz and Firmino all coming off the bench to play.

Whether Klopp sticks to that frontline that started the journey to Leeds or makes any changes remains to be seen. When asked about his potential squad, Klopp said: “The ticket to this squad will definitely bring back pressure. If you’ve done that in the game you’re playing, you have a good chance of starting over. “We have chances to change. Do we have five games in two weeks? Yes, there will be changes. Everyone is very important to us.”

Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo celebrate during Liverpool’s win over Leeds 

After coming off the bench to score the Reds’ sixth goal at Leeds, Klopp reaffirmed Nunez’s importance to Liverpool despite him being out of the current XI. The Uruguayan now has nine Premier League goals to his name this season since his move from Benfica last summer. Klopp said:

“Darwin is a player with different skills than all our other players. He’s a machine. He always adapts. His English is still not great. How can a striker shine when the team is in trouble? But he had a good time.

“I understand that Darwin isn’t always well if he doesn’t start and smile in my face, but that’s fine,” he added. “When we have 5/6 players up front I have to make decisions. The door is wide open for all the guys. He was exceptional (against Leeds). Everyone who came was hooked.”

Liverpool face a Forest side who are currently out of form. Steve Cooper’s side haven’t won any of their last 10 games, picking up just three points. It was a run of form that sent them back into the relegation zone, level on points with Everton in 17th.

He said: “We had our analysis meeting, Forest have a pragmatic style, long balls, corners. Steve Cooper has the ability to play in different ways, but they don’t have a lot of confidence, so pragmatically it’s logic. They have speed, technique in midfield. Everything is here.”

Also.. 

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp explains what Darwin Nunez needs to improve: “He has to learn”

Jurgen Klopp insists Darwin Nunez is a “long-term project” for Liverpool, but there is a strong desire to see the forward begin to master the English language.

Nunez has started in just one of his last four games, with the manager favoring a combination of Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota.

He has been greeted with some amazement by fans, as the number 27 offers speed and unpredictability, a combination that has lit a spark in times of need.

But the manager was quick to explain that Nunez is still adjusting to the squad and a new language when asked about the Uruguayan ahead of Saturday’s meeting with Nottingham Forest.

“Darwin is a player with different abilities than all our other players, that’s fine,” Klopp continued. “He’s a real punch, he’s a machine and he’s going to score a lot – well, he’s scored so many goals already, so it’s all good.

“But obviously he’s still adjusting. His English is still not great, if at all. We are working on it en masse.

“He doesn’t help the whole team get through a difficult debut season. How can a striker shine when the team is in trouble? “It’s not possible, but he had great moments for us. Got injured at times and banned at others, that’s not helpful but not a problem at all.

The manager has intentionally fielded Nunez on the left side of a front three and Nunez currently has a return of 15 goals and four assists, but it’s obvious Klopp wants more from the 23-year-old.

“It’s a long-term project,” said the manager. “I understand that he has a desire to play from the start, but we have to find a path that works for us again.

“I’m completely fine with the situation, but I understand that Darwin doesn’t always agree. “It’s not like he smiled at me when he realized he wouldn’t start, it wasn’t like ‘thank you boss’.

“It’s okay, that’s how you have to handle the situation. When you have five or six players up front, I have to make decisions.

“The door is wide open, but the more sessions we have, the more you need to show up.”

In terms of a central role in Liverpool’s system, Klopp insisted Nunez could play that role, but the overall squad composition must be right, suggesting a desire to see more counter-pressure from the starts from No. 27.

“He’s a centre-forward who plays on the left. He needs a specific setup that can play in center and defend” Klopp continued.
“Playing in center isn’t a problem, he’s a machine… He can play both positions, 100%, and he’s done it very well for us.

“He has to learn English, that’s it. We can translate everything, but we can’t have four languages ​​translated during training.”