Liverpool FC will face Aston Villa next in the Premier League, as Villa host the defending champions in a hope to get some points. The Reds have suffered a set-back though, as Sadio Mane has reported positive for coronavirus and will thus miss tomorrow’s game. But it will still be expected of Liverpool to win against Villa as the hosts haven’t been in the best of forms in the Premier League lately.
Either of Diogo Jota or Takumi Minamino will be likely to replace Sadio Mane, as both of the forwards are good enough. Klopp will not be worried about his chances against Villa even though Liverpool lost their mid-week game against Arsenal.
Let us now have a look the how Liverpool might lineup against Aston Villa in the Premier League tomorrow.
THE 4-3-2-1
The 4-2-3-1 has been Klopp’s favourite system at Liverpool and this system has been used successfully by the Reds. Although Sadio Mane will miss the game, Diogo Jota is expected to take his spot and will be expected to score, just like he did last weekend in the Premier League. Jota’s game will be directly compared to Mane though, which might not be the best thing for him at the beginning of his Liverpool career.
The creativity of Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold will be on the show again but Villa will try to counter-attack with Grealish and Ole Watkins. Fabinho, as he always does, will be responsible for shielding the backline and covering up the spaces left by the full-backs. The Brazilian along with Wijnaldum will also be responsible for making the game tick and their energy will be pivotal in Liverpool’s game.
Mohammed Salah will once again try to be on the score-sheet but will have to adjust with the game-style of Jota, as Mane and Salah linked up very well. But to Jota’s defence, he has shown good signs and has the same level of commitment Mane has shown for so many years now at Liverpool. Aston Villa are good at set-pieces, thus Van Dijk and Gomez will have to be at their best to keep a clean sheet.
THE 4-3-3
The 4-3-3 is the only other system Klopp has used in the recent years at Liverpool, as it favours the team’s fluid frontline. Minamino might be a better option in the 4-3-3 system even though it is not very different from the 4-2-3-1 system, because of his energy on an off the ball. Minamino is also more involved in the game-play than Jota is and thus can even be an option in place of Firmino.
In this system, the full-backs will have the same role as bumping forward and bombarding the box with crosses. The midfield lacks creativity but Wijnaldum and Keita are very energetic and their drive brings the front men in play with spaces behind the opposition defence. With Thiago also suffering from the coronavirus, Keita and Firmino will be given the responsibility of creating chances for the likes of Mohammed Salah.
But this system might expose Fabinho and the centre-backs in a counter-attack by Aston Villa. Liverpool will have to be cautious from the threat of the counter-attack to come out of the game with all three points.
