Liverpool advanced to the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup after beating Bournemouth 2-1 on Thursday.
It was a great game with surprising strengths, the main talking points being: Klopp has powerJurgen Klopp named a surprisingly strong Liverpool XI against Bournemouth. The presence of Mohamed Salah is of the utmost importance.
However, Dominik Szoboszlai and Kostas Tsimikas also started, despite having played a lot of football recently.
That means Liverpool are doing everything they can to qualify for the Carabao Cup this season, so why not? The Reds have a real chance to win the UEFA Europa League outside of their rotation. Few players start each game with a lot of rest.
But Salah and Tsimikas are question marks. The Egyptian is set to play in the AFCON early next year and Liverpool may want to prepare for that by incorporating him into the first half of the season.
Tsimikas is another matter. He is the only senior left back. If you start, you risk burning or hurting yourself and you’re not sure if it’s worth it.
THE NEW TEST FOR QUANSAH
The young defender has had some decent performances this season, but things have been different here. The weather on the south coast was appalling, which presented a new challenge for Liverpool.
Compared to Bournemouth’s compact formation, the Reds play more isolated from their defenders. Whether in the air or on the pitch, the unpredictable ball constantly threatened to catch you. The center backs have contained him well, which is great for Jarell Quanza.
He wasn’t worried at all. Despite being confident enough to dribble at random, neither player completed more passes in the first half. This was a strong test of his sobriety and we think he passed with flying colors.
SZOBOSZLAI FROM THE RIGHT
The form of Liverpool’s front three was not entirely clear on the team sheet. Mohamed Salah is in the center, Cody Gakpo is on the left and Dominic Szoboszlai is on the right.
It’s a role he knows well, but one he hasn’t seen often at Liverpool so far. Last season he played mainly for RB Leipzig, scoring six goals and providing eight assists from the left flank.
I thought he played well there as well. This certainly limits his ability to cut down the right flank and shoot, but Soboslay is comfortable in both directions and leads to many good exchanges with Salah and overlapping Joe Gomez.
Liverpool are without Salah left or right. Maybe we’ll see a little more as the season progresses. Based on this evidence, it probably should.
ENDO IS STILL LEARNING
It’s been a difficult start for Wataru Endo at Liverpool and he has struggled against Bournemouth. The Japan international had plenty of positive moments to show that he had plenty of chances, but he also dribbled three times in an hour. He was like the rest of Liverpool’s starting XI, unsuited to a typical defensive midfielder. Of course, if you want to adapt faster, you need games, so you can consider them as new learning experiences.
NUNEZ IS ON FIRE
Darwin came off the bench to hit the winner here and what a winner it was. The reality is that no matter how amazing a goal is, Uruguay will score it. This season, he is averaging a goal every 55 minutes in all competitions. It’s a huge deal and Nunez seems fully committed to Liverpool.
The team clicked with him. Trent Alexander-Arnold knew something was going to happen the first time he threw the ball to a striker. And that’s the key. Nunez is capable of making things happen and has continued to dominate this season.
