Liverpool play Arsenal in their first competitive match of the 2016/17 season, Jurgen Klopp’s first XI will set the mood for the season.
Premier League football is back; rejoice.
After what felt like a two week mini-break thanks to all of the international football to consume this summer as well as Liverpool’s glut of friendlies the last six weeks, it was a short summer.
The Liverpool first face a decimated Arsenal. Thanks to Arsene Wenger’s kindness to his players, allowing them more time off after their international exploitation concluded than Klopp did, their squad is decimated. It’s a perfect time to play Arsenal and it’s a match that Liverpool should have the temerity to believe they’ll get something from.
For Arsenal, there will be no Olivier Giroud, Laurent Koscielny nor Mesut Ozil through lack of match fitness plus injuries to Per Mertesacker and Gabriel Paulista has put the club in a situation in which they may need to play Nacho Monreal in central defense. There won’t be a better time to play Arsenal this season.
But who cares about them. This is about Liverpool.
Klopp’s first competitive match of the season will allow transparency into the manager’s mind and thoughts for the season. I suppose some decisions can be put down as tactical, but more than likely this will be what the manager believes to be his strongest XI.
If he chooses Sadio Mane over Adam Lallana then that’s telling. Or, if Daniel Sturridge can’t start or can’t be trusted to start, it’ll be interesting to see who fills that spot on the team. A straight swap with Divock Origi, or pushing Roberto Firmino up top and having Lallana in the team. Jordan Henderson or James Milner? Decisions, decisions.
Liverpool predicted XI. 4-2-3-1.
Next: GK Simon Mignolet