Liverpool lineup vs Aston Villa: Jota full debut, Fabinho in midfield

Wijnaldum, Fabinho, Keita

Fabinho will drop back into his usual defensive midfield position and will screen the back four like he does so well. He’s the lighthouse and Watkins will have a real introduction to Premier League football as he’ll come up against one of the best in the business.

Now all that contract nonsense has started to die down, Gini Wijnaldum can get back to focusing on what he does best: the little things. He might be granted further license to roam forward if Villa decide to sit deep, but under Klopp that’s not his role.

Wijnaldum is strong, powerful and is incredibly hard to shrug off the ball. In the system that relies on organised chaos, he brings the organised while others bring that chaos and that’s why it can be difficult to quantify what the Dutchman does.

Klopp loves him, and when he’s fit and rested the German finds it incredibly difficult to leave him out of the side.

Naby Keita is a little different. The Guinea international is beginning his Liverpool revival and this will be the fourth league game he starts in a row – that was unthinkable six months ago.

Last season he could have been accused of failing to grasp opportunity when it came to him, but not this time around. He’s made the most of injuries to Henderson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and is making a firm case to being in the team even when those two are fit.

Keita is incredibly fit, mobile, strong, dynamic. He’s everything you’d want in a midfield who’s tasked with providing some forward momentum from midfield.