Few teams would fancy their chances of survival after witnessing Liverpool’s recent demolition of Leeds Utd. Elland Road was struck by endless pandemonium as the reds displayed glimpses of their destructive firepower.
That’s all in the past though. This weekend the Reds will station their army at Anfield in the hope they can continue that impressive form. Steve Cooper’s men shouldn’t expect a warm welcome or an easy night as they step out in one of English football’s toughest venues to pay ode to an exciting battle.
On one hand, Liverpool are still tussling at the top half of the table and for the chance of European Football next season. At the other end of the spectrum, Nottingham Forest are fighting just to stay alive.
Liverpool have blown hot and cold this season. At their devastating best they had a 9-0 annihilation of Bournemouth, the afore mentioned 6-1 against Leeds, a 7-1 trashing of Rangers, and the sweet massacre of fabled rivals Manchester United by a historical seven goal margin. Other times they look blatantly clueless and dumbfounded and have suffered their fair share of embarrassing defeats.
In a nutshell, Liverpool’s attack has hit the ground running after an onerous inception, while their midfield and defense are nowhere to be found. Questions were also raised on Jurgen Klopp’s tactical nous and inflexibility to experiment but the German shut down the self-acclaimed critics by deploying Trent Alexander Arnold as an inverted wing-back.
The move worked wonders as Arnold kept feeding the Reds frontline and goals kept pouring in. Not a bad move to take some inspiration from his famed frenemy, Pep Guardiola. The Reds also found some much-needed stability since the return of Curtis Jones. The Englishman has held his head in the possession relinquishing the ball rarely, and limiting the number of turnovers.
The return of Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz should reignite the hopes of Liverpool as they possess a nearly fit squad with the only exceptions being Naby Keita, Stefan Bajcetic, and Calvin Ramsay.
Nottingham Forest have had disastrous this season. Being newly promoted, The Notts haven’t quite found their feet England’s top tier, even after a busy summer window. The arrival of Keylor Navas, albeit on a temporary basis, gives the Trees some sort of semblance to survival.
Steve Cooper was recently been relieved of some stress, after a public backing from the club’s chairman. Unfortunately, he can’t afford to rest easy, as a disastrous result at Anfield can flip the tables in no time. The Notts just haven’t been able to click. They have only managed five goals in 15 away games this season. Pair that up with a trip to Anfield. Terrifying.
Their passing patterns and attacking plays are predictable, their defense collapses with just a little pressure, and their midfield doesn’t offer much of a dogfight either. Their only saving grace has been the impeccable wall in Keylor Navas. A pile of injuries also adds to this miserable profile.
Liverpool and Klopp will be wanting to field a quick team, as Forest are very susceptible to direct counters. Nottingham on another hand should hope for a lapse in concentration of Liverpool’s backline or a bad day for Alisson Becker. While the margin for error looks significantly small, Liverpool can not risk their European hopes at this stage. Will the team ride their recent win and destroy Nottingham or will the tricky Trees come up with a surprise? One thing is for sure, it will be a great show to watch!