Steve Nicol has called for Jurgen Klopp to make one significant change to Liverpool’s starting XI to face Arsenal on Sunday.
The manager wielded the axe following the 4-1 defeat to Manchester City a week ago, making six changes in personnel for the subsequent goalless draw away to Chelsea, and there could be a few alterations again tomorrow.
Although Thiago Alcantara looks set to be available following his hip injury, the Scot has championed the case for moving Trent Alexander-Arnold into a midfield role from his usual right-back berth – a potential tweak we also discussed in a recent column on Empire of the Kop.
Speaking on ESPN FC, Nicol explained: “I hope he plays Trent Alexander-Arnold in the middle of the park on the right-hand side, because that would make far more sense.
“He doesn’t really have many options, Klopp. He’s certainly never given us any sniff that he’s ever going to change from 4-3-3, so I don’t expect him to do it now.
“Why don’t you play Trent on the right-hand side [of midfield]? Play him where he’s best, and that is from the halfway line forward. We know he can’t defend, so he doesn’t really have to defend per se in the middle of the park, in my opinion.
“All he has to do is shepherd players around and close the ball down without letting people run past him. I think he would be safe in there, and it’s not really much of a gamble.”
With Trent a powerful force going forward (15 career goals and 65 assists) but often shipping criticism for his defensive acumen, Nicol’s suggestion appears a valid one at surface level.
However, given Liverpool’s pressing need for a positive result and the quality of opposition in Premier League leaders Arsenal, we don’t expect Klopp to make such a radical change for tomorrow’s match at least.
Whether it’s something he might explore further down the line is another matter, though.
You can see Nicol’s chosen starting XI for the Arsenal game below, from ESPN UK on YouTube: