Frånvaroläge: Elliot(långtidsskadad), Firmino(skadad), Jones(skadad), Keita(skadad), Gomez(skadad) Trolig startelva (4-3-3): Alisson Alexander-Arnold, Matip van Dijk, Robertson – Fabinho, Henderson, Thiago – Salah, Jota, Mané
Tankar om elvan: Några spelare har kommit tillbaka sedan senast och jag tror vi får se både Robertson och Henderson tillbaka i startelvan under lördagen. Tsimikas och Oxlade-Chamberlain har gjort det bra de senaste matcherna, men här tror jag att Klopp kommer att välja sina mer inkörda spelare. Både Robertson och Henderson fick hoppa in i Champions League i veckan, gissningsvis för att vara redo för nittio minuter nu. I övrigt finns det inga anledningar att göra några ändringar i elvan som körde över Arsenal. Lite oklart kring Jotas status, det pratades om en skada efter matchen mot Porto, om han skulle missa matchen tror jag Minamino får chansen från start.
Southampton status – Allen Gunn(@a_gunzy), från @StMarysMusings
1. What are your thoughts on the season so far? Are you satisfied with the performances?
We’re just so hot and cold that it is hard to tell how satisfied we should be with our performances. We’ll go winless and then reel off an unbeaten run with a few wins strung together and then forget to show up and it is back to square one. I don’t think that we’re a legitimate relegation candidate – that’s a feeling that hasn’t been there for a few seasons – but that’s thanks in part to the bottom four or five teams being absolutely abysmal.
2. Hassenhuttl has been at your club for a few seasons now, how do you rate him as manager?
I rate him in certain aspects. He’s shown he has the ability to inspire the best out of players, the likes of James Ward-Prowse and Che Adams included. But tactically, he’s shown his naivety in crucial moments and that’s cost us so many points – For instance, making the wrong substitution at the wrong time or leaving it too late, utilising the wrong players off the bench, and coming out with a strong game plan only to be overrun by the opposing manager after half-time. I don’t think we’re going to get any better and I certainly don’t want to pull a manager off the same Premier League carousel. He’s what we’ve got and he just needs to figure out how to make it work as he had success at Leipzig, which means he’s more than capable.
3. You lost Ings and Vestergaard during the summer, how has that affected your team?
Losing Danny Ings was inevitable. It’s something we’ve started to overcome as Che Adams has finally started to come into his own, forming a decent little partnership with Adam Armstrong. We still struggle to finish off chances when we’re dominating games – something that happened even with Ings – and that’s led to either narrow victories or being overhauled over 90 minutes. Jannik Vestergaard was a great profit and someone who has struggled to kick on at Leicester City. The emergence of Mohamed Salisu has made Vestergaard’s departure easier, especially for the £20 million return.
4. What are the strengths and weaknesses of your team?
The biggest glaring weakness of Saints is our inability to hold a lead – Something that continued against Norwich last week. I can’t remember the number, but we’ve shipped well over 50 points from winning positions. It’s frustrating because the players do all the hard work, but momentary lapses kill us. We get punished for every one of them. Our strength is stepping up in games against the top teams, maybe over performing a bit. But the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, etc. always light a fire under the team. I also think our backline has the chance to be better than the one with had when Virgil Van Dijk partnered Jose Fonte in the heart of the defence under Ronald Koeman.
5. What are your expectations this season? What would be a good season for Southampton?
I want us to be as far away from the relegation battle as possible. After a handful of seasons fighting until the end, it’s time we performed at the level we are capable of. The middle of the table is squished together and points at the right time can see us either eclipse that 10th spot or sit just under it. I think that would be a great season and hopefully give new players in the side a bit of confidence going forward. If it is a grind of a season, then it’s harder for those players getting their feet wet in the Premier League to kick on.
We’re just so hot and cold that it is hard to tell how satisfied we should be with our performances. We’ll go winless and then reel off an unbeaten run with a few wins strung together and then forget to show up and it is back to square one. I don’t think that we’re a legitimate relegation candidate – that’s a feeling that hasn’t been there for a few seasons – but that’s thanks in part to the bottom four or five teams being absolutely abysmal.
2. Hassenhuttl has been at your club for a few seasons now, how do you rate him as manager?
I rate him in certain aspects. He’s shown he has the ability to inspire the best out of players, the likes of James Ward-Prowse and Che Adams included. But tactically, he’s shown his naivety in crucial moments and that’s cost us so many points – For instance, making the wrong substitution at the wrong time or leaving it too late, utilising the wrong players off the bench, and coming out with a strong game plan only to be overrun by the opposing manager after half-time. I don’t think we’re going to get any better and I certainly don’t want to pull a manager off the same Premier League carousel. He’s what we’ve got and he just needs to figure out how to make it work as he had success at Leipzig, which means he’s more than capable.
3. You lost Ings and Vestergaard during the summer, how has that affected your team?
Losing Danny Ings was inevitable. It’s something we’ve started to overcome as Che Adams has finally started to come into his own, forming a decent little partnership with Adam Armstrong. We still struggle to finish off chances when we’re dominating games – something that happened even with Ings – and that’s led to either narrow victories or being overhauled over 90 minutes. Jannik Vestergaard was a great profit and someone who has struggled to kick on at Leicester City. The emergence of Mohamed Salisu has made Vestergaard’s departure easier, especially for the £20 million return.
4. What are the strengths and weaknesses of your team?
The biggest glaring weakness of Saints is our inability to hold a lead – Something that continued against Norwich last week. I can’t remember the number, but we’ve shipped well over 50 points from winning positions. It’s frustrating because the players do all the hard work, but momentary lapses kill us. We get punished for every one of them. Our strength is stepping up in games against the top teams, maybe over performing a bit. But the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, etc. always light a fire under the team. I also think our backline has the chance to be better than the one with had when Virgil Van Dijk partnered Jose Fonte in the heart of the defence under Ronald Koeman.
5. What are your expectations this season? What would be a good season for Southampton?
I want us to be as far away from the relegation battle as possible. After a handful of seasons fighting until the end, it’s time we performed at the level we are capable of. The middle of the table is squished together and points at the right time can see us either eclipse that 10th spot or sit just under it. I think that would be a great season and hopefully give new players in the side a bit of confidence going forward. If it is a grind of a season, then it’s harder for those players getting their feet wet in the Premier League to kick on.
6. What kind of game do you expect at Anfield?
I fear for how ugly it could get. I feel bad saying that, but despite being held against Brighton, the huge win over Arsenal followed up by the Champions League victory over Porto presents a daunting task. Liverpool needs points to maintain pace with Chelsea in the title race so that’s massive with a fairly kind run of fixtures upcoming for you all. I hope we can give a good account of ourselves – we’d be lucky to pick up a plucky draw.
I fear for how ugly it could get. I feel bad saying that, but despite being held against Brighton, the huge win over Arsenal followed up by the Champions League victory over Porto presents a daunting task. Liverpool needs points to maintain pace with Chelsea in the title race so that’s massive with a fairly kind run of fixtures upcoming for you all. I hope we can give a good account of ourselves – we’d be lucky to pick up a plucky draw.
Totaal reflektion: Det här är en match som Liverpool ska vinna, om vi vill hänga med i tätstriden är det slut med tappade poäng på hemmaplan. Southampton har en del skickliga spelare och har skakat topplag tidigare, men här ska de inte ha något att hämta. Vi kommer inte att få lika mycket gratis som mot Arsenal förra helgen, det blir antagligen ett väldigt lågt försvar som vi kommer behöva ta oss igenom, men med tanke på den kvalitet som finns i vår trupp ska vi klara av det. Seger under lördagen skulle ge oss än mer vind i seglen inför det hektiska schema som snart kommer, jag hoppas se oss sätta full fart från start och visa att Southampton inte har något att hämta på Anfield.