Liverpool FC status
Frånvaroläge: Jota(skadad)
Trolig startelva (4-3-3): Alisson Alexander-Arnold, Matip, van Dijk, Robertson – Fabinho, Henderson, Keita- Diaz, Firmino, Salah
Tankar om elvan: Vi har två hemmamatcher på ganska kort tid och gissningsvis bör det innebära en del rotation, det gör att elvan känns svår att förutspå. I backlinjen skulle jag kunna tänka mig att Matip kommer tillbaka, då hans passningsfot och offensiva framstötar kan vara bra mot ett, gissningsvis, defensivt spelande Norwich. På mitten behöver vi tänka på att matcha Thiago på ett smart sätt, eftersom han spelade hela matchen mot Inter kan det vara läge att vila honom här, för att sedan starta honom i nästa veckas båda matcher. Henderson gjorde ett fint inhopp senast, samma sak kan sägas om Keita, så jag skulle kunna tänka mig att de startar. I anfallet tror jag det är läge för Diaz första start, medan Mané får vila för att vara het inför kommande matcher. Det är fint att ha många alternativ att välja mellan i elvan nu, det bör innebära att vi kan hålla våra spelare fräscha på ett annat sätt än tidigare.
Norwich status – Gary Gowers(@MFW_NCFC)
1. Norwich are currently 18th in the league, four points behind Newcastle, what are your thoughts on your season so far? Are you satisfied with the teams performances?
2. How do you rate your chances of staying up?
Not very good. We had a decent January and put together a mini-run that saw us briefly escape the bottom three, but always with the caveat that we have played more games than everyone else at the bottom. The run ended with us having our arse handed to us on a plate by Man City at the weekend and in a flash the modicum of momentum we had built up had gone. With Newcastle and Everton (sorry) both seemingly benefitting from new money and new a manager respectively, they look likely to pull clear, so we have to hope that we can somehow drag Leeds and Brentford into the mix. That may just be wishful thinking though. In truth, we’re already on the cusp of needing a water-into-wine type miracle, so our chances of survival, in my view, are slim.3. You replaced Daniel Farke with Dean Smith in november, what do you think about that decision and what has changed under Smith?
We loved Farke but him and the Premier League were unhappy bedfellows. His footballing ideology, from which he refused to budge, was incompatible with a team with the tiniest budget the PL has ever seen and we became pushovers. His type of football relies on good technicians who can take care of the ball and out-pass other teams. In the Championship that was okay because we were better than most, but in the Premier League where every team has better players than you, it could never work. Dean Smith, as mentioned above, has adopted a more pragmatic approach and, as a result, we are a little more solid. The football isn’t as silky as it was under Farke but at least we are picking up a few points.4. Who has been your player of the season so far?
Blimey… tough one. Well, luckily, Grant Hanley has been his usual dependable self at the heart of our defence – at least he has been when he’s been fit – and Milot Rashica, a summer signing from Werder Bremen, has improved as the season has progressed to the point where he now looks at home in the PL. Mathias Normann too, a loan signing from Rostov, has looked like a proper player when he’s been fit, which hasn’t been often enough. Generally, we lack quality due to our chronic lack of resources. That’s why we are where we are.5. Ozan Kabak is currently at Norwich, how has be performed this season? Do you think Liverpool made the right choice not to sign him permanently during the summer after the loan period?
Hhmm… there’s definitely a decent player in there but he has more than a touch of kamikaze about him, which is not conducive to a relegation battle. His ability to pick up the ball in defence and charge up-field with it is proper, thrilling edge-of-the-seat stuff but has been countered by his propensity for losing and giving away the ball in dangerous areas. He probably looked a better player for you because he was surrounded by better players, to be honest.6.You have struggled against many of the top teams this season, what do you want to see from Norwich at Anfield on saturday?
I’d like to see us avoid getting completely humped. That’s pretty much it.
Totaal reflektion: Allt annat än tre poäng i den här matchen är underkänt, vi ska vara minst en klass bättre än Norwich. Deras facit mot topplagen den här säsongen är allt annat än bra och även vi har tagit två klara segrar redan. De enda risker jag kan se är underskattning eller mättnad efter veckans tuffa match mot Inter, men det är samtidigt verkligen inget som brukar karaktärisera det här laget. Vi kommer att ha mängder av alternativ på bänken, så de spelare som inte är i slag ska inte behöva spela längre än nödvändigt. Som sagt, det här är en match vi ska vinna.
Varför skriver ni backlinjen från höger till vänster och anfallet från vänster till höger i trolig startelva?
Bra fråga, slarv från textförfattaren.