Saka and Timber encouragement ahead of Liverpool

Morning all.

It’s Liverpool today in the Premier League, and there was some encouragement pre-game when Bukayo Saka and Jurrien Timber were pictured with the squad as they arrived at the team hotel last night. Of course we don’t know if they’re going to be fit enough to start, but if they’re there at all, that’s a good thing.

Let’s begin at the back, and if Timber can play from the start, there’s a decision to be made about exactly where. I think he and Ben White are interchangeable at centre-half and right-back, but generally you ask a bit less physically of the man in the middle, so perhaps that’s where you start the Dutch international.

If he can’t start, then the headaches really begin. Thomas Partey could play right-back with Ben White in the middle; there’s the possibility of using Jakub Kiwior on the right of the central defensive duo, a position he has played in more than once for us before; and another potential option is shifting Declan Rice into the back four and using the numbers we have in midfield.

The left-back decision/issue could play a part too. It didn’t look as if Riccardo Calafiori was present, which is no surprise. If Timber isn’t fit and it’s Partey at right-back, I suspect we’ll see a back four of Partey – White – Gabriel – Kiwior. If Kiwior is chosen alongside Gabriel, then Mikel Arteta has to decide between Oleksandr Zinchenko and Myles Lewis-Skelly. The former was overlooked for a 20 minute cameo on Tuesday night against his compatriots, and on that basis it seems like a big risk to start him for the first time since August when he’ll be facing Mo Salah on Liverpool’s right.

It’s also a lot to ask of an 18 year old too, not forgetting that Trent Alexander-Arnold operates down that side for Liverpool as well, but perhaps what MLS lacks in experience he can make up for in terms of physical readiness for a game of this intensity. My gut feeling says what whatever back four the manager picks, Kiwior is likely to be his choice on that side though.

In midfield, there’s plenty of experience in the shape of Declan Rice, Mikel Merino and Jorginho if Partey is required in the defence, and further forward I fully expect Saka to start this one. I’ve had a sneaky feeling about his participation all week, and his return would obviously be a big boost. I think Gabriel Martinelli is an obvious pick on the left, and while we’ll be looking for him to do some damage in the final third, I think his defensive diligence will be important today.

Up front, I’d like to see Kai Havertz as the furthest man forward today. I think he’s more capable of giving Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate problems than Leandro Trossard who comes into this game on the back of a couple of indifferent performance. Whether that leaves room for something else in midfield, we’ll wait and see, but I strongly suspect this is going to be a team selection that is set-up to give as little away as possible, and that means he’ll lean into experience from the start.

As I mentioned yesterday, Arteta’s pre-game message has been about not feeling sorry for ourselves because of injuries, and looking at things in a really positive way – for both the players and the fans:

Get on with it, show your teeth, show how much you want it, the amazing opportunity for other people, the amazing opportunity for us as a team to rebel against certain situations, we need the crowd more. On Sunday, we need them even more, I’m sure they’re going to do that.

This is a huge game today. One where we can put down a marker, after a start to the season that hasn’t been completely convincing. I think everyone understands why, injuries, suspensions, playing with 10 men too often and the knock-on effects of that, but today is an opportunity to show that these are things we can cope with and still deliver the right result. It’s more difficult, some of the absences are far from ideal, but that’s football for you. You don’t get any points for how challenging the circumstances are, only for what you do on the pitch, so let’s hope we see a positive performance and result this afternoon.

Join us later for live blog coverage, plus you’ll get the match report, goal clips, reaction, player ratings and much more over on Arseblog News.

Come on you reds!