Having successfully switched to a new formation against Rangers last week, Jurgen Klopp's fortunes turned at Arsenal on Sunday.
Something of a new-look 442 allowed the Liverpool manager the luxury of squeezing an extra attacker into the lineup for the first-ever competitive meeting with the Scottish side last week.
What followed was one of the more positive performances of the campaign as they ran out 2-0 winners in Champions League Group A. Sunday's visit to the Emirates, however, was always going to be more indicative of whether or not this was a system that could be used to help stabilise a team in flux.
A 3-2 loss to the Premier League leaders owed to the Reds' lack of game management more than the particular nuances of the formation itself. An Arsenal goal after 57 seconds and one in the fifth minute of added time was always going to leave Jurgen Klopp's men with an uphill battle and that was before a particularly panicked piece of defending ended with the concession of a controversial penalty.
Klopp was asked if he was willing to stick to his 442 guns this week in the wake of the defeat at Arsenal and the Liverpool manager hinted that injuries to Luis Diaz and Trent Alexander-Arnold will make that difficult on Wednesday night.
"I think the goals we conceded had nothing to do with the new system," Klopp said. "We have to get used to it a bit more. Can we do it again? I don't know because today we lost an important part of it [through injuries], so we have to see who is available for it in the next game. But do I have deeper concerns? Yes, of course I am not happy. How can I be?”
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An absence of Diaz at Ibrox - he is likely to be sidelined until after the World Cup - does not necessarily mean Klopp cannot make room for four attackers in his team. He is still able to switch Roberto Firmino in for the Colombian international, like Sunday, and use Diogo Jota on the left of the attack.
The issue is perhaps there is a lack of real options on the bench then to potentially turn a game if needed. The inexperienced Fabio Carvalho would likely be the next one off the rank if Firmino and Jota both start alongside Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah.
It means a potential switch back to the tried-and-trusted 433 could see a return to the side for Fabinho, who has been left out of the last two games. The Brazil midfielder, like so many others in the squad, is badly out of form but a comeback in Glasgow could be the start of a rebuild of confidence for the former Monaco midfielder.
At some point, Fabinho's form will turn. The defensive-minded midfielder is too good for his malaise to last and while he has been curiously below par so far, he is certainly not alone in that regard. Could a Wednesday night come back after a brief spell out the side be key to unlocking him? It's a conundrum for Klopp to wrestle with.
Ibrahima Konate made his first appearance of the season at Arsenal and is in contention for a maiden start if Klopp decides to use the Frenchman in place of Joel Matip, while Joe Gomez could deputise for Alexander-Arnold, who was swapped at half-time with an ankle issue following a first-half collision with Gabriel Martinelli.
Klopp will deliver the latest on both Alexander-Arnold and Diaz in his Tuesday press conference from Ibrox while an update on Scotland captain Andy Robertson should also be forthcoming too.
READ MORE:
- ‘You cannot play like that’ - Andy Gray identifies key reason behind Liverpool problems
- Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher slam Liverpool defending as Trent Alexander-Arnold point made
- Trent Alexander-Arnold substituted after Liverpool injury blow against Arsenal
- Liverpool fans make Martin Tyler and Gary Neville point during Arsenal defeat
