Jurgen Klopp has offered a huge hint about his starting line-up as he juggles his resources for tonight’s crucial game which could decide the destination of the Premier League title.
The Liverpool manager came close to admitting that he will have to gamble his side’s quadruple bid - and any chance of winning the title - by picking an almost scratch side for the visit to Southampton on Tuesday. Klopp indicated that he WON’T play most of the players who put in a huge shift during the FA Cup final at Wembley on Saturday. And he completely ruled out playing virtually all who appeared for the whole 120 minutes against Chelsea.
That will mean at least eight changes from the Wembley starting XI for the crucial visit to the South coast, with the manager insisting he must gamble his side’s quadruple hopes with the need to rest players and keep them from being injured before the Champions League final on May 28.
His hints suggest that the likes of Joe Gomez, Kostas Tsimikas, Curtis Jones, Roberto Firmino, Diogo Jota and even Taki Minamino could all come into the starting line up.
And he said with a huge grin: “People say: 'Does he stop whining?' Stuff like this! I know it's better if you moan and argue when you have won something, [rather] than when you lose.
“There are two more matchdays in this week, obviously, we played Saturday and it was possible that we play 120 minutes, and they thought the best day for us to play the next game is the Tuesday!
“We can’t play Wednesday, apparently, because of the Europa League final - so thanks UEFA again! Thursday maybe? (There are three Premier League games on Thursday).
“That is a normal rhythm from when you play Europa League, Thursday, Sunday. But nobody thought we could give them a day more rest, so it’s Tuesday, and the whole time like this and I have to sit here and say it.”
Klopp has argued it would “make no sense” to go to Southampton with “eight players who played 120 minutes at Wembley”, arguing it could put them in real jeopardy of serious injury.
That is not an option with the Champions League final on the horizon, but he promised to put out a side that can fight for the victory which puts the pressure back onto Manchester City at the top of the table…no matter how unlikely it is they will drop points in back to back games.
The last time they did that was in December 2020, when they drew with Manchester United and West Brom, but Klopp said that will have no influence on how he will approach the visit to the south coast.
“When the boys arrive today I have to make a lot of decisions. Then we will line up a team. What I can promise and definitely say is we will line up a team only for one reason: to try to win the game at Southampton. Because that obviously is the job to do. We have to see who is able to help. The 30 extra minutes [at Wembley] made a big difference, but we have to see.
“Is it a chance, a big chance? I wouldn't say so because I don't know when City dropped points the last time two games in a row historically. But that has no influence on our game at Southampton. We know in an ideal world we go in the last matchday and are one point behind.
“That would be, from today's point of view, the perfect scenario and that's what we try to do.”
Klopp is only likely to keep Alisson and Konate in his line up from the players who played 120 minutes at Wembley, and will instead turn to his fresh players to deliver the victory needed.
Expected Starting Lineup: Alisson; Gomez, Konate, Matip, Tsimikas; Jones, Keita, Milner; Jota, Firmino, Minamino
