The international break probably came at the wrong time for Liverpool. The Reds were hammered 7-2 by Aston Villa in their last Premier League game, and they haven’t had a chance to get that defeat out of their minds.
Liverpool finally return to action this weekend as they head to the blue half of Merseyside to face arch-rivals Everton. The Toffees have started the season in tremendous fashion, winning each of their first seven games in all competitions.
Everton are often the underdogs in the derby against Liverpool, but their confidence ahead of Saturday’s game will be sky-high. That makes the Reds’ job a lot harder, and Jurgen Klopp will have to get his tactics spot on this weekend.
Liverpool were without Sadio Mane and Thiago Alcantara last time around. Both of them are expected to return to the starting line-up this weekend, which will make Liverpool much stronger than they were at Villa Park.
Mo Salah has been in incredible form recently and is a guaranteed starter. However, if there’s one area of the pitch Liverpool fans are concerned about, it’s up front.
Some Liverpool fans want Firmino dropped
Roberto Firmino has been a key figure in Klopp’s system since his £29 million (BBC) move from Hoffenheim in 2015. He’s one of the biggest reasons why Klopp’s system works as well as it does, but some supporters feel it’s time he was dropped.
The Brazilian has yet to score this season. Firmino scored just once in the final 13 games in the league last term too – not a great record for a striker. However, his role involves a lot more than just scoring goals, and Klopp has said before he isn’t worried about his number nine’s goal return.
Liverpool now have Diogo Jota. The Portuguese international was impressive for his country in the international break and many Reds supporters feel he should start instead of Firmino in the derby on Saturday.
Here’s how some Liverpool fans reacted on Twitter
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