Liverpool continue their run of fixtures before the end of the year, and this Wednesday they will face Sheffield United in the 15th Premier League fixture of the season. The English team will have some changes in the starting line-up. Reds manager Jurgen Klopp told a news conference that he will be without Cameroonian central defender Joel Matip, who suffered a niggling injury in last weekend's dramatic win over Fulham.
"It's the most difficult period in football, we already played without some players in the game against Fulham. Now we lost Joel, so it's very difficult. It's very tough what's coming now, so our focus at the moment is on Sheffield United," he said initially. The manager, likewise, seized the moment and stressed the importance of having a strong substitutes' bench at this stage of the season, noting that he currently only has four strikers, including Darwin Nunez.
Faced with this situation, the German insisted that it is important that everyone is at a very good level, as he indicated that those who remain on the bench can also contribute a lot to the team when it comes to entering the field. He also emphasised that everyone will have their chance to play. "We started with three strikers and we have one on the bench. I wouldn't say it's the strongest bench in the world, but the player who can come in is really good, that's true. To be successful you need a strong team. There's no doubt you need it, that's clear and now it's not about thinking about what you have available," he added.
With Liverpool's saturation of strikers at present, Klopp's message could have been to any of the strikers, but especially to Darwin Nunez, as the Uruguayan continues to demonstrate his lack of finishing ability, although he has become important in the creation of goalscoring moves. Should the failings continue, it could cost him the starting line-up and Klopp could turn to Cody Gakpo.
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