Liverpool analysis - Jurgen Klopp plan hints at two starters vs Man United as forward chance wasted
A disjointed performance from a disjointed Liverpool side, Jurgen Klopp’s young Reds were always on a hiding to nothing when travelling to Belgium on Thursday.
Already guaranteed top spot in their Europa League group and a place in next March’s round-of-16, they had nothing to gain against Union SG at Lotto Park. Consequently, with one eye on Sunday’s home clash with bitter-rivals Manchester United, Klopp left Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Alisson Becker at home, made nine changes to his team and started eight academy graduates.
With an average age of 22 years and 156 days, this was Liverpool's youngest ever starting XI named for a European match. Yet for some, that wasn’t enough. Supporters were perplexed at the sight of Ibrahima Konate in the starting XI especially, and were equally bemused when Darwin Nunez was brought on shortly after the hour-mark.
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With visits from Arsenal and Newcastle United also lying in wait in the Premier League over the festive period, along with a Boxing Day trip to Burnley and League Cup quarter-final clash with West Ham United, you can understand Kopite anxiety. The Reds already have a lengthy injury-list, after all, while onlookers still remember losing Diogo Jota for three months to a knee injury when the Portuguese played in a Champions League dead-rubber against FC Midtjylland in December 2020.
Fortunately, Liverpool appeared to come through this Europa League tie unscathed. Yet when it came to selecting an XI to face Union SG, Klopp was damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t.
A youthful side
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