Liverpool squeezed past Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday afternoon, avoiding a setback to maintain their sizeable lead at the top of the Premier League.
Now, Aston Villa at Villa Park. It won’t be easy, although the Reds have avoided defeat in their last nine top-flight meetings with the upcoming opponents, albeit drawing two of the previous four.
With Manchester City hosting Arne Slot’s table-toppers at the weekend, change may be afoot. Liverpool have run roughshod over the majority of their league opponents this season but must be wary as nerves begin to dig their claws in.
Lifting the title is becoming a very real possibility, but Liverpool need to avoid a setback here and will have to do so without several first-team stars.
Liverpool dealt fitness blows
Cody Gakpo was absent against Wolves after picking up a knock during last week’s draw at Goodison Park and has been ruled out once again for this one.
It’s a blow, to be sure, but Liverpool have depth and a host of players who need to step up to the plate and ease Mohamed Salah’s burden.
Though Gakpo is in contention for a return against Pep Guardiola’s side, Slot has provided a begrudging update on Joe Gomez’s fitness, with the versatile defender set to be sidelined for several more weeks, potentially requiring surgery on a hamstring injury.
Of course, Villa have got a number of issues themselves, chiefly to their depleted defensive ranks. Liverpool can damage Unai Emery’s side, for sure.
However, the Lions did boost their ranks in January, and there’s one man in particular – Marcus Rashford – who will have the spotlight on him this evening.
Slot praised the 27-year-old’s quality and may be tempted to make a big change for the looming contest.
Slot could make a bold call vs Villa
Trent Alexander-Arnold is one of Liverpool’s greatest latter-day players, but he looked somewhat off the boil during the narrow Wolves win, and Slot could replace him with Conor Bradley for this one.
The games are coming thick and fast, and Gomez’s injury update calls for caution, lest Liverpool lose another key part ahead of the business end of the season.
Alexander-Arnold said in 2020 that a clash against Manchester United two years before was “the most difficult” in his fledgling career, owing largely to being pitted against Rashford.
The Three Lions winger has felt more than most the ebb and flow of football, but there’s little question that he’s one of the dangerous forces in the Premier League when on his a-game.
It’s early days yet, but you feel that Rashford is ready to play with a new lease of life at Villa Park, and having scored five goals from ten games against Trent in his career, switching things up might pay off for Slot.
It would be a big – some may even say brazen – call from the Netherlands tactician, but Bradley’s mobile and athletic style of play could be the perfect way to neutralise Villa’s winter recruit.
24/25
16 (12)
3
1
23/24
33 (26)
7
2
22/23
35 (32)
17
5
21/22
25 (13)
4
2
20/21
37 (33)
11
9
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31 (31)
17
7
He’s down but not out. Rashford has proved over separate campaigns his capacity for brilliance, and freshening things up, bringing Alexander-Arnold’s heir apparent to the starting fold, might knock Emery’s pre-game preparations askew.
There’s also the matter of Liverpool’s weekend fixture. Indeed, Manchester City await on Sunday, with Liverpool last winning at the Etihad Stadium in the league way back in November 2015, just two months into Jurgen Klopp’s tenure.
Days after, Liverpool meet Newcastle United at Anfield in the next crunch fixture in a sea of crunch fixtures. They have the following weekend off due to being dumped out of the FA Cup, but the last 16 of the Champions League rolls up the ensuing midweek.
Aston Villa (A)
West Ham (H)
Man City (A)
Nott’m Forest (A)
Newcastle (H)
Man United (A)
Southampton (H)
Chelsea (H)
Everton (H)
Fulham (H)
It’s relentless, but Liverpool are up for the task. However, Slot will likely be wary after his side’s uninspiring performances against Everton and Wolves, with Arsenal only too eager to pounce on a Reds setback and bridge the title gap.
Bradley is more than capable of silencing Rashford and helping his team toward a stirring Villa Park victory that would see Liverpool tackle the weekend fixture with renewed vigour and confidence.
As per FBref, the Northern Ireland star ranks among the top 10% of full-backs across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for both passes attempted and the top 5% for progressive carries and tackles per 90.
He’s dynamic and ceaseless. Bradley’s 4.28 touches per 90 in the attacking box also put him in the top bracket of positional peers, showcasing a different type of attacking flair to that of Liverpool’s vice-captain.
Against the likes of Rashford and Morgan Rogers, his defensive game will surely be called into play more than a few times – luckily he’s already proved against the very best that the game has to offer that he has no qualms about getting stuck in with crunching challenges.
Hailed as an “unbelievable talent” by Northern Irish footballer Richard Donnelly, Bradley’s proved time and time again that he’s capable of playing a central role in Slot’s project.
All of a Liverpool persuasion want Trent to stay put, but if he does leave for Real Madrid, Bradley is more than ready to step up.
Chalkboard
Should he start against Aston Villa, he will prove as much all over again.
He left in 2021: Liverpool flop sold for £12m is now outscoring Nunez in PL
He could have played a part for the Anfield side over the past few years.
ByAngus Sinclair