Topic: Pre-Match Preview - Huddersfield Town vs Liverpool - Saturday 20th Oct - 17:30

[tubby]

No one cares about the internationals, let's talk about what's important in life.

When I was younger I didn't really know where Huddersfield even was, but in the infancy of the internet I got chatting to a girl from there who was into the same music as me and seemed pretty cool.  Now this was before smart phones and digital photos were commonplace, so the only way people could see what the person they were chatting to looked like was if they sent each other pictures in the post.  After a few months of me nagging her to fire over some pictures, she finally agreed.  Waited weeks for the pictures of this smart, funny, interesting girl to come through my letterbox, and when they did, it wasn't quite what I'd expected.  She'd literally drawn cartoon pictures of herself and her town on postcard-sized pieces of paper.  Her local chip shop was there, there was one of a dog in the park she'd seen one day, there was another of her and her mate wearing capes and flying over the town... wtf man.  She found this HILARIOUS and looking back, I can get behind that.  However, at the time, I can't even tell you how many of my jimmies were rustled that day the postcards turned up.  They weren't even coloured in properly.

She now runs an online store for her hand-drawn greeting cards, and they're actually pretty good and she's doing alright for herself. The lesson here, my friends, is that you just can't trust anyone from Huddersfield.

Uh, so anyway...

We've managed to negotiate a very tough run of league matches and come out the other side with zero defeats, with a highly tactical match against City being especially cagey considering the attacking ability of the two teams on show.  So now we have a chance to open our legs and show our class to the rest of the league with what look like two fairly straightforward matches against Huddersfield and Cardiff.  Of course, straightforward means nothing if you're a Liverpool supporter, we've hit many a brick wall over the past couple of decades when facing unfancied opposition who are happy to dig in and play for the point.  It's honestly been really fucking annoying.

But in our favour, the form table makes grim reading for Huddersfield fans, so far this season they've lost against any decent opposition they've faced and have only picked up points (3 of them in total) against garbage teams around their level (Cardiff, Burnley and Everton).



Looking at the formations in these games, Wagner generally sets his team up with a back 5, but against weaker opposition he'll switch to a 4 (Man City excluded).



Assuming it'll be the back 5 against us, our three forwards will find their back line very crowded, with their wingbacks tucking in and this will likely give our fullbacks a lot of the ball.  Expect Trent to come back in for this game and Keita's ability to move into pockets of space between the lines will be key to unlocking what'll be a very defensive set up.  Our frontline hasn't been firing on all cylinders this season and it looks like Mo might not be able to make it for this match, so this gives Klopp an opportunity to move things around.  Does he bring Shaqiri in as a direct replacement as a right inside-forward, or will the power cube get a deeper role to help pick the Huddersfield lock?  Should Solanke be considered as an option with his ability in the air and the likelihood that we'll have a lot of the ball in wide areas?

Huddersfield have shipped 17 goals in the league, have scored only 4 and have a few players making their way back from injury, so, on paper, we should have this.  Perfect chance to get our misfiring forward line back in the groove.  Just can't trust anyone from Huddersfield though, how are you supposed to wank to hand-drawn pictures?  Fuck's sake.

For your consideration:

- Assuming chess prodigy Trent A-A comes back in, who partners VVD in defence, Gomez or Lovren?
- If Salah is out for this match, do we bring Shaqiri in as a straight swap or does Klopp move things around and go for a similar set up to the Southampton match earlier this season?  He wasn't happy with us defensively in that match, does that mean we're tied to this loose 433 we play for the rest of the season?
- Is PoP going to give me grief for calling it a 433?

[him_15]

Could see Salah being sub and Shaqiri to start this time. Too risky to start Salah I reckon. Both Gomez and Lovern are in form so a tough choice for Klopp to make.

[vagabond]

As much as I enjoyed Lovren's performance, I'm not sure it is a tough choice. We will dominate the ball, presumably, so we need either Gomez or Matip back there to help with our build up play and to play passes to feet into our midfield and attack that can take some of their players out of the game.

[diglet]

I think the real question here is what photos did you send to Huddersfield?

Personally I would bring Shaqiri in as a straight swap for Salah. I wouldn’t be surprised if Sturridge and Shaqiri start though in an effective front four. Shaqiri’s ability from set pieces could be key if we are struggling to break them down.

I have no idea if Huddersfield have any pace that could hurt us on the break (I suspect not) so perhaps Lovren might get the nod as he probably edges Gomez for strength in the air, their only hope is surely a jammy set piece goal.

Someone is due a proper twatting and I think Huddersfield could be on the wrong end of one here.

[deFacto please, you bastards]

Smash them, a win is a minimum requirement, the next thing would be not to concede goals and score at least, and help improve our goal difference

It would not surprise me if Mo missed this game obviously due to this injury, and there's no reason to risk him so I can see Shaqiri coming in for him for sure. Maybe even Van Dijk gets a rest due to his rib injury.

Becker

Trent
Gomez
Lovren
Robertson

Henderson
Wijnaldum
Keita

Shaqiri
Firmino
Mane

Subs
-Lallana
-Sturridge
-Fabinho
-Moreno
-Mignolet
-Matip
-Clyne

I expect that Lallana will get at least 20,25 minutes at some point in this match

[dudleyred]

Smash them, a win is a minimum requirement, the next thing would be not to concede goals and score at least, and help improve our goal difference

It would not surprise me if Mo missed this game obviously due to this injury, and there's no reason to risk him so I can see Shaqiri coming in for him for sure. Maybe even Van Dijk gets a rest due to his rib injury.

Becker

Trent
Gomez
Lovren
Robertson

Henderson
Wijnaldum
Keita

Shaqiri
Firmino
Mane

Subs
-Lallana
-Sturridge
-Fabinho
-Moreno
-Mignolet
-Matip
-Clyne

I expect that Lallana will get at least 20,25 minutes at some point in this match

Like that but I’d swap clyne out and put solanke on the bench

[peachybum]

Like that but I’d swap clyne out and put solanke on the bench

Yeah, absolutely no point having Clyne in the squad when TAA, Gomez and Fabinho are all quality right backs.

[Destiny]

Will smash them, I'd be shocked if them and Cardiff hit the 20 point mark this season both are shockingly bad. It's great that we're playing both back to back with Red Star at home sandwiched in between. Time to deliver three thrashings starting with this game.

I'm going to go 4-0 to us with Firmino x2, Mane and Sturridge to score.

[Zlen]

Just win, any which way.
I don't care if it's dirty, hard fought, if we still don't 'hit our stride' - I only care about three points.

[rocco]

Wouldn’t mind seeing the same formation we used in the first half v Southampton as it put us 3 up and switching back it produced 0 goals .
Plenty on here and Klopp thought we lost control ,  cant it be tweaked ?

[Tony19:6]

I think if Salah is struggling we may see Shaq come into the front 3, Milner is out so Keita deffo starts.

Hope to see Lallana get some minutes, possibly from the bench as our MF has been functional but unspectacular thus far and we need a bit of a spark.

Sturridge linked up well in pre season with Keita, so we may see  Klopp try to rekindle that partnership ?

Hoping to see what Fab can do also after being introduced very slowly thus far too.

In a word opportunities...

[Floydy]

has to be 3 points but lets not get complacent here, a tough game awaits us, we need to be on it from the off.

[Perham]

This could be a good opportunity for shaqiri is Salah is injured

[Brian Blessed]

Bring in Shaqiri and Sturridge. They’re going to park a couple of buses, so for attackers should do it.

It is tempting to rest Virgil, but I think he will ply for safety’s sake. And my preference is for Gomez to partner him.

And please, no more injuries in the next few days.

[ManéManéMané]

Thanks for the excellent OP. How did you find that table with the Huddersfield formations, please?

In the absence of Mo and Milner, we will need Shaqiri's creativity, and we'll need another good game from Mané. I hope Virgil's ribs are okay, and I'd play Sturridge, too.

I'd like to see a midfield of Keita, Gini and Hendo:

A Becker

Trent
Gomez
Virgil
Robbo

Hendo
Gini
Keita

Mané
Sturridge
Bobby

Playing Mané behind Bobby and Daniel might be a good option: I've never liked Bobby on the wing, and Sturridge can't play there either.

[CHOPPER]

It'll get wrong, before it gets right.


Last 5 minute winner for us.

[tubby]

Thanks for the excellent OP. How did you find that table with the Huddersfield formations, please?

Thanks, chum.  They're all on this site: www.transfermarkt.com

[stockdam]

I'd like to see Sturridge play as he can find space from nowhere; I don't see us needing to press that much and the only real danger from Huddersfield will be from freekicks and corners.

As for the Gomex/Lovren debate, I think I'd slightly prefer Gomez; only for the fact that I think their forwards will be looking for penalties and I think Lovren is slightly more suspect. However he is probably better in the air than Gomez so it's almost a toss of a coin for me.

I'd like to see Keita and Shaq take the game by the scruff of the neck.

[Mr_Shane]

I feel Shaqiri and Sturridge are going to be key for this. They are literally going to defend for their lives, but I think our quality will be too much for them.

I think set pieces, long range efforts and Sturridges ability to find space in the penalty box are going to settle it in our favor

[ManéManéMané]

Thanks, chum.  They're all on this site: www.transfermarkt.com

👍👍👍🙌🙌🙌

[him_15]

Hope Clyne and Lallana get some minute too.

[Caligula?]

The question is, will we win? I think we will.

[GucciMane]

Would start with the same team as the City game bring on Sturridge for Salah, Trent for Lovren(
If they don’t have a Glen Murray if they do start with Dejan) and Keita for Henderson/Gini. Maybe even go for Shaqiri,Keita and Henderson/Gini/Milner. Also don’t move Firmino from the center play Studge off the right. Trust me with TAA on the over lap he can hurt these with his combination play and runs. I actuallly believe off the right cutting in is/was Studges best position. Then maybe give Lallana some minutes.

[GucciMane]

They got that Depoitre guy he’s strong in the air. Would go for Dejan and VVD for this game. Gomez starting for England against Spain. So it all makes sense kind of.

[RogerTheRed]

Come on Redmen!!
I think it will be Lovren and Gomez at CB. Agree Sturridge for Me and if Milner is out it is likely to be Hendo, Gini and Keita in midfield.
Should be straightforward as long as we score in first 60 min.

[harryc]

Ideal game for Fab to get some game time, against a low block team his incisive passing will be very useful.

Would also like to see Shaq get a run out from the start.

[campioni]

Huddersfield, Red Star and Cardiff our next three games. These are the type of games where we have to be able to use the squad or our first 11 will be burnt out later in the season. We have more than enough quality in the squad to beat Huddersfield.

I can't imagine we'll see Salah and possibly Van Dijk with the injuries they are carrying.

[Sharado]

Shaq in for Salah, Lovren in for VVD alongside gomez and possibly sturridge in for bobby depending on his travel time. Up the reds. We should absolutely twat these, not taking anything for granted but it's essential we record a win here.

[LallanaInPyjamas]

I'd only be resting Salah and/or VVD for this one if they genuinely need it. Red Star at home is the perfect opportunity to do that. They looked utterly woeful in Paris.

Everyone hated on Neville's point about how we should prioritise the league - but I thought he was right personally. We can get through the group stage with 10 out of 18 points. Any silly dropped points in the league, though, could cost us the title.

[Sharado]

I'd only be resting Salah and/or VVD for this one if they genuinely need it. Red Star at home is the perfect opportunity to do that. They looked utterly woeful in Paris.

Everyone hated on Neville's point about how we should prioritise the league - but I thought he was right personally. We can get through the group stage with 10 out of 18 points. Any silly dropped points in the league, though, could cost us the title.

They did. They looked like they were paid to lose by 5 goals or something.

[deFacto please, you bastards]

I'd only be resting Salah and/or VVD for this one if they genuinely need it. Red Star at home is the perfect opportunity to do that. They looked utterly woeful in Paris.

Everyone hated on Neville's point about how we should prioritise the league - but I thought he was right personally. We can get through the group stage with 10 out of 18 points. Any silly dropped points in the league, though, could cost us the title.

They did look awful they also kept Napoli to a scoreless draw, they are a side who play better at home than away and the atmosphere is a huge part of that.

Looks like neither Salah nor Virgil have been ruled out for the game but we won't know until Friday

[mkingdon]

Klopp hinted he would rotate more after that horrendous run was done, so I expect changes, especially with fecking international break injuries to Salah and VVD.

                  Becker

Clyne   Gomez    Lovren   Roberton

                 Fabinho

        Milner                 Keita

Shaqiri         Sturridge         Mane


Score all of the goals please.

[deFacto please, you bastards]

Klopp hinted he would rotate more after that horrendous run was done, so I expect changes, especially with fecking international break injuries to Salah and VVD.

                  Becker

Clyne   Gomez    Lovren   Roberton

                 Fabinho

        Milner                 Keita

Shaqiri         Sturridge         Mane


Score all of the goals please.

Milner is out for at least a month.

[Red Beret]

Shaqiri definitely for this.  Klopp changed formation against Southampton because we were being sloppy and another team might have punished us for it.  That said we hadn't had a lot of time to practice at the time due to bad weather.  Internationals nonwithstanding, we should have enough players drilled on it by now, and Huddersfield are arguably much weaker than Southampton.

If and only if Klopp deems it, we could have Mo on the bench and bring him on around 70 minutes, just to see if he can get a confidence boosting goal against tiring legs.  But it might not be worth the risk of some tiring and desperate Huddersfield player hacking Salah's legs out from under him just outside the penalty area.

[mkingdon]

Milner is out for at least a month.

Balls, forgot that...I blame the international break for lasting too long and affecting my memory.

Wijnaldum in then I would say.

[jonnypb]

                    Allison

TAA   Gomez    Lovren   Roberton

                 Fabinho

        Gini                 Keita

Shaqiri         Bobby         Mane

Bring on Sturridge round the 60 min mark.  Salah and VVD need a rest with their knocks and there's no point risking them in this match as we should beat these lot comfortably.  Hopefully they'll be back for Red Star as we have to go strong against them as we can't afford to drop points against them.

[wige]

It's games like this, and the next two, that leave me with utterly no idea around selection, except for the keeper and, probably, left back. Even at LB though, I can see the argument for using at least one of these to give Robertson a bit of a break (not sure if he's had international games, but am assuming as captain he has)

I'd like to see Lallana, Fabinho, Sturridge, Shaqiri, Clyne, Lovren, Matip and Moreno all get a 90, or couple of sub appearances at the very least, in these games. The first four in that list are players I think we'll need to contribute quite significantly if we're to have a successful season (90+ points and CL semi) and the sub full backs just need to have some sort of sharpness about them in-case they're needed to come in immediately to cover any sort of injury.

Think I'd give Lovren, Fabinho and Shaqiri the nod in this one, Lallana, Sturridge and Clyne the CL game and then get Matip and Moreno in for the Cardiff game. I get the hatred for Moreno, but he's been part of teams that have won more difficult fixtures than Cardiff at Anfield, and like I say, Robertson can't be expected to play every 90 minutes of the season.

Think the game itself is one we should and will win, but the timing of that first goal will dictate whether it's a thrashing or 'professional' job. I'd predict us putting three or four if you could guarantee me we'd hit at least 80% of our top level.

[LallanaInPyjamas]

They did look awful they also kept Napoli to a scoreless draw, they are a side who play better at home than away and the atmosphere is a huge part of that.

Quite. Given that the game against Red Star - which falls between Huddersfield and Cardiff - is at home, I don't see the need to rest players in these league matches. There might be more of an argument for it, say, when we go to Bournemouth three days before hosting Napoli, should we desperately need a result from that game.

If they're still carrying an injury then that's obviously a different kettle of fish.

[Deptlounge]

Wouldn't be a bad shout giving Robertson a rest and Moreno the nod after a disappointing two games with Scotland, Moreno also has the pace to track back should Huddersfield break out from their half. I'd imagine we'll press high and look to pen Huddersfield into their own box, so this match will be a good indicator wether Klopp stays with his more solid, pragmatic approach or goes back to his full press of last season in the next few games. I reckon he'll go full press, could a 4222 formation work with Firmino and Sturridge central, shaq and Mane wide?

[El Lobo]

Quite. Given that the game against Red Star - which falls between Huddersfield and Cardiff - is at home, I don't see the need to rest players in these league matches. There might be more of an argument for it, say, when we go to Bournemouth three days before hosting Napoli, should we desperately need a result from that game.

If they're still carrying an injury then that's obviously a different kettle of fish.

We need to start rotating now we’ve got an easier run I think. I can completely see why we didn’t in our recent run as pretty much every game was against top opposition, but now we’ve got a good chance to start giving good minutes to Studge, Shaq, Lallana, Fab, Clyne etc. We’ll need them over the next few months.