Topic: Liverpool vs West Ham United (League Cup Quarter-Final) - 20:00, Weds 20th Dec

[kop306]

Kelleher

bradley gomez quansah kostas

elliot endo dom

gordon cody diaz

[killer-heels]

Kelleher

bradley gomez quansah kostas

elliot endo dom

gordon cody diaz

No way..

[jillcwhomever]

No way..

Nothing wrong with that team.

[DelTrotter]

Should be pissing this cup from here, get it done!!

[killer-heels]

Nothing wrong with that team.

We are not playing some league two side, it’s West Ham. We should go relatively strong. Happy if the likes of Virgil and Salah don’t play. But the whole side doesn’t get a rest.

[Samie]

Semi Final lineup then:

Chelsea
Fulham
Middlesborough
Liverpool/West Ham

Good chance for us to win this... I pray.

[TipTopKop]

Well, whoever starts I hope they're more up for it than the last game.

[jillcwhomever]

We are not playing some league two side, it’s West Ham. We should go relatively strong. Happy if the likes of Virgil and Salah don’t play. But the whole side doesn’t get a rest.

It should be strong enough, and some will presumably be on the bench if they need to come on.

[SamLad]

Well, whoever starts I hope they're more up for it than the last game.

I think a lot of our guys were too much up for the last game.

[kop306]

No way..

salah, trent and nunez all on the bench if needed ,

bradley and quansah both good enough to start

gordon is playing instead of doak who is injured

the only way dom gets back into form is by playing matches

[OOS]

Full strength for me.

Fulham, Chelsea and Middlesbrough stand between us and a trophy. We have to be favourites if we get through this round.

[TipTopKop]

I think a lot of our guys were too much up for the last game.

I know what you mean, I guess I'm still smarting from it.

It's a critical time of year this, key games coming in within a few days, just hope the lads do well I guess.

[Brain Potter]

Kelleher

bradley gomez quansah kostas

elliot endo dom

gordon cody diaz

Are we trying to lose ?

Pick a full strength team, including Alisson.  We are at the business end of the competition.

Resting players doesn’t equate to a better chance of beating Arsenal.

Need to get a good win under our belts which will do us far more good than resting loads of players.

[Too early for flapjacks?]

Freshen things up a bit but still put out a strong side. I'd go:


                              Kelleher


Gomez      Quansah     van Djik     Tsimikas


                  Elliott     Endo     Jones


                 Salah     Gakpo     Diaz

[Son of Spion]

I'd go as strong as possible. The trophy is there to be won now.

At the Semi Final stage we have to be deadly serious.

[kop306]

Are we trying to lose ?

Pick a full strength team, including Alisson.  We are at the business end of the competition.

Resting players doesn’t equate to a better chance of beating Arsenal.

Need to get a good win under our belts which will do us far more good than resting loads of players.

people forget that kelleher has won the cup for us

nunez needs to go back to being super sub for a few games

[JackWard33]

Resting players doesn’t equate to a better chance of beating Arsenal.

This is obviously untrue
Its fine for us to go all out to win this competition if the club decide that’s a priority but saying it won’t have an effect on performance in the Arsenal game is just wish thinking - people want it to be true so say it is.
It obviously has an effect on relative performance if the same players play both games and especially all 3

Also worth saying it’s a tough situation for the manager / coaches to be in

[RedG13]

Great OP Jackh

Im excited for this. I expect Klopp to try and win this competition along with being smart with managing minutes. I know it 3 games in 6 days with short rest for two of them however it helps that it 3 straight homes, so no travel issue with it.
I expect Kelleher to start this game. I do expect some rotation how much idk.

[disgraced cake]

I don't think it'll make a difference to Klopp but seeing the teams left in this ... we have to fucking win this tomorrow! Should be a strong team, maybe a few changes but nothing drastic. It can't go to extra time, bench will still be strong, no travel involved etc. We can't give them the upper hand because if they see a lot of changes they'll probably smell blood. I also don't think the United game was frantic at all, and with rests handed out in every European game tiredness can be no excuse.

I know he won't but I hope he plays Alisson. It'll fill the entire ground with more confidence never mind the defence, Kelleher really isn't performing at the minute. Other than that I think it's a hard team to pick.

Klopp 2.0 should be beginning with silverware, get it done reds.

[Garnier]

I can't make a call on the lineup for this one.

We're the best team in the competition, but making it a priority could directly harm our league title aspirations, with Arsenal on the weekend.

Also it's worth remembering how many injuries we've got right now, it could be problematic to put even more mileage on our main starters when there's little backup for them.

Excited for the game regardless

[TipTopKop]

I can't make a call on the lineup for this one.

That's the thing; there's a case to be made for either. I know if one of our starters gets injured on the night there'll be questions asked if it was worth it, on the other hand if we get knocked out with a secondary lineup there's a sense that it'd be a missed opportunity to lift a trophy now we're fairly close to the end.

[SamLad]

That's the thing; there's a case to be made for either. I know if one of our starters gets injured on the night there'll be questions asked if it was worth it, on the other hand if we get knocked out with a secondary lineup there's a sense that it'd be a missed opportunity to lift a trophy now we're fairly close to the end.

this is it, team selection for this game is almost a no-win for Klopp, unless we win, with no injuries, no red cards etc. 

damned if you do, damned if you don't territory for sure.  no wonder managers have thick skin.

[Jm55]

This is obviously untrue
Its fine for us to go all out to win this competition if the club decide that’s a priority but saying it won’t have an effect on performance in the Arsenal game is just wish thinking - people want it to be true so say it is.
It obviously has an effect on relative performance if the same players play both games and especially all 3

Also worth saying it’s a tough situation for the manager / coaches to be in

We rested pretty much everyone against USG and weren't great against United. I actually think it was overstated how bad we were but the one thing that we didn’t look was well rested and looking like the lack of a midweek game had benefitted us.

These players are used to playing midweek matches, it’s not as if this is some new concept that’s been thrust upon us this week.

A good result against West Ham is as likely to give us a boost as it is to have any negative impact on Saturday’s performance due to fatigue I’d argue.

[SamLad]

We rested pretty much everyone against USG and weren't great against United. I actually think it was overstated how bad we were but the one thing that we didn’t look was well rested and looking like the lack of a midweek game had benefitted us.

These players are used to playing midweek matches, it’s not as if this is some new concept that’s been thrust upon us this week.

A good result against West Ham is as likely to give us a boost as it is to have any negative impact on Saturday’s performance due to fatigue I’d argue.

for me the big concern is injury risk, not fatigue.

[Jm55]

for me the big concern is injury risk, not fatigue.

Sure, but we’ve had numerous players getting injured in the warm up for big games before.

It’s one match, granted if you play them it makes them more likely to be injured than if you don’t, I get that, but I’m not convinced that it’s as much of a consideration as people tend to think it is.

The sports science should be able to highlight any players in the red, and they’ll be used sparingly as would ordinarily be the case whether it was the league cup or not, but I just don’t think it’s worth massively disadvantaging ourselves in a league cup quarter final in order to try to avoid injury which could happen in the first few minutes of the match on Saturday anyway if we’re unlucky.

[thejbs]

It’s a very winnable trophy based on the teams left. I’d like to see us go pretty hard at it.

[Barrow Shaun]

You either think we can win the league this season or you don't .. the line up you want for this game basically tells you where you are on that spectrum

Not that simple for me either. In fact, that doesn't make any sense to me.

[Bobinhood]

Injuries going around this league are too much. we are getting spanked too and the thinner you get, the thinner you get. Klopps been masterful rotating starters and using all his subs all the time but now its a hiding to none. quansah elliot endo and jones is our depth now and the playing subs both. 

Freaking survival games. others have it just as bad or worse. I look at Trippier such a fabulous cultured player for real, and hes been muled right into the ground barely surviving by the end of games, a broken shell of himself. Probably bruised from head to toe as well. Our boys are much better treated of course but its a real steeplechase this thing. 

 i think we just need to power through to the fabled 5 day break we get somewhere after Christmas. Just win, baby.

also complicating matters, for everybody left with city out its a chance to win. Strong teams everywhere. at least its straight to pens.   

[Eeyore]

for me the big concern is injury risk, not fatigue.

Injury risk quite simply doesn't enter the equation.

 

[Andy @ Allerton!]

Under 5s

See how they get on.

Everyone else in cotton wool

[farawayred]

I'd go as strong as possible. The trophy is there to be won now.

At the Semi Final stage we have to be deadly serious.

Now that Everton are out, yes... Phew!   

Just yanking your chain...

[NarutoReds]

I know it sounds cheeky, but I get the feeling that Klopp is going to make Salah as a captain in this game.

Pardon for my memory, I don't remember on which game but it's this season's "less important" game, I was like aaa... Bloody hell Salah was the captain. Hahahahha!!!   
 
I thought he's going to be rested but yes, in Klopp I trust.

[RedG13]

I know it sounds cheeky, but I get the feeling that Klopp is going to make Salah as a captain in this game.

Pardon for my memory, I don't remember on which game but it's this season's "less important" game, I was like aaa... Bloody hell Salah was the captain. Hahahahha!!!   
 
I thought he's going to be rested but yes, in Klopp I trust.

Salah was Captain at Home vs LASK. He would be captain if Virgil, Trent,  Robertson(He out anyways),Alisson  dont play. It goes in that order too Im pretty sure. He in the Leadership group, if none in Leadership are starting it goes by whoever been here the longest after that. Gomez was Captain at Toulouse with it and Jones in the EFL cup game vs Leicester too(It was kelleher with the Armband after Jones went off in this game too).

[shank94]

I want to win this KFC trophy, play a decently strong team!

Edit: didnt know their was a forum autocorrect on McDo hahah

[JRed]

After being super confident before the Utd game I’m now feeling less than confident about this one. No way can we play a full strength team with Arsenal game on Saturday, so expecting a very tough game. If we go through I think it will be on penalties. Just hope none of our lads do an Onana!!!

[jillcwhomever]

After being super confident before the Utd game I’m now feeling less than confident about this one. No way can we play a full strength team with Arsenal game on Saturday, so expecting a very tough game. If we go through I think it will be on penalties. Just hope none of our lads do an Onana!!!

It depends if you think we're winning the title. I have one question for those who do, whose scoring our goals once Salah has left? We would be crazy to not have a serious try of winning this tournament.

[killer-heels]

It depends if you think we're winning the title. I have one question for those who do, whose scoring our goals once Salah has left? We would be crazy to not have a serious try of winning this tournament.

In which case we would need to go very strong.

[reddazforever]

Should go full strength tonight. Winning the Caraboa cup is a trophy and would mean a successful season if we also get top 4. Winning that and the Europa with top 4 would be even better and both are extremely possible now. Winning the league? sorry but really don’t see us doing that given the way we’ve been playing for the past month, despite our league position.  Regardless of whether we rotate or not, getting any result against Arsenal at the weekend will be a great result

[jillcwhomever]

In which case we would need to go very strong.

It's what I would do though I accept others may feel different. I think it's a hard choice for the manager to be honest.

[spider-neil]

Nothing wrong with that team.

No chance is Klopp going that weak for a quarter-final.