It really is approaching kitchen sink time. Arsenal and Manchester City are both looking rather indomitable at the moment and thus Liverpool will need to emerge victorious from Old Trafford this afternoon.
Manchester United have been abject this season but they did rally to secure a stunning turnaround win over Jurgen Klopp’s side in the FA Cup quarter-finals before the March international break and will be desperate to stifle their rivals’ title charge.
However, with Casemiro, Jonny Evans and Raphael Varane all fitness doubts after a bruising defeat against Chelsea on Thursday, squandering a 3-2 lead in the 98th minute, Liverpool will be fuelled with optimism that three points can be secured.
Liverpool trail table-toppers Arsenal by two points following their victory over Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday evening; indeed, the Anfield side will return to the summit of the Premier League with victory at the Theatre of Dreams.
Liverpool team news
Liverpool have been hit with a catalogue of injuries over the past several months and while the Carabao Cup was gleaned in remarkable circumstances, academy talents filling holes to sink Chelsea, the loss in the FA Cup several weeks back was perhaps a by-product of an unrelenting schedule.
Still, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Diogo Jota, Alisson Becker and Stefan Bajetic are all nearing anticipated returns from respective layoffs, albeit not yet in training and so missing out against United.
However, Klopp is hopeful that Wataru Endo will be fit after missing out against Sheffield United on Thursday evening – the Japan international picked up a knock during the Reds’ win over Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend.
Ben Doak, Joel Matip and Thiago Alcantara are all still out. At present, it is unclear if said stars will feature again this season, with the latter two both out of contract at the end of the campaign.
Klopp probably won’t ring the changes but he might be inclined to drop Conor Bradley.
Conor Bradley's season in numbers
Alexander-Arnold’s absence has scarcely been felt. Okay, that might be a bit of a stretch; the vice-captain is one of the most influential and ridiculous creative players in world football, but Bradley’s emergence has compensated pretty nicely.
Having won Bolton Wanderers’ Player of the Season award in 2022/23 while on loan, Bradley returned to Merseyside last summer but had to bide his time after besetting injury issues throughout the first half of the campaign.
Still, he won the PFA Fans’ Player of the Month award for January after a stunning start to life as a first-team regular, scoring and posting two assists against Chelsea in the Premier League and producing a series of high-level performances across domestic competitions to cement himself swiftly as one of the division’s most exciting up-and-comers.
In the Premier League, as per Sofascore, Bradley has completed eight fixtures so far, racking up four goal contributions, completing 81% of his passes and averaging 1.8 key passes, 3.5 tackles, 5.0 ball recoveries, 1.4 dribbles and 7.5 successful duels per game.
Not a bad start, ay? He’s arguably more complete than Alexander-Arnold as a right-back, and he’s definitely good enough to succeed in fixtures such as this afternoon’s forthcoming clash, having lauded for his “11/10” season by talent scout Jacek Kulig…
After all, he already ranks among the top 1% (or in the top 99%) of his positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for tackles, assists and blocks, the top 13% for goals, the top 11% for shot-creating actions, the top 8% for progressive carries and the top 9% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref.
Surely he has to start, right? While – of course – Bradley has the skills and the style to impress against Manchester United, Klopp simply might favour inserting Joe Gomez in his favoured right-back role for this pivotal encounter.
Why Joe Gomez must start over Conor Bradley
Bradley loves to dribble and against Brighton he attempted six forays forward. This is a glowing representation of his bundling energy, his speed and pace and power, but Liverpool’s oft-targetted right flank against the Red Devils could call for a more experienced head in Gomez.
The 26-year-old will likely need to move away from left-back to allow Andy Robertson to return from the outset, slotting in at Ibrahima Konate’s right to offer dynamism and discipline both.
Right-back
19
0
1
Left-back
17
0
1
Centre-back
5
0
0
Holding midfield
2
0
0
Robertson has endured a frustrating campaign that saw him severed from availability after injuring his shoulder on international duty with Scotland back in October, ruled out for almost four months after surgery.
Having returned, the 30-year-old has been culpable for some defensive lapses and positional hiccups that has opened space for the opposition to exploit.
He will need to be attentive to these recent defects at Old Trafford but he remains one of the best left-backs in the world and placed a delightful whipped assist for Cody Gakpo to put the game beyond doubt against Sheffield United.
Of course, Gomez has been playing at left-back with regularity this season and he has been playing the role well, but with Bradley potentially dropping out Gomez will be required in his favoured position, and Robertson is certainly the better opinion over Kostas Tsimikas on the left.
Gomez might be a bit more disciplined and positionally sharp than Bradley, but he’s also a competent creator, averaging 0.8 key passes per game in the league this term, as per Sofascore. Moreover, he has completed 86% of his passes and remarkably succeeded in 76% of his aerial battles.
Marcus Rashford might have flattered to deceive this season but he remains a menacing, fleet-footed phenom and he will look to tear Liverpool open from the left flank, having scored seven goals from 17 matches against the Reds.
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Gomez will be vital in snuffing him out – and who knows, Bradley’s introduction after the break could work wonders for Liverpool, injecting electricity to ensure the job gets done.
