Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp has three alternatives to resolve the situation following Trent Alexander-Arnold’s injury blow
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Trent Alexander-Arnold of Liverpool will be sidelined for “a few weeks” due to a knee injury sustained against Arsenal. Jurgen Klopp may choose to start without him in a few different ways.
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s injury put Jurgen Klopp in a pick-your-own situation ahead of Liverpool’s Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg matchup against Fulham following his “a few weeks” recovery.
The 24-year-old Alexander-Arnold has emerged as one of Liverpool’s most reliable players in recent years, therefore the Reds will suffer greatly without him. Against Arsenal on Sunday, the England international was given the captain’s armband for his two goals and nine assists in 25 games this season.
But after tearing his lateral knee ligament during the FA Cup victory at the Emirates, Alexander-Arnold is now out for at least the next few weeks. Liverpool’s next match is on Wednesday at Anfield against Fulham, therefore Klopp will have to make at least one alteration to the starting lineup.
However, who will start at right back in Alexander-Arnold’s place? Mirror Football has examined three potential solutions for Klopp to address his situation on the right side of the back four.
Like-for-like substitution
Conor Bradley making just his second Liverpool start of the year would be the most likely scenario. The 20-year-old made an impact when he entered the game for the last 15 minutes against Arsenal, helping the Reds advance in the FA Cup.
Bradley is regarded as more of a “modern full-back,” one who rushes up and down the wing, launches attacks, and comes rushing back to help his defenders, in contrast to Alexander-Arnold, who frequently drifts into midfield areas.
Although the Northern Irishman made eight professional appearances since making his Liverpool debut, he didn’t have a steady run in the starting lineup under Klopp despite his brilliant season on loan at Bolton last year.
Gomez in at right-back
In spite of his previous left-back fill-in duties, Joe Gomez, 25, may switch back to right-back in Alexander-Arnold’s absence. After Kostas Tsimikas joined Andrew Robertson on the injured list, Klopp started using Gomez on the left side of the back four.
However, Klopp can choose to employ Luke Chambers, an academy product who made his Liverpool debut against Leicester earlier this season, in place of Gomez at right-back. Chambers could start against Fulham and went on to lead Liverpool to a 5-1 Europa League triumph over Toulouse.
Jones’s experiment
This experiment was abandoned during Curtis Jones’ 79 minutes at right-back in Liverpool’s September victory against Leicester. Other from losing his marker for the first goal scored by the Foxes, Jones did not make many mistakes.
Although Jones is not a natural right-back, he can provide something like to Alexander-Arnold because of his outstanding passing range and ability to drift into midfield and take up half spaces.
But with Fulham having defeated them three times at Anfield just over a month ago, Klopp can scarcely afford to take any chances on Wednesday and may decide against putting Jones in an unusual situation.
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