Our Squad / The favourite LineUp thread

Was thinking about a thread to post your favorite Starting11(s) and formation(s), which player to prefer over another. And maybe about what type of player our teams lacks but lets work with what we have here and in the academy first.

My favorite 4-3-3 would always look like the following:

Alisson
TAA Matip VvD Robertson
Henderson Fabinho Wijnaldum
Salah Firmino Mané

Yep, Thiago and Jota don’t make it into my Starting11 in that formation yet.

If we’re going for a Double Pivot it would look like the following:

Alisson
TAA Matip VvD Robertson
Mané Henderson Thiago Jota
Salah Firmino

Based on best performances in the Klopp era it is

Matip > Gomez
Wijnaldum > Keita, Ox, Milner
Ox > Keita

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We have VVD and Gomez out for long term. Henderson and TAA out for few games. Chamberlain only good for doing promotions. Thiago and Salah on verge of coming back.

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My team would be this.

——————Alisson————————
Trent——-Matip———Virgil——-Robbo.
——Hendo——Fab——-Thiago.
Salah————Bobby———Mane.

Only big decisions for me are between Gomez or Matip and Jota or Firmino.

Haven’t seen enough of Thiago but I want him in just from that Chelsea performance and what I’ve heard.

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We played against 10 Chelski players

:grimacing:
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Still thought he was fantastic against them

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VVD and Gomez are out for the season.

AOC situation is unknown.

Thiago is out till New Year (at least).

Alisson and TAA are definitely out for Wolves game.

Keita, Milner and Shaqiri are out with minor problems. Hope at least one of this trio makes it at least to the bench against Wolves. Curtis has played three of the last four games and also came in as substitute against BHA.

I think Keita might be fit for Wolves. He was close for Ajax, you’d imagine he could make the 18 on Sunday evening if there were/are no issues. Think the decision for that one might be to go 4-2-3-1 with out 4 attackers or 4-3-3 with Keita. With Wolves’ formation change lately, it will be interesting to see. Maybe we go with the former.

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Read on twitter that the below team has started only one game for us. That was the CL final. I think this incidentally is the team @GermanRed mentions in the OP.

Probably Gomez instead of Matip and the team might have played a number of games, but still madness because Thiago aside this seems our strongest possible line up in the past couple of years. So much for us never going through injuries and similar situations other clubs have been facing apparently.

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When everyone is fit, this would probably be my first-choice XI:

Alisson
Trent, Gomez, VVD, Robbo
Fabinho
Hendo, Gini
Salah, Jota, Mane

Love Bobby, but for me Diogo’s directness, pace and eye for goal would have him in the team now as first-choice.

Taking into account the long-term injuries to Virg and Gomez, but with everyone else fit, I might look at something more like:

Alisson
Trent, Matip, Fabinho, Robbo
Thiago, Hendo
Salah, Bobby, Mane
Jota
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Must admit that speaking now, I just about prefer a fit and in form Matip over a fit and in form Gomez. Because when I look back, even the fit and in form Gomez shows or showed certain defensive weaknesses (of course, they all have them), at least more than Matip in my opinion.

Is talent and time still on Gomez’s side? Yes, his main battle will be with the next proper CB we buy. I understand why most fans will pick Gomez. He’s young, fast, he’s Virgil’s “little bro” (yeah, Virgil might prefer Joe alongside him, but maybe that’s also overrated from the outside), maybe also because he’s English plays a part.

Objectively speaking, if we’re playing a final tomorrow and they’re all fit and in form, I’m picking Matip over Gomez just about.

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For me choosing between Fabinho and Matip at CB along with VVD (if all fit ofcourse), is very difficult as of now. Fabinho hasn’t put a foot wrong as well, and him at CB is far a better option than him in midfield. Also, that can help us with the Thiago-Hendo-Gini which IMO might be the strongest midfield we have.

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Unlike Gomez - Matip never had a bad game for us (at least I can not remember more than one or two).

Joel had much more very good games than Joe.

And Matip outshone VvD in many games (especially during our CL winning season). This can not be said about Gomez.

Matip > Gomez

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Rhys Williams: 600 mins, 9 games
Caoimhin Kelleher: 630 mins, 7 games
Neco Williams: 1219 mins, 20 games
Curtis Jones: 1651 mins, 27 games

The ridiculous schedule and the injuries was an opportunity for the kids and they proved worth every minutes.

For me my first choice XI, assuming everyone is fit and on form would (currently) be:

Alisson

Trent Fabinho VvD Robertson

Thiago

Henderson Jones

Salah Firmino Mane

I think Fabinho has shown how good he is but you can’t leave Thiago out. I’m also torn between Gomez and Matip so I’ve resolved that by playing Fabinho at CB where he’s looked utterly brilliant. Problem solved in both respects.

Jota’s looked brilliant since he came in but we’re assuming the players are fit and on form in which case Bobby starts, no doubt.

Yes, I think Curtis starts now - in terms of what he offers, I think that’s a nice blend in the midfield I’ve mentioned. His only serious rivals would be Wijnaldum followed by Keita.

So my bench would then be:

Kelleher, Gomez, Tsimikas, Milner, Wijnaldum, Keita, Jota

Apologies to Matip, AOC, Shaqiri, Minamino, Neco, Rhys etc.

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When all fit and on form, wouldn’t Milly and Gomez suffice to cover the full back position and maybe Shaq/ Ox are better options off the bench?

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Possibly. If I was to swap him it would be for Shaqiri (for the left footer).

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I think we can clearly say that Curtis (midfield) is now at least a matchday squad member.

Goal: Kelleher

CB: Rhys

FB: Neco

Wide attack: Harvey

So much more satisfying to see academy players come through than signing backups like Tsimikas or Minamino (no disrespect).

I wonder if Klopp has plans or already identified a youth player as a potential Bobby BackUp for the Future. Maybe Glatzel but difficult with his injuries.

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So we are sorted for another decade :innocent:

james-milner

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There’s always a difference between a favourite team and a best team for me.
Younger squad members and flair players like Shaq in the first and Hendo etc in the second.

So the players I love watching:
Kelleher
Neco
Rhys
Fab
Robbo
Jones
Shaq
Bobby
Jota
Mané
AOC

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Nah, too early for me to put Jones in the first XI. But so far, he’s been good to the level that there is pretty much no doubt he remains part of the first team squad for next season. And probably a few of them, too. For the rest, how much he plays, how he evolves, consistency, how important he becomes… that, we’ll see.

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