Dugout Discussion
7 March 2021 1218 comments
Skonto Rigga Skonto Rigga
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An out-of-form Liverpool face Fulham in the second of four Premier League matches to take place on Sunday.

Kick-off on Merseyside is at 14:00 GMT.

Given that less than 72 hours separated the Reds’ Gameweek 26 clash with Chelsea and today’s game, and with Jurgen Klopp’s side looking jaded in that Thursday night defeat, a change or two to the starting XI always looked likely this afternoon.

We didn’t quite expect the full extent of the rotation, though: Klopp has made seven alterations to his line-up against the Cottagers as he attempts to avoid a sixth straight league defeat at Anfield.

Roberto Firmino (£9.2m) and Ozan Kabak (£5.0m) miss out with minor fitness issues but the other five changes are unenforced, with Klopp explaining ahead of kick-off:

Two changes we had to make because of little injuries, Bobby and Ozan.

We are in an intense period and we have an opportunity now to change some players who had more sessions in their legs. That’s the plan behind it: getting fresh legs back and trying to give Fulham a proper fight.

Sadio Mane (£11.8m) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.4m) are among the players to make way, with Curtis Jones (£4.4m), Thiago (£5.6m) and Fabinho (£5.4m) also dropping to the bench.

Diogo Jota (£6.6m) starts a league game for the first time in over three months, while Rhys Williams (£4.0m), Neco Williams (£3.8m) and Nathaniel Phillips (£4.0m) come into a much-changed and youthful defence.

There are recalls too for Naby Keita (£5.2m) and Xherdan Shaqiri (£6.4m).

Mohamed Salah (£12.5m) has been spared the axe, with a half-hour breather after his early substitution against Chelsea perhaps influencing Klopp’s decision to field him from the start today.

The Fulham team news is more straightforward, with Scott Parker making only two changes from the side that started the 1-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek (£5.9m) is a surprise omission, with Bobby Decordova-Reid (£5.3m) in for the Chelsea loanee.

The regular rotation continues at full-back, meanwhile, with Antonee Robinson (£4.4m) making way for Kenny Tete (£4.3m).

DOUBLE GAMEWEEK 27 SO FAR…

Salah swerves Liverpool rotation as Klopp makes seven changes for Fulham

One of the more predictable results of the weekend saw strugglers West Bromwich Albion and Newcastle United play out a goalless draw at the Hawthorns.

The Magpies were without their first-choice front three through injury and there was a predictable lack of conviction when chances fell the way of Joelinton (£5.7m), who was part of a strike duo with an ‘out of position’ Ryan Fraser (£5.6m).

For West Brom, this was a third clean sheet in four and a testament to the influence that new signing Okay Yokuslu (£4.5m) is having on the Albion back four.

A match against Crystal Palace in Gameweek 28 presents Sam Johnstone (£4.5m) with a good opportunity to build on his total of 27 points over his last four appearances.


Liverpool XI: Alisson, N. Williams, Phillips, R. Williams, Robertson, Wijnaldum, Milner, Keita, Shaqiri, Salah, Jota.

Fulham XI: Areola, Aina, Andersen, Adarabioyo, Tete, Cavaleiro, Lemina, Reed, Reid, Maja, Lookman.

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  1. MIGHTY JOE
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    5 years, 1 month ago

    Save me Salah.

    1. Leonard hatred
      • 8 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      I captained him. 2 pointer incoming.

      Sorry.

  2. Sharkytect
    • 11 Years
    5 years, 1 month ago

    2 players from the first 6 games.
    All I care about today is that 3:30 team sheet

  3. tiger
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 14 Years
    5 years, 1 month ago

    Mo Salah hat trick would be nice

    1. It's Fergie Time
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      Yes, need a haul before I dump him next week

    2. Jafooli
      • 14 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      Make it happen Tiger....

      1. tiger
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 14 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        I'm on the case!

        1. Jafooli
          • 14 Years
          5 years, 1 month ago

          😎

  4. Vamos Los Celeste
    • 12 Years
    5 years, 1 month ago

    I benched Martinez and played Johnstone and El Mohamady 😀

  5. Dthinger
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    5 years, 1 month ago

    Wow. A clean sheet and five saves only gets Johnstone 1 bonus point? That must have been an exciting match.

    1. Hulk Smash
      • 10 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      West Brom looking better defensively though. Three clean sheets in their last four, only one goal conceded.

  6. OverTinker
    • 7 Years
    5 years, 1 month ago

    Feck off - only one bonus for Johnstone

    1. Ginkapo FPL
      • 14 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      Welcome to the club

    2. Vamos Los Celeste
      • 12 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      I think one save will be removed but he'll get the same amount of points.

    3. OverTinker
      • 7 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      Although still very happy that for the first time I benched the right GK

  7. Cok3y5murf
    • 9 Years
    5 years, 1 month ago

    Plum fixture for Fulham...

  8. djman102
    • 16 Years
    5 years, 1 month ago

    Even the radio announcers were apologizing for that last game. Glad I missed most of it.

  9. Marvin.
    • 9 Years
    5 years, 1 month ago

    Well done Rangers.

    1. circusmonkey
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 15 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      Would be good to have the old firm in the premier league and u23s home grown players in the Jock league, more interesting than Sheffield or Newcastle or either Albion.

  10. Hulk Smash
    • 10 Years
    5 years, 1 month ago

    I could really do with Salah punishing non-owners this week. They've got away with it for too long.

    1. Tcheco
      • 8 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      Got away with not owning an out of form player playing for a horrible team?

      1. Hulk Smash
        • 10 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        Points don't tell the whole story - his stats have been very good recently and he can be considered unlucky not to have scored a few.

        1. Tcheco
          • 8 Years
          5 years, 1 month ago

          Fair enough. I don’t like to wade into the stats vs. eye debate. It’s been the only stretch I’ve felt comfortable no owning him. As with all top players, could punish at any time

          1. Hulk Smash
            • 10 Years
            5 years, 1 month ago

            It was tongue in cheek really. It's a perfectly good move to have sold him recently, I'm just annoyed he hasn't delivered because he would actually have been a good differential against a number of my rivals surprisingly.

  11. Isca Extremadura
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    5 years, 1 month ago

    Klopp __> Gerrard

    1. Marvin.
      • 9 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      K

  12. ⭐ Bemba_Da ⭐
    • 15 Years
    5 years, 1 month ago

    salah dive again

    1. Captain Vantastic™
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      Hardly a dive

    2. Party time
        5 years, 1 month ago

        OMG

        Salah

        dive again!

      • It's Fergie Time
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 10 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        only took 2 minutes, what a fraud

      • Hulk Smash
        • 10 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        Desperate

    3. ⭐ Bemba_Da ⭐
      • 15 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      maja misses a good chance

    4. SpaceCadet
      • 12 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      Haha salah

    5. Tcheco
      • 8 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      Hahaha Mo Salah stop it

    6. not_astarte
      • 5 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      salah owners like myself, brace yourselves for another "walk alone moment " with line up like that.

      1. Hulk Smash
        • 10 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        Hoping Jota and Shaqiri in might help him.

    7. Nightcrawler
      • 6 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      No player more embarrassing than Salah. Diving all the time despite all the quality he has

      So much worse than Suarez

      1. Hulk Smash
        • 10 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        As much as I hate diving, biting chunks out of people is probably worse...

        1. Nightcrawler
          • 6 Years
          5 years, 1 month ago

          Dont think so. Biting affects one person diving affects whole team

          1. Marvin.
            • 9 Years
            5 years, 1 month ago

            He was banned for 12 matches.

            1. Nightcrawler
              • 6 Years
              5 years, 1 month ago

              And salah never gets punished. Worse

              1. Marvin.
                • 9 Years
                5 years, 1 month ago

                Your logic doesn't really check out here.

      2. Gudjohnsen
        • 9 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        Suarez is a much better footballer though.

        1. Nightcrawler
          • 6 Years
          5 years, 1 month ago

          For sure suarez best player to play in pl during their peak

          1. Paqueta Rice
            • 5 Years
            5 years, 1 month ago

            Up there anyway

    8. Jafooli
      • 14 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      How many seasons until Gerrard is brought back to manage Liverpool?

      1. La Roja
        • 14 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        Probably one more season

        1. Jafooli
          • 14 Years
          5 years, 1 month ago

          Nah, gotten be three or four. Where Klopp gonna go?

          1. La Roja
            • 14 Years
            5 years, 1 month ago

            German national team after WC

            1. Jafooli
              • 14 Years
              5 years, 1 month ago

              Ah yeah, good point...

              1. La Roja
                • 14 Years
                5 years, 1 month ago

                Innit blud

            2. Tcheco
              • 8 Years
              5 years, 1 month ago

              You only get 2 per season

          2. Nightcrawler
            • 6 Years
            5 years, 1 month ago

            Utd

            1. La Roja
              • 14 Years
              5 years, 1 month ago

              lol

            2. Jafooli
              • 14 Years
              5 years, 1 month ago

              Where Steve Bruce gonna go?

      2. Gudjohnsen
        • 9 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        2

    9. Gudjohnsen
      • 9 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      Slow game?

      Nothing happening?

    10. Jafooli
      • 14 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      Jesus to start vs Man Utd?

      1. La Roja
        • 14 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        Nay, KDB false 9 I reckon

      2. Liberate HK - antichinazi
        • 7 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        Sterling Bilva Foden
        KDB
        Gundo Rodri
        Cancelo Stones Dias Walker
        Ederson

        upvote this if i guess it correctly.

        1. La Roja
          • 14 Years
          5 years, 1 month ago

          Zinchenko instead of Walker

        2. Jafooli
          • 14 Years
          5 years, 1 month ago

          BSilva as the striker?

          1. Hazz
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 8 Years
            5 years, 1 month ago

            BSilva would be a False 9. I've seen it touted a lot on the Man City forums, so it's possible.

            1. Jafooli
              • 14 Years
              5 years, 1 month ago

              I don’t even know what a false nine is/does 😀

              1. La Roja
                • 14 Years
                5 years, 1 month ago

                They run around and lie opponent defenders that they play number 9 position

                1. Jafooli
                  • 14 Years
                  5 years, 1 month ago

                  😛

                2. circusmonkey
                  • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                  • 15 Years
                  5 years, 1 month ago

                  I don't like watching fakse 9 teams.

              2. Hazz
                • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                • 8 Years
                5 years, 1 month ago

                Well, 7 8 9, so have to get a new one!

    11. Isca Extremadura
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      3 - 15.months

    12. Pep Roulette
      • 8 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      This Rhys Williams guy is really poor!

    13. Bubz
      • 12 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      Crazy how high owned Salah still is in top 10k

      1. Nightcrawler
        • 6 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        Price not much of an issue these days and he is still delivering points every now and then

    14. Isca Extremadura
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      Depends on CL qualification I guess

      1. Jafooli
        • 14 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        Do you know how the reply function works?

    15. Leonard hatred
      • 8 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      We can all breath a sigh of relief -Fantasy football scout comments finally have confirmed that Salah is a fraud and a terrible footballer, who is not a patch on giants of the world stage like Ben Mee and Bamford.

    16. nerd_is_the_werd
      • 6 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      May as well write-off Champions League football for next season

    17. Gazwaz80
      • 6 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      Hatty from Jota please if it’s not too much to ask? 🙂

    18. JONALDINHO
      • 8 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      Van Dijk, Gomez, Matip, Fabinho, Hendo, Kabak, Davies. Is there something wrong in training? No way this is all just ‘bad luck!

      1. ⭐ Bemba_Da ⭐
        • 15 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        possibly bad training/management/sports science

      2. Marvin.
        • 9 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        Why would it only be centre backs?

        1. Hazz
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 8 Years
          5 years, 1 month ago

          (And all of the midfield)

      3. Hazz
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 8 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        I said this (may have been on Reddit, not here) and got down voted to hell.

        Sure Liverpool have been unlucky... But this bad? Something has to be up with the training/fitness regime etc.

        There used to be fitness coach on twitter etc who was very critical of Klopp for his training regime and how it can cause large-scale injuries. Been a bit quiet over the past couple of years, but surprised they haven't cropped up again!

        1. F_Ivanovic
          • 10 Years
          5 years, 1 month ago

          There *might* be something wrong but you'd think with all the money and top coaches etc that sort of stuff shouldn't happen. And yes, you can get that unlucky. The majority of people just don't understand luck/variance and how brutal it can be. I played poker for a living for several years and you can go on insane downswings where sometimes you question if you're actually a good player anymore. But losing again and again in spots where you're favoured (or getting coolered in spots that were always going to happen) can just happen if you play enough.

          If you have however many teams say just across europe - there are going to be some that can get insanely unlucky with injuries one year.

      4. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
        • 16 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        Van Dijk was just a bad tackle, it happens - they were probably lucky to keep him fit for 2 & a half years without missing a game before that

        Matip was always made of glass - spends more time injured than fit

        Kabak is dogshit & has only missed one game, Fabinho has only missed 8 games with injury (and they failed to win 10 of his last 15 starts anyways so his availability wasn’t even making a massive difference)

        Hendo is coming 31 & will have injury problems for the rest of his career now as his playing style catches up with his age

        1. Hulk Smash
          • 10 Years
          5 years, 1 month ago

          Too much sense for this forum

    19. Isca Extremadura
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      Darlo.. would he get another PL job ?

    20. Lukakuna
      • 9 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      So I benched Lookman. Not looking good atm

      1. It's Fergie Time
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 10 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        I started him