Liverpool will be without Mohamed Salah (£14.0m) and Cody Gakpo (£7.5m) for the hectic festive period.
Salah voiced strong criticism of his club and manager, Arne Slot, on Saturday night, leading to his omission for the midweek trip to Inter Milan.
He’s back in the squad for Saturday’s match against Brighton and Hove Albion, but will soon head off to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and could be away for a month.
As for Gakpo, he picked up a muscle injury in Saturday’s 3-3 draw with Leeds United that will rule him out for a few weeks.
Here, we look at the potential ways Liverpool could line up without Salah and Gakpo, while also considering the implications from a Fantasy Premier League (FPL) perspective.
HOW LIVERPOOL LINED UP AGAINST INTER MILAN
In the absence of Salah and Gakpo, Slot opted for a 4-4-2 diamond formation against Inter. The rationale behind the decision: a lack of wide players available to the Dutchman.
Explaining his team selection earlier this week, Slot said:
“The thinking is that at this moment in time I have 13 outfield players with Premier League or Champions League experience available. Conor Bradley came back from an injury, played Saturday for the first time, two days after the game you could ask yourself the question: is it not too much of a risk to play him again? Florian Wirtz came back with an injury from the German national team, had to play three games in seven days, now the fourth one in 10 days is coming up.
“So, the thinking behind the lineup is there are not so many available, and in my opinion, if you don’t have wingers available – apart from Rio [Ngumoha], who’s very young – it’s I think the most logical thing to do to play with two number nines.
“It’s not the first time that we’ve played this system, maybe against Leeds we did something similar to what we do tonight. But for them [Isak and Ekitike], it’s, after the Frankfurt game, the first time they play together. So, good players, but I think it’s normal that they have to find a certain connection. The more they play together, the more they will find a connection.” – Arne Slot
In this system, Ryan Gravenberch (£5.6m) lined up at the base of the diamond, with Dominik Szoboszlai (£6.7m) and Curtis Jones (£5.4m) ahead of him.
Alexis Mac Allister (£6.2m) was the No 10, with Alexander Isak (£10.4m) and Hugo Ekitike (£8.4m) up top in a two-striker system.
HOW DID LIVERPOOL GET ON AGAINST INTER MILAN?
Liverpool looked solid and compact for the most part, with the Reds prioritising defensive solidity over offensive threat. It’s early days for the system, of course, but the diamond formation made them harder to play through, aided by four central midfielders flooding the middle of the park.
Indeed, Liverpool restricted Inter to just nine shots, one clear-cut chance and less than 0.5 expected goals (xG).
In summary, it was a very decent defensive display against Serie A’s top scorers, but it did blunt their attacking threat, having created very little from open play.
WHICH LIVERPOOL PLAYERS STOOD OUT AGAINST INTER MILAN?
Szoboszlai, who notably stepped up to convert Liverpool’s late penalty (with Isak off the pitch we should add), provided energy on the right side of the diamond, with two shots and two key passes.
With Salah and Gakpo absent, it’s fair to say the Hungarian was Liverpool’s standout performer.
Ekitike, meanwhile, topped the shot count (three) in Milan and was more effective than Isak, who looks a shadow of his former self right now. But in truth, neither really convinced, with Slot’s defence-first approach limiting the duo’s influence.
Above: Liverpool players’ underlying stats v Inter Milan on Tuesday
Instead, substitute Florian Wirtz (£8.0m) surpassed them both, winning the late penalty that was converted by Szoboszlai.
At the back, Ibrahima Konate (£5.4m) performed better, while Virgil van Dijk (£6.0m) looked assured throughout, with five clearances, three blocks and one interception, falling just one short of the FPL defensive contribution (DefCon) threshold.
COULD LIVERPOOL USE THE DIAMOND IN GAMEWEEK 16?
Federico Chiesa (£6.3m) is back in the Liverpool squad for Gameweek 16, having missed the midweek trip to Milan due to illness.
However, Chiesa has not yet made a Premier League start in 2025/26, and considering that Slot’s options on the flanks remain limited, he could be tempted to persist with the diamond set-up.
A decision will need to be made on Isak, with the Sweden international a doubt for this encounter, having picked up a knock in Europe.
Wirtz, Slot’s most natural No 10, came off the bench in midweek to replace Isak and impressed, so may be considered for a similar role.
Discussing his two-striker set-up on Friday, Slot said:
“I think what we all saw – and which is completely normal – the more they will play together, the more they will adapt to each other and the better they will co-operate. I think it’s fair to say the other two that were on the pitch, the two No 9s – [Marcus] Thuram and Lautaro Martinez – were more used to playing with each other. But I also saw promising things from the both of them. It’s been the second time they’ve played together for obvious reasons, because match fitness is the obvious reason for that. And I think we will see more of this in the future of them playing together. But Alex [Isak] also got a knock in the first half, so let’s see how he has recovered from that today – if he’s able to start tomorrow and, if he’s able, I make the decision to start them again together or we do it in a different way.” – Arne Slot
HOW ELSE COULD LIVERPOOL LINE-UP WITHOUT SALAH + GAKPO?
A ‘different way’ could see Slot revert to a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Ideally, Wirtz would play as the ‘10’ in this setup, but Gakpo’s injury could force the German into a wider role.
Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Jones and Gravenberch would subsequently fill the other midfield spots, with two of them playing further forward.
If Slot wants to play with more width at Anfield, the 4-2-3-1 formation certainly makes the most sense, with Salah another option if deemed ready to start.
Above: A potential Liverpool XI in Gameweek 16
Slot could also use the 4-4-2 formation he deployed against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League earlier this season, with Ekitike and Isak up top.
The absence of both Salah and Gakpo would make it trickier, but Wirtz could play off the left, with Szoboszlai on the right, either side of a midfield two consisting of Gravenberch, Mac Allister and Jones.
FINAL THOUGHTS
If Slot persists with the diamond formation, which includes four central midfielders in the middle of the park, the Reds’ defensive structure should be fairly robust, boosting the appeal of van Dijk and co.
Even in the absence of clean sheets, van Dijk still carries a bit of appeal due to his set-play goal threat and DefCon potential.
The full-backs have been somewhat restrained in this setup so far, but once fit, Jeremie Frimpong (£5.7m) would introduce a new dynamic and should benefit this shape, as he offers far more attacking threat than stand-in Joe Gomez (£4.9m). The same applies to Conor Bradley (£5.0m) once he returns from suspension.
Further forward, Liverpool have shown very little in attack recently, so investment does feel somewhat riskier.
Nevertheless, whether in the diamond or a 4-2-3-1 formation, Szoboszlai is probably the standout option right now. The Hungarian is currently one yellow card away from suspension in the Premier League, but if he becomes the main penalty taker in Salah’s absence, it naturally increases his appeal. He also regularly plays the full 90 minutes and can contribute DefCons, with a 26.7% success rate over the season so far.
Wirtz and Ekitike are also players to keep an eye on, particularly in the diamond, which would bring them both into the middle of the pitch. That said, we’ll obviously need to see much more from them if they are to stake a serious claim for inclusion in our squads.
