Mikel Arteta was quizzed on his side’s chances in the Premier League title race, and whether he had ceded defeat. “No chance,” the Arsenal manager said. “Over my dead body.”
Still, Liverpool have an 11-point lead at the summit of the table, and they can preserve that lead at home against Newcastle United tonight, maybe even extend it given the Gunners travel to the City Ground to take on Nottingham Forest this evening.
The senior members of the Anfield cohort will know the battle is far from over, not least because Liverpool must juggle their workload across several competitions: the Reds will meet Newcastle again in next month’s Carabao Cup final while also looking to drive through the Champions League knockout rounds and toward the title.
Keeping Arsenal a distance away will allow for more rotation over the business months, and so United need to be defeated on Wednesday evening.
However, it won’t be easy, with Newcastle fearsome in attack and the hosts playing their fifth match in 15 days, with tired legs and several injuries to overcome.
Liverpool's latest injury news
Liverpool have enjoyed comparative joy on the injury front this season, owing to Arne Slot’s expert man management and the more settled style of football, still a high-pressing team but less thrash-metal than under Jurgen Klopp.
There are still some issues though: Alexis Mac Allister has a black eye after being bashed in the face during the emphatic victory over Manchester City, but Slot has confirmed “he will be okay” and trained with the rest of the squad on Tuesday morning.
Conor Bradley’s latest injury adds pressure on Trent Alexander-Arnold’s back; the right-back only returned from injury himself a few weeks ago and is being carefully managed, so don’t be surprised if Jarell Quansah enters the field in the second half as a stand-in full-back along Ibou Konate.
Joe Gomez and Tyler Morton remain long-term absentees, not expected back any time soon.
Liverpool’s backline will have a tough time dealing with Alexander Isak, one of the Premier League’s most dangerous forwards. Still, Virgil van Dijk and co will be up to the task.
1.
Mohamed Salah
27 (27)
25
16
2.
Alexander Isak
24 (24)
19
5
3.
Erling Haaland
25 (25)
19
3
4.
Chris Wood
26 (25)
18
3
5.
Bryan Mbeumo
26 (26)
15
4
Slot may want to unleash a surprising answer to the Sweden striker though, someone who might surprise a few and lessen Mohamed Salah’s workload.
Slot's rogue answer to Isak
Darwin Nunez has been reduced to a bit-part role in his third season at Liverpool. It’s his first season without Klopp, who championed his signing and welcomed him from Benfica on a deal worth £85m – a club record.
In seasons past, the 25-year-old has been an agent of chaos, riddled with deficiencies but frenetic and lively and mercurial. However, Slot doesn’t subscribe to his style, so Nunez has only started seven times in the Premier League, scoring four goals and providing two assists.
As you will see, the £140k-per-week Nunez has actually shored up his wastefulness, albeit at the expense of the ample opportunities that invariably arrived at his doormat when playing in Klopp’s system.
Slot has triumphed in unlocking a number of Liverpool’s players: Ryan Gravenberch, Cody Gakpo, Dominik Szoboszlai et al., but Nunez’s lock remains unpicked.
However, he’s capable of moments, real moments, charged energy and tenacious unpredictability marking a potential fusion of attacking threads. Brentford felt his power at the Gtech in January, falling after the Urugayan’s last-gasp brace.
And so did Newcastle last season. Klopp’s rebuild was almost complete, the screws being tightened on the new midfield framework, but there was a sense of uncertainty about Liverpool, who had fallen behind at St. James’ Park in August 2023 with Van Dijk shown a first-half red card.
Up stepped Nunez, off the bench and devastating in firing a perfect brace past Nick Pope. It was a fine moment, easily recalled by the myriad of Liverpool supporters who draw their best moments from the past several years of action.
He hasn’t kicked on, but Nunez’s inclusion in the starting line-up could be worthwhile for a Liverpool side who have erected an almost impregnable lead at the top of the Premier League and must consider rotation after such a thick and unforgiving run of fixtures.
Paris Saint-Germain, indeed, await at the Parc des Princes next week, the beginning of a two-legged last 16 extravaganza on the continent. Liverpool will need to be at their rip-roaring best, and Nunez isn’t likely to start in that one so could be given a shot in this one.
He’s got a few tricks up his sleeve and could be a valuable and unlikely star for Slot, flanked by reliable goalscorers Gakpo and Salah. As per FBref, the mobile striker ranks among the top 11% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for total shots taken, the top 19% for progressive carries, the top 7% for touches in the attacking penalty area and the top 2% for tackles per 90.
A carry is considered progressive if the ball is moved towards the opponent’s goal at least 10 yards from its starting point or is carried into the penalty area.
He’s willing to work hard and run through the thirds, something that Isak does emphatically for the Toon. He might not have turned into the “monster of a player” that Dwight Yorke predicted, but Nunez is certainly capable of channelling his strengths and unleashing them in moments, and you might say he already has the Magpies’ scent.
Any of Diogo Jota, Diaz or Szoboszlai could be used as number nines, but Nunez, having not started in the Premier League since Boxing Day, could do with another chance to prove himself to Slot – and who knows, perhaps his presence and desperate pursuit of a reprieve could see him thrive as Liverpool’s rogue answer to Isak.
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