3 ways Liverpool can cover Robertson injury as Scotland star set for long layoff
Liverpool are preparing for life without Andy Robertson for the foreseeable future, after the left-back injured his shoulder while playing for Scotland during the international break.
The incident occurred in the first half of the Tartan Army's 2-0 defeat against Spain last week, where Robertson went down following a collision with goalkeeper Unai Simon. The 29-year-old returned to Merseyside to be assessed and he has since been pictured with his right arm in a sling.
Robertson will be out for at least 10 weeks if surgery is required, which would be a major blow in Liverpool 's potential pursuit of reclaiming the Premier League title. The ex-Hull defender could also miss four Champions League matches and two Carabao Cup ties should Liverpool beat Bournemouth in the fourth round.
Mirror Football have taken a look at four possible ways Klopp could line up his Liverpool side in Roberson's absence. The Reds are back in action for the first time in two weeks when then host Everton in the Merseyside derby on Saturday afternoon.
1. Tsimikas handed chance
Kostas Tsimikas could be given a consistent run in the Liverpool first XI at left-back. The Greece international has started three matches - none in the Premier League - so far this season. In fact, Tsimikas has played four minutes of top-flight football since the start of the campaign, which came in the 3-1 win over Bournemouth.
Klopp's dream Liverpool line up as last-gasp January transfers rejected
However, Tsimikas has played in the Europa League against LASK and Union Saint-Gilloise, as well as starting in the victory over Leicester in the Carabao Cup. A simple solution for Klopp would be to bring Tsimikas back into the side alongside Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Kostas Tsimikas could be handed a regular chance in the Liverpool side (Getty Images)2. Gomez experiment
Another option Klopp could choose is to throw Joe Gomez in at left-back. The 26-year-old had to fill in at right-back in Alexander-Arnold's absence last month, but hasn't played on the left side of a back four since May 2019. This was when Gomez came on for the final five minutes in that infamous 4-0 win over Barcelona.
Gomez has played 12 matches across his professional career at left-back, including five successive appearances in the Premier League under Brendan Rodgers in 2015/16. Although Gomez has not had much recent experience in that position, it is no doubt another option for Klopp ahead of the Merseyside derby.
Joe Gomez has made six Premier League appearances so far this season (Getty Images)3. Back three
Instead of playing someone in the traditional left-back berth, Klopp could move to a back three with the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip, Ibrahima Konate and Jarell Quansah pushing for a start against Everton.
If he does go down this route and use a 3-5-2 formation, Trent Alexander-Arnold could move out to right-wing back with Kostas Tsimikas likely on the left-hand side. Alternatively, Klopp could go for 3-4-3 instead, with Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai in a midfield two while keeping three players in attack as usual.
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
