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Liverpool return to Premier League action on Saturday afternoon, hosting Fulham after a bruising Champions League midweek outing against Paris Saint-Germain.
Arne Slot rotated his squad for the daunting trip to face the reigning European champions, desperately hoping to avoid an embarrassing scoreline. Though he managed to limit the damage to a 2–0 loss, the manner of the performance was still pretty humbling. Mohamed Salah played no part in the systematic dismantling, remaining an unused substitute throughout.
The club's consistent top scorer has had his role questioned under Slot on several occasions this season, to the point where he has agreed to forgo a year of his enormous wages to depart in the summer. Salah won't be spending the rest of his time at the club entirely on the sidelines, and Slot strongly suggested his fading star will feature in Saturday's home fixture against Fulham.
Whether he will be trusted to start the second leg against PSG next week, however, remains an entirely different question.
Survival Mode Not Set to Continue
Slot justified his decision to adopt the defensive, reactive approach he has spent the whole season criticizing, warning that Liverpool are currently in "survival mode." Facing sides with the attacking quality of PSG and Manchester City, a degree of caution is perhaps warranted.
Fulham pose a different kind of test. Marco Silva's organized side can — and frequently do — make life difficult for the league's top clubs, yet they are far from one of Europe's most dangerous attacking outfits. In fact, even this relegation-threatened version of Tottenham Hotspur have registered more shots on target than the Cottagers this campaign.
Liverpool are expected to revert to a back four on Saturday and could have Alexander Isak available for more than a brief cameo, following his tentative appearance off the bench on Wednesday.
Liverpool Predicted Lineup vs. Fulham (4-2-2-2)
GK: Giorgi Mamardashvili—One of the few Liverpool players to come away from the Parc des Princes with any credit, Mamardashvili kept the deficit manageable with four impressive saves.
RB: Jeremie Frimpong—The back five setup should have suited Frimpong more than almost any other Liverpool player, yet the natural wingback finished the match without registering a shot or creating a single chance.
CB: Ibrahima Konaté—The commanding center back was fortunate not to have conceded two penalties.
CB: Virgil van Dijk—"It's difficult for Virgil to look s---," Jürgen Klopp once remarked. It would be interesting to know whether Slot shares that view.
LB: Andy Robertson—Robertson is not one for describing a player's winding path to the top as a "fairytale." Every journey is built on dedication and hard work, and Liverpool's squad is full of such examples. As Robertson put it: "If these were all fairytales, we'd have more than Hans Christian Andersen."
DM: Ryan Gravenberch—When Ronald Koeman called Gravenberch into the Netherlands squad for Euro 2024 following a string of midfield injuries, the characteristically direct Dutch coach said the Liverpool man had "landed with his nose in the butter" — a colorful Dutch expression for striking it lucky. Gravenberch would have to slip in that butter and pull something to lose his starting spot for club or country.
DM: Curtis Jones—The sole Scouser remaining in Liverpool's squad could be blocked from a summer move in order to preserve that distinction.
AM: Dominik Szoboszlai—"He is a bit underestimated," Slot said of the Hungarian midfielder during his first season at Anfield. Few would question the influence of Liverpool's undisputed standout performer.
AM: Florian Wirtz—As a child, Wirtz was asked by his teacher to write down what he wanted to be when he grew up. His mother kept that piece of paper and revealed it on his 18th birthday. It contained just one word: "Fußballer."
ST: Mohamed Salah—If Salah isn't tempted by interest from MLS or the Saudi Pro League this summer, perhaps he could explore free diving as an alternative. After Klopp brought in a professional surfer to run a session with the squad back in 2019, Salah demonstrated he could hold his breath underwater for over three minutes.
ST: Hugo Ekitiké—The Frenchman is an accomplished finisher but may need to refine his skills as a career advisor: "If I have one piece of advice to give," Ekitiké shared earlier this season, "it's that when you think something is crazy to do, just do it."