Premier League opponent Bournemouth is up next for Liverpool, and Jurgen Klopp must make some difficult decisions over his lineup.
Liverpool battled hard to secure a draw against Chelsea on Sunday to open their Premier League campaign.
Early on, Luis Diaz gave the Reds the lead, but they were beaten before halftime and ultimately had to battle hard to hold on to a 1-1 draw, extending their remarkable streak of opening-day victories to 11 years.
In their match against Bournemouth on Saturday, which they won 9-0 the year before, Liverpool will now try to pick up their first three points of the new season.
Here, we take a look at the potential adjustments Jurgen Klopp could make before his team’s upcoming game.
For all the concerns over how Liverpool would defend at Stamford Bridge, it actually took a somewhat scrappy goal to beat their rearguard action. That was partly due to another fine display from Alisson Becker, who underlined why he is first-choice between the sticks ahead of Caoimhin Kelleher and Adrian.
Virgil van Dijk and particularly Ibrahima Konate did reasonably well as the centre-back pairing and are likely to retain their place with Joe Gomez and Joel Matip the alternatives.
Andy Robertson had a difficult first half but improved and should stay ahead of Kostas Tsimikas at left-back. Trent Alexander-Arnold is the only available right-back at present with Conor Bradley absent again at the weekend through injury, although Gomez could play in the position as a more steady option should Alexander-Arnold be needed elsewhere
The defensive midfield issue saw debutant Alexis Mac Allister fill the breach on Sunday, although it was clear it isn’t his favoured position. Liverpool have persisted with the use of an inverted right-back, and that could preclude Alexander-Arnold from the number six given the lack of choice in his accustomed role.
With Stefan Bajcetic having only returned to full training just over a week ago after almost five months out, Curtis Jones – who came off the bench at the weekend – is the only potential option for Klopp in defensive midfield should no new signing be made this week. Teenager James McConnell was an unused substitute at Chelsea
Elsewhere in midfield, with Thiago Alcantara also not ready to start at the weekend, Dominik Szoboszlai did well on his competitive debut although Cody Gakpo’s stint dropping back wasn’t quite as successful
Mohamed Salah may have been replaced in a huff on Sunday but he’s usually one of the first names on the teamsheet on the right flank, with teenager Ben Doak having emerged as someone who can at least give the Egyptian a breather occasionally.
Less clear-cut is who starts in the other two attacking positions. Diogo Jota found it hard going leading the line at Chelsea after an impressive pre-season, while Luis Diaz was unable to build upon his early goal.
Gakpo could be an option in either position, particularly down the centre where he has performed well in the past. And Darwin Nunez’s lively stint as substitute suggests he’s ready to play a more significant part in the forward line.
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