Liverpool have confirmed their starting XI to face Atletico Madrid at Anfield — and Andoni Iraola has certainly gone for it.
The Reds face Diego Simeone’s side in their opening Champions League game of the season, and there are some very interesting decisions in this Liverpool team.
Liverpool XI
Alisson; Araújo, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, Wirtz; Ngumoha, Isak, Barcola.
Subs: Mamardashvili, Woodman, Tsimikas, Muñoz, Frimpong, Gravenberch, Nyoni, Chambers, McConnell, Koumas, Danns.
And I have to say, I really like this team.
Barcola starts!
This is the big one.
Bradley Barcola makes his first Liverpool start.
After making his debut from the bench against Ipswich, the £100m-plus signing gets his opportunity from the beginning against one of the toughest opponents Liverpool could face.
This is exactly the sort of game Liverpool bought Barcola for.
Atletico are going to defend deep at times, they will try to make the game physical and they will look to frustrate Liverpool.
Barcola’s pace and ability to take players on could be absolutely crucial.
I want to see him being aggressive.
Get the ball.
Run at them.
Make Atletico defend facing their own goal.
And Rio Ngumoha starts too
This is another really exciting decision from Iraola.
Rio Ngumoha starts alongside Barcola and Alexander Isak.
That gives Liverpool an incredibly young and unpredictable front three.
There is pace everywhere.
There is movement.
And there is plenty of ability to attack defenders one-on-one.
Ngumoha is still developing, but these are exactly the occasions when you want to see what he can do.
And playing alongside Isak and Barcola gives him two excellent attacking players to combine with.
Isak gets another opportunity
Alexander Isak leads the line.
After his brilliant two-goal performance against Ipswich, this is another huge test for the Swedish striker.
He scored both goals at Portman Road and looked much more like the striker Liverpool expected when they spent £125 million on him.
Now comes Atletico.
And if Liverpool can get Isak into the game, I think he can cause them serious problems.
The key will be the service.
Barcola and Ngumoha have the pace to stretch Atletico.
Wirtz can find pockets of space.
Mac Allister and Szoboszlai can feed the attack.
This could be a very interesting night for Isak.
Wirtz gets the No.10 role
Florian Wirtz starts behind Isak.
For me, this is where Liverpool could potentially cause Atletico the biggest problems.
Wirtz is at his best when he can find space between midfield and defence.
If Atletico’s midfielders concentrate too much on Isak, Wirtz could have the freedom to hurt them.
And if they push up to stop Wirtz, that could leave space for Isak and the two wingers.
That’s the dilemma Liverpool need to create.
Mac Allister and Szoboszlai
I also like the decision to start Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai together.
Liverpool need control against Atletico.
They cannot simply attack for 90 minutes and leave themselves exposed.
Mac Allister’s ability to dictate possession and Szoboszlai’s energy could be vital.
There has been plenty of discussion about Liverpool’s midfield balance this season, but this is a game where the pair have to be disciplined.
Atletico will punish mistakes.
Araújo, Jacquet and Van Dijk
There is also plenty to like about the defence.
Ronald Araújo starts at right-back again, with Jérémy Jacquet alongside Virgil van Dijk and Milos Kerkez on the left.
Araújo’s ability to defend one-on-one and provide an extra physical presence could be particularly important against Atletico’s attackers.
Jacquet gets another huge test too.
The young French defender has shown plenty of promise since arriving, and playing alongside Van Dijk gives him an ideal opportunity to learn.
And then there’s the captain.
Virgil van Dijk.
Champions League night at Anfield.
You know what you’re getting from him.
The bench is interesting too
Liverpool have plenty of options to change the game.
Ryan Gravenberch is perhaps the most obvious midfield option.
Jeremie Frimpong can provide more attacking threat from the right.
Victor Muñoz offers another energetic option in the final third.
And then you’ve got Trey Nyoni, James McConnell, Lewis Koumas and Jayden Danns.
That’s a young bench, but there is plenty of potential there.
This is what I want to see from Iraola
What I like most about this lineup is that it feels like Iraola is beginning to put his own stamp on Liverpool.
There is youth.
There is pace.
There is technical quality.
And there is a willingness to attack.
Barcola and Ngumoha starting together is a particularly bold decision.
But sometimes you have to trust your best attacking players.
Now let’s see what they can do
Atletico Madrid will provide a completely different challenge to Ipswich.
This will be more physical.
More tactical.
More intense.
And probably much more difficult to break down.
But Liverpool have picked a team capable of hurting them.
Barcola. Ngumoha. Wirtz. Isak.
That is some attacking talent.
Now it’s about producing it on the biggest stage.
Champions League football is back at Anfield.
And Iraola has gone for an exciting Liverpool XI.
Let’s see what they can do.
Jamie (The Kopite View)
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