MY ACCOUNT
There is plenty of competition for places in Liverpool’s frontline — and Luis Diaz’s arrival has turned up the heat even further.
The return of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane from the Africa Cup of Nations should give Jurgen Klopp a full complement of forwards to choose from but his biggest dilemma will be who should spearhead the Reds’ attack.
Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino are set to battle it out for the Merseysiders’ central striking spot, though only one of the pair is likely to be given the nod on a regular basis.
So, ahead of today’s FA Cup fourth round tie at home to Cardiff, we consider who at Anfield is best suited for the role.
The job description
Under Klopp, Liverpool are synonymous with a front three. They do occasionally deviate from that set-up but it has been the German tactician’s go-to formation for some time.
With Salah scoring freely from the right and Mane doing likewise from the opposite flank when at his best, the team’s centre-forward is not usually burdened with goalscoring responsibility.
Granted, Jota has found the net 10 times in the Premier League this term — placing him second in the Golden Boot race behind Salah on 16 — but the role is not simply that of a poacher.
There is a requirement to lead the press, while Klopp has also previously used Roberto Firmino in a false nine capacity.
On a Jot streak
Signed as a wide player, Jota almost immediately showed his worth to Liverpool as a centre forward. As such, that has become the Portuguese’s default position.
The former Wolves man has proven himself to be a wonderfully well-rounded attacker, doing everything that Klopp requires from him when in possession and off the ball.
With 27 goals in 58 appearances for the Reds in all competitions, the 25-year-old is almost registering a strike every other game — not bad for someone who initially looked to have been signed as a squad player.
Firmino still firing
Firmino has seen his involvement decrease since Jota’s arrival but the beaming Brazilian remains a key component of Klopp’s squad.
The 30-year-old has made only 10 starts across all competitions this term but he has not lost any of his goal threat — bagging his second Premier League hat-trick, as Liverpool thrashed Watford 5-0 in October.
Now in his seventh campaign with the Reds, Firmino is very much the understudy to Jota. But he does differ in his skill set — notably in his capacity as a selfless space creator for Salah and Mane.
The curveball
If Klopp really wants to mix things up, he could always decide to deploy Salah through the middle.
He has done so before, when shifting from a 4-3-3 to 4-2-3-1 shape, and the acquisition of Diaz from Porto now gives him another quality option for the wide positions.
But even so, with Salah arguably in the form of his career in his preferred role, you have to ask why on earth would you move him?
The ultimate curveball
While he may rarely play the typical Jota or Firmino role, Salah is at least a recognised forward.
The same cannot be said of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain — but that has not stopped Klopp hinting at the possibility of using him as a No9.
Speaking after experimenting with the midfielder there in pre-season, he said: “You could see in the first few minutes [of Oxlade-Chamberlain playing as a centre-forward], that’s an option, definitely. We will see how that goes on.”
Klopp is one of the game’s great tactical masterminds, but that would be quite a radical transformation by anyone’s standards.
Still, stranger things have happened, and you never know when an injury crisis might strike at Anfield.
