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Mark Lawrenson names two Liverpool players Jurgen Klopp should avoid picking on Sunday
Liverpool legend and BBC Sport pundit Mark Lawrenson has urged Reds boss Jurgen Klopp to avoid picking either Nathaniel Phillips or Rhys Williams for this weekend’s Premier League clash.
The reigning champions are preparing for a tough away game at Manchester City on Sunday, and they’ll have to do so without Virgil van Dijk and Fabinho.
In Liverpool’s last two games, against Atalanta in the Champions League and West Ham in the league, Klopp gave starts to Phillips and Williams, who have come through the Reds academy.
Joel Matip was fit enough to take a spot on the bench against Atalanta, and Lawrenson is adamant that the Liverpool boss should opt for the Cameroonian if he’s fit, due to the difficulty of the game.
“At the back, if Joel Matip is fit I would pair him with Joe Gomez,” he told .
“Nathaniel Phillips and Rhys Williams have done well – against West Ham and Atalanta respectively – but this is a very different game, with far more pressure involved and against a much better side.
“Whoever Klopp goes with, it is not a good time for them to be going to the Etihad while they are trying to build a new partnership because any mistake they make will be pounced upon.”
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Hard to dispute what Lawrenson’s saying – admittedly, West Ham and Atalanta aren’t easy games by any means, and both Phillips and Williams did well in their respective appearances, but Man City are a much, much tougher proposition.
Judging by a recent report in the , Matip should be fine to start at the weekend, and Klopp seems to be willing to go for experience in such a high-stakes game.
Fingers crossed he is fully fit to start because it would be a tough ask for either Phillips or Williams to go up against the likes of Gabriel Jesus, Riyad Mahrez, Raheem Sterling and Ferran Torres so soon in their careers.