Liverpool has a chance to continue momentum on Sunday as Jürgen Klopp prepares for another Anfield clash. This time, it’s Nottingham Forest coming to town.
Three points over Everton last time out in the league means the Reds are in touching distance in the title race. But it will need a victory to keep pressure on Spurs, who secured a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace on Friday without being at their best.
On current form, it’s a favorable match for Liverpool, with Klopp having eased the squad back to producing its best, while there has also been a significant improvement in terms of strength in depth. That provides a tactical headache for the manager on Sunday, when he will need to choose who leads the line out of Darwin Núñez, Cody Gakpo, and Diogo Jota, but it’s the latter who shone in this fixture last time around.
Jota scored twice in April to help the Reds to a 3-2 victory over Steve Cooper’s side, but there will be hope of a more convincing win on Sunday. It is important that Liverpool is able to dispatch teams in the lower half with ease amid the quest to return to the sort of form that could secure Klopp a second Premier League title.
There is little between all three of Liverpool’s center-forwards at the moment. Núñez and Jota both got on the scoresheet against Toulouse, while Gakpo registered an assist — and that is the sort of correlation you’d expect when looking at how they’re deployed.
Gakpo seems to have Klopp’s trust in the games where the press is more important, and while he only registered two Premier League assists last season, he excels at bringing the likes of Luis Díaz and Mohamed Salah into play. But against lower opposition, there is less need for a star who looks to replicate the Roberto Firmino role.
When a more direct approach is required, Klopp prefers to go with one of the other two. Núñez’s form is best in terms of productivity, but whether he starts or not, the Uruguayan is likely to make an impact on the game at some point.
Jota, meanwhile, suits games in which Liverpool can expect the opponent to sit deeper, and he can finish more difficult chances. Once seemingly groomed as a Firmino successor himself, he now holds a unique role within the squad. The added bonus of having scored three times already against Forest is also noteworthy — until it figures out a solution to stop him from scoring, he should always be used in this sort of match.
The Portugal international has started four of his eight total Premier League appearances this season, including in last week’s 2-0 win over Everton. Against a side placed just one above the Toffees in the table, it is likely that Klopp will opt for a similar forward line on Sunday, and Jota may have just made his mind up after he scored one of the most memorable goals of his Liverpool career in midweek.
