Who should start at right-back for Liverpool against Manchester City?

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Martin King wonders whether or not Jurgen Klopp should offer a return from injury to Nathaniel Clyne against Manchester City.

If you don’t already know (and there’s a good chance you do) Liverpool’s quarterfinal match against Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League is one of the most hotly anticipated fixtures of the season.

The Reds take on their Premier League rivals this evening in the first leg of a tie that will determine which English team remains the last one standing in the competition.

Surrounding the build-up are questions of how both managers will set up, where the game will be won and lost, how many goals will be scored and in Liverpool’s case, who will start on the right-side of their defence.

Before the most recent international break, Reds manager Jürgen Klopp had the luxury of three options in Joe Gomez, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Nathaniel Clyne to pick for a spot at right-back. However, the busy fortnight has left the German with just two, following Gomez’s injury while on duty for England.

That leaves Alexander-Arnold and Clyne as the only fit and available full-backs and despite only making his first squad appearance of the season last weekend, the latter could find more favour with Klopp in this context than the former.

School-boy vs. Mr. Reliable

With 25 appearances in all competitions this season yielding two stunning goals and a single assist, Alexander-Arnold has burst onto the Liverpool first-team scene, presenting himself as a flying local full-back, with decent tackling attributes and an even better technical ability.

Standing in his way as the only reason why general trust in him isn’t firm, though, is his school-boy demeanour. This is not meant as a reference to his age, but rather his tendency to switch off during vital moments in the game, as perfectly displayed in Liverpool’s 2-1 victory on Saturday over Crystal Palace.

Alexander-Arnold was undoubtedly targeted ahead of the match at Selhurst Park, as Eagles winger Wilfried Zaha repeatedly got the better of him whenever the ball was played to the Londoners’ left flank, making the youngster look lethargic in reading and dealing with the attacking threat.

Any claims that the result could’ve been far worse for Liverpool had this match been played against a better side weren’t far off the mark either, as a look back to fixtures against Manchester City and United reveal that plenty of joy was found on the right-wing when Alexander-Arnold played.

It is that evidence that will likely player on the manager’s mind, as he ponders between the 19-year-old and fit again Clyne ahead of Liverpool’s Champions League clash at Anfield.

‘Mr. Reliable’, as he is known, has been training behind the scenes for some time following a long-term lay-off and was an unused substitute against Palace, revealing that he could be ready to reclaim his spot in the first team again.

You know what you get with Clyne: strength, pace, awareness, technical ability and a never-say-die attitude put together in a package called hard-work. There may be doubts over his sharpness, but his experience – especially compared to his teammate’s – make him a strong favourite to be picked as Liverpool’s starting right-back.

Who will start?

As already mentioned, players like Man City’s Leroy Sané and Man United’s Marcus Rashford have already experienced joy against Alexander-Arnold in league games this season. In a match where goals are the most important factors to deciding the overall result over two legs, perhaps sticking with the local lad might prove a risk too detrimental to take, as each side’s defence will have to be near perfect for the winner to be crowned.

Relying on Clyne is also a risk. The Englishman hasn’t featured in the first team for several months and could starting him be seen as throwing a man that can’t swim into the deep end?

Which risk is taken is ultimately Klopp’s decision, though, taking a gamble on Clyne’s sharpness may be the safest option, as his experience lessens the likelihood of City taking advantage of a self-inflicted problem.