Jurgen Klopp faces a tough decision against Bournemouth and it could make or break Liverpool’s grand plans.
The Reds host the Cherries under a week before hosting Atletico Madrid. Now, one of those games is tougher than the other but Klopp’s decision actually comes in the ‘easier’ fixture.
That’s because Liverpool will win the Premier League – the points don’t really matter too much. The game against Atletico is huge, however, as an aggregate defeat effectively ends the season.
So how does Klopp go about the Bournemouth game? Does he go full strength or does he rest players for the crunch game? To figure that out, he needs to decide what’s more important – momentum or rest.
If Liverpool were in brilliant form, there’s next to no chance that Klopp would go full strength on Saturday. Firstly, you wouldn’t risk injury and secondly, you can guarantee fresh players for Atletico.
But Liverpool are not in good form. They’ve lost three of their last four games and desperately need to get back on track. The only real way to do that is through a good performance against Bournemouth.
But players will only feel the effect of that if they play against the Cherries. And that’s the difficult balance for Klopp.
He could play his best XI on Saturday and play brilliantly, regaining form and confidence. The players, however, won’t be quite as fresh as they could be by Wednesday.
Alternatively, he can guarantee that freshness by resting players. Though, that denies them a chance to find their form again.
As we say, defeat on Wednesday effectively ends Liverpool’s season, leaving them ‘competing’ solely in the Premier League – a competition they’ve all but won.
So if the Reds do have grand plans of a league and European double, Klopp has to get this decision right.
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