Xherdan Shaqiri should retain his starting XI place when Liverpool host Burnley on Thursday. That’s despite a potential injury return.
Liverpool face Burnley later today in a big game for the Reds. They desperately need to find their form, having failed to win four consecutive Premier League games.
They haven’t managed a goal in their last three, in fact – the first time that’s happened in 16 years.
There are reasons for it, of course. Injuries have robbed the team of any consistency and have done so all over the pitch.
It means that when a player does find form, they should play. And we think Xherdan Shaqiri is in form.
The 29-year-old looked sharp against Manchester United, frequently finding gaps between the lines and helping the team move forward. Some of his shooting was a little off but for someone making his first league start in 13 months, Shaqiri was very good.
We’d expect him to get better and better the more he plays, assuming he stays injury free.
But unfortunately, keeping him in the XI against Burnley isn’t straightforward.
Moving pieces
Joel Matip might return for the game. That would almost certainly move Jordan Henderson back into midfield and Shaqiri is the obvious one to move out.
Thiago will surely start, as will Gini Wijnaldum. Shaqiri, as someone who isn’t a typical centre-midfielder, would drop out of the team.
Unless, of course, Jurgen Klopp tries something a little new or maybe does leave Wijnaldum out.
And we think Klopp should do just that. Shaqiri is playing very well – get him in the team. Especially at a time when so few forward players look sharp.
That might mean getting Shaqiri in the front-three or, perhaps, switching formation to use him as a no.10. But the Swiss looked very good in a midfield three on Sunday.
Whatever the decision, Shaqiri should be one of the first names on that team sheet. He looked like a rare bright spark against United and he could
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