Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend

Liverpool’s problems could worsen in the derby, Ranieri returns to the Bridge and Newcastle fans plan a walk-in protest

Maybe the table never lies but it sure can mislead. Perhaps Liverpool are the second-best team in the Premier League at the moment but that does not mean they are very good. So far in the league they have been unbeaten and unconvincing. The main problem is their midfield, which lacks ingenuity and suffers from waning dynamism. Jürgen Klopp has not overhauled it swiftly enough, though at least he has started Xherdan Shaqiri in the last two leagues games to bring more inventiveness. But he deployed Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Gigi Wijnaldum for Wednesday’s lame Champions League defeat in Paris. Henderson is suspended for Sunday’s Merseyside derby so there’s no need for him to be dropped. But there’s a good case for sidelining Wijnaldum and even Milner to go with a midfield trio of Shaqiri, Naby Keïta and Fabinho. That would partly be an expression of faith in the ability of the last two to produce their best form, which has so far eluded them in the early, stop-start days of their careers at Liverpool. Everton, meanwhile, are looking increasingly formidable. If Idrissa Gueye and André Gomes run midfield, as they may well do, then Everton could win at Anfield for the first time this century. PD

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from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2Q35KvN