Liverpool will be riding a huge wave of momentum into their late Saturday evening showdown with Aston Villa following their thorough dismantling of Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on Tuesday.
However, as we have documented time and again, the challenges just keep coming for Arne Slot and his squad as the Reds will welcome a Villa side that is level on points with both Chelsea and Arsenal.
It will not be a straightforward affair but Liverpool should still see themselves favorites to bag all three points as the Anfield support might be the final boost they could need in this match.
However, looking on the pitch, I have gathered three players that will be essential to seeing the Reds secure all three points against the visitors. Let’s take a look!
It might be surprising to see the Frenchman here and not our Captain Virgil van Dijk. Well, there is a reason for that so stick with me for a moment.
While we have all come to expect Virgil to play like one of the best defenders in the world, he is given the freedom to take on more offensive responsibilities when a player like Konaté is playing at his best.
Ibou has rediscovered his best form this season after displacing Jarell Quansah at halftime of the opening weekend win away to Ipswich Town.
He has not looked back and his physical gifts combined with a natural ability to read the game and on the ball means he has been the perfect complement to Virgil. He can cover ground that our No. 4 cannot which allows the backline to press higher up because they know their backs are covered.
He will be essential to tracking down any Villa counterattacks which are definitely on the menu for Unai Emery’s side as they visit Anfield.
The Dutchman has been arguably one of our 2 or 3 best players this season as he has more than taken to his new holding midfield role.
Yet, it’s also his ability to comfortably transition to attack and carry the ball driving at defenses to open lanes for others that has made him so dynamic. This versatility is a huge weapon in the Slot system and Gravenberch has thrived.
He is one of the first names on the teamsheet these days and Saturday will be no different as he will be asked to shutdown the likes of Youri Tielemans and Amadou Onana in the center of the park.
His quick-passing instincts could be crucial in the rare moments Villa do bomb forward, Gravenberch can easily swing the Reds into motion going the other way.
The youngster will once again show his class and be expected to shoulder a lot of responsibilities in securing the right result for Liverpool.
This one might be a little surprising but I think the Irish No. 1 is a worthy addition to this list. Aston Villa boast some very dangerous weapons in attack such as the underrated Ollie Watkins, the electric Morgan Rogers and others.
They will create chances for themselves and it will be up to Kelleher to be ready to fight off these moments and keep their momentum out of the game.
The longer we can keep them scoreless the better it will be for the crowd, our defense and our mission of crushing their psyche. Kelleher has proved his worth time and again to the club under the brightest lights so he will not shy away from this moment either.
If he can clean up his ball distribution just a tad bit as well, the link from back to front might be a lot smoother making transitioning to attack a lot easier for Liverpool.
Villa have too many gifted attackers that they will eventually get one or two clear chances and the Irishman must be ready to turn them away if the Reds are to stave off any ideas of an upset.
