Liverpool is a maximum of 11 points away from being confirmed as Premier League champion, and yet the performance and result against Fulham this weekend would have left Arne Slot with plenty to think about.
Fortunately for the Dutchman, he has a full week with his players to get to the bottom of what went wrong at Craven Cottage. And there are four big boosts that he can give himself immediately by the time the Liverpool teamsheet drops next Sunday.
Firstly, Alisson Becker will come back into the team as long as he passes the latest concussion tests that will be conducted before then. And Conor Bradley, though he wasn’t able to start the game in the capital, looked sharp when he entered the field. With another full week of training, he should be ready to play from the off at Anfield next weekend.
While there was merit to playing Curtis Jones at full-back, Bradley’s return will signal the end of that experiment. Jones is clearly a much better midfielder than he is a right-back, even if he wasn’t helped by some dreadful showings across the rest of the Liverpool backline.
In midfield, Dominik Szoboszlai looked jaded against Fulham — and it should be little wonder after the volume of minutes he has played in recent months. While he has been in good form generally, the Hungarian has barely been given a breather.
(Image: 2025 Liverpool FC)
With Harvey Elliott making a big difference against his former club last weekend, the Liverpool number 19 should be in the team next weekend as the most advanced midfielder, even though by that point, there will be an argument that Szoboszlai has had the rest he needs. There is no midweek game, but even so, Elliott deserves an opportunity.
Similarly, Luis Diaz injected some life into the Liverpool attack when he was sent onto the field at Craven Cottage. The Colombian added some pace and energy into the forward line, though someone will have to miss out.
It was hard to argue against Cody Gakpo coming back into the team at Fulham, but equally difficult to suggest that Diogo Jota, the matchwinner against Everton, shouldn’t have played. The strongest case for someone coming out of the team is probably Mohamed Salah at the moment, but that simply isn’t going to happen.
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Someone has to miss out on starting and come off the bench, but Diaz clearly made a difference against Fulham. Against West Ham, his ability to inject some urgency in the final third might be required.
That would leave Darwin Nunez and Federico Chiesa sidelined again, but it appears unlikely that Slot will turn to either of them from the off. Despite calls for Chiesa to get a chance after scoring in the Carabao Cup final, he has only played eight minutes since.
While the likes of Nunez and Chiesa are unlikely to provide the solution, Alisson, Bradley, Elliott and Diaz just might. On the most recent evidence, they should be four changes Slot makes next time out.
