The three players Andoni Iraola needs to drop for Liverpool’s match with Nottingham Forest on Saturday
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Despite the negative reaction to Liverpool’s opening day Premier League draw against Newcastle last Sunday, the reality is that there were some positives for the Reds to take.They controlled the game for large periods and created some excellent openings. Had the final ball been better, Liverpool could easily have scored four or five at St James’ Park.Nevertheless, there were clearly some glaring negatives as well, and Andoni Iraola must do whatever possible to rectify those for Saturday’s clash with Nottingham Forest.
What Is Your Reaction To Liverpool’s Champions League Group Phase Draw? The Reds will face Atletico Madrid, Porto, Villarreal and Lens at Anfield and Inter, Club Brugge, Fenerbahce and LASK away from home Photo Credit: Getty Images/Erwin Spek/Soccrates Jeremie Frimpong cannot start againOne of the biggest concerns for supporters about the Newcastle game was just how poor Liverpool’s full-back pair looked.Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez were dreadful in the North East, but it is unlikely that Iraola will choose to bomb them both out against Forest.At least one of them should be dropped, though, and with Ronald Araujo showing himself to be a dependable figure so far, the easiest choice is to leave Frimpong out for the Uruguayan.We have only seen Araujo at centre-back so far, but he came on and contributed to the draw at St James’ Park.
He was unlucky not to start after an impressive debut the previous week against Como, and given the frailties in Frimpong’s game, the Barcelona loanee looks like a better choice here.READ MORE: Grading each of Liverpool’s three summer signings on their Premier League debuts against NewcastleLiverpool can assess their midfield without Ryan GravenberchIf there was one single player who took most of the stick following the Newcastle game, it was probably Ryan Gravenberch.The Dutchman handed the ball to the Magpies on a plate for both of their goals, and although he did not necessarily have a bad performance otherwise, his role in Liverpool making two soft concessions cannot be ignored.The Reds looked far more secure when Alexis Mac Allister came on during the last portion of the game, and it would be nice to see how the Argentine gets on in a double pivot with Dominik Szoboszlai from the start.Reports on Friday claim that Mac Allister has been offered to Manchester City, but it seems unlikely that he will leave, and though he does not look like being in Iraola’s best XI for now, it is still very early days, and with the Gravenberch/Szoboszlai duo not really working, why not change it up and take a view on something else.Photo by Lewis Storey – Danehouse/Getty ImagesRio Ngumoha should not be in the teamWith Mac Allister in the middle and Araujo at right-back, the final change for Iraola should be in attack.There has been plenty of discussion about the Basque’s apparent decision to play Rio Ngumoha as a right winger this season, but it was clear against Newcastle that the 17-year-old is not massively comfortable there.Liverpool might well have a new signing on the verge of arriving by the time the game kicks off on Saturday, and they obviously are looking for a right winger as a matter of urgency. But they will have the same options as they did for Newcastle against Forest.After Ngumoha could not get going at all at St James – and Victor Munoz came on and did brilliantly – the choice has surely been made for Iraola.With Forest likely to give Liverpool even more space, the pace of Munoz is surely the best option here.Iraola does not need to make wholesale changes here, but with a few tweaks here and there, the Reds will have a much better chance of picking up their first three points of the season.