A strong Liverpool line-up is being reported ahead of the FA Cup clash with Manchester City, and it suggests Arne Slot is taking the competition very seriously — but there may also be a tactical surprise.
Reported Liverpool Line-Up
Giorgi Mamardashvili
Joe Gomez – Ibrahima Konaté – Virgil van Dijk – Milos Kerkez
Mohamed Salah – Ryan Gravenberch – Dominik Szoboszlai – Curtis Jones
Florian Wirtz – Hugo Ekitike
But what’s really interesting about this team is that it actually looks like it could be a 4-4-2 formation.
A Possible 4-4-2 Shape
If this lineup is correct, Liverpool could line up like this:
Back four stays the same Salah right midfield Jones left midfield Gravenberch and Szoboszlai central Wirtz playing off Ekitike up front
That would make it more of a 4-4-2 / 4-4-1-1, with Wirtz playing between midfield and the striker.
This would be a very interesting tactical move from Slot, especially against Manchester City, because a 4-4-2 can make teams more compact defensively and dangerous on the counter attack.
Why Slot Might Do This
Against Manchester City, you often don’t want to leave big spaces in midfield. A 4-3-3 can sometimes get stretched, but a 4-4-2 keeps two banks of four and makes it harder to play through.
It also allows:
Salah to stay higher on the right Wirtz closer to the striker Szoboszlai to drive forward from midfield Jones to help defensively on the left Ekitike to stay central
It could actually be quite a smart setup for a big away game.
Strong Team Means One Thing
The biggest takeaway from this reported team is simple:
Liverpool are not throwing the FA Cup.
With Salah, Van Dijk, Konaté, Szoboszlai and Wirtz all starting, Slot clearly wants to win this game while still trying to manage the squad ahead of PSG.
It looks like a strong team, an interesting formation, and another huge game in a massive run of fixtures that could define Liverpool’s season.
Jamie (The Kopite View)