Weather permitting, Liverpool will return from the new winter break to take on Norwich City at Carrow Road in the Premier League on Saturday night.
Riding a streak of 100 points from the last 102 available, the Reds are overwhelming favourites to add another victory in their relentless march to the Premier League title.
Top vs Bottom for Liverpool against Norwich
Norwich are admired for their style of football under Daniel Farke, and the squad he has assembled on such a tight budget – even getting promoted to the Premier League was a monumental achievement. Yet they are unlikely to have enough to survive this season and face falling back into the Championship.
However, the club have lived within their means financially and will be able to cope with relegation, perhaps even attempting another push back into the Premier League at the first attempt. That is assuming they do drop down in the first place.
Miracles have happened before in the Premier League, but Norwich do appear cut adrift and struggle to combine consistency and a strong defence to go with their attractive football. Moreover, they lack a streetwise grit and hardened experience to claw their way towards survival, in contrast to teams such as Watford and Crystal Palace (famous last words for those two teams, who both remain in relegation trouble themselves).
Transfer interest shows Norwich should not be underestimated
Should Norwich go down, there are a number of players from their squad who have the talent and potential to remain in the Premier League and thrive at a higher level.
Both full-backs, Jamal Lewis and Max Aarons have immense promise and play in a similar manner to Liverpool’s full-back pairing of Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Aarons has been linked with the Reds in the past as a back up to Alexander-Arnold, while Lewis is now being linked as Liverpool search for competition for Robertson.
Emiliano Buendia is one of the most creative midfielders in the Premier League and will be a bargain for whichever club that signs the Argentinean. Todd Cantwell is young, English and a shining light in Farke’s side, and another who could progress in a mid-table Premier League team.
Finally, Teemu Pukki will soon turn 30, but the Finn knows how to find the back of the net more often than not – a vital commodity particularly for teams further down the Premier League table.
Settled Liverpool team required to continue their form post-winter break
Norwich’s talents will struggle to match the sheer all-round resilience of this Liverpool team under Jürgen Klopp, but they may have hope in the possibility of rotation.
After Saturday night, Liverpool travel to Spain to play their first leg against Atletico Madrid in the last-16 of the Champions League, a crucial match in the defence of their crown as they seek a seventh European Cup in their spiritual home of Istanbul.
Given the Reds are 22 points clear of second-placed Manchester City in the Premier League, Klopp may feel he can change his line-up significantly and still defeat Norwich while saving others for the game against Atletico.
Whilst Liverpool do have the squad strength to follow this path, it may not be the best method of success against Diego Simeone’s side.
Klopp should, and most likely will play almost the same line-up, barring injuries, against both Norwich and Atletico. If we were in the middle of a busy period, such as Christmas, Klopp’s approach might be different, as recovery time becomes a priority for the players.
However, Liverpool will have just completed their two-week winter break (the Reds did beat Shrewsbury Town in a fourth-round replay in the FA Cup but this was achieved with the under-23s rather than the senior players) and re-establishing their rhythm and momentum in matches will be crucial against Norwich, acting as the best possible preparation for Atletico.
The reasoning may appear ironic, given the constant need for rest and recuperation suggested by English clubs, particularly those competing in European competition, but the Liverpool players should be refreshed both physically and mentally after their new winter break, ready for the second half of the season.
Assuming everyone is fit on Saturday night, the Reds will play the usual back five and front three, with a midfield of Jordan Henderson, Georginio Wijnaldum and possibly Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain instead of Fabinho, with the latter then brought in against Atletico. Alternatively, Chamberlain could play instead of Wijnaldum or Henderson.
Regardless, the midfield is likely to see the only tweak to Klopp’s strongest starting eleven for Liverpool, who can take another big step towards the Premier League title by going strong on the restart against Norwich, warming them up perfectly for the Champions League in the process.