Football fans in England are currently primarily concerned with one question: who can stop Liverpool at all? 22 wins in 23 league games speak for themselves. The Reds are the absolute top club in England, dominate the Premier League. Is Shrewsbury becoming a stumbling block?
Before the game Shrewsbury vs. Liverpool’s betting odds clearly indicate that the guests are the clear favorite. But: Jürgen Klopp is well known for sparing some players in the cup competition, and the Reds only played for Wolverhampton Wanderers on Thursday.
But who is the host, Shrewsbury? The team plays in the third-rate Football League One and has one thing in mind: being an uncomfortable opponent for Liverpool. Whether this will work will depend on several factors.
Shrewsbury:
In the final round of the FA Cup, Shrewsbury won 1-0 against Bristol after going into the replay. There is currently no positive news in the league. Two draws were won against Lincoln, Doncaster and Fleetwood, and one game was lost.
Shrewsbury is currently in 16th place in the league, but the view is more upwards than downwards because the distance is smaller. In order for the current situation to improve significantly, the offensive must get going, because 24 goals in 25 games are not enough.
A look at the rather small squad shows that there are no well-known names at Shrewsbury. Defender Donald Love or midfielder Josh Vela are individually among the best players in the team of coach Sam Ricketts.
This usually leaves his team in a 3-4-3 formation, but a 3-5-2 is also often practiced. The defensive does this orientation relatively well, the problems were addressed aggressively. The dilemma becomes clear when you see that Jason Cummings is the team’s top scorer with four goals.
Before the game Shrewsbury vs. Not only are Liverpool’s odds far from good, the basic form of the hosts is also not ideal. But as is well known, anything is possible in the cup if the outsider can outgrow himself.
In order for this to succeed, the basic virtues are of course required. Discipline, order and courage in the game forward will decisively decide whether the host has a chance.
In terms of personnel, almost everything is in order, only right-back Ryan Sears will fail.
Liverpool:
What else can you say about Liverpool this season? The Reds are on their way to breaking all records in the league – and are playing a terrific season. In every competition to be played, the Klopp-Elf belongs to the circle of favorites, which of course also applies before the FA Cup.
The approach will be interesting. Because against a third division Jürgen Klopp could spare some players. That’s why Shrewsbury vs. Liverpool did not score the odds for many goals or a win for the guests too well.
But the second guard of the Reds is also good, many young players have potential and should be easy to set against a third division team. The LFC’s record in the league is alarmingly good. 22 wins, a draw, the second best offensive, the best defensive. Everything speaks for the long-awaited title, the FA Cup is considered “nice to have” and extra income because you can’t plan knockout duels.
But what distinguishes Liverpool? The defense around van Dijk is enormously stable, the team has long ceased to only play aggressive and strenuous pressing football, but can also hold the ball once and vary the pace.
Add to that an almost frightening efficiency. Like the last game against the Wolves, when Liverpool hit Henderson with the first half chance and scored the winning goal in a phase when it wasn’t about to decide the game.
The Klopp-Elf lost these qualities in the early days of the coach and are now even more important. The development is excellent, every player moves along and Klopp knows exactly how to keep the supplementary players happy.
Liverpool will travel to Shrewsbury for the cup game without injured Lovren, Clyne and Keita. And as already mentioned: some additional players will get their chance right from the start and can recommend themselves.
