Week 3 Preview - Liverpool vs Bournemouth - Liverpool Must Win Saturday Afternoon to Get Their Season on Track
A Saturday 3 PM kick-off against Bournemouth at Anfield should be a pretty standard assignment for Liverpool. However, coming off of Monday night's 2-1 loss against Manchester United, and the Reds still being winless, this match feels like a must-win. Thanks to United, at least temporarily answering their critics, Liverpool's slow start is the lead story in English football.
Unfortunately, Liverpool needs a break from the big teams on the schedule and could use an easy 3 points. Bournemouth is a team that is a few levels below Liverpool and they need to capitalize. Things haven't been going great for the Reds. They are stuck on 2 points after 3 games. It is an unprecedented start for modern Liverpool. They have never started this poorly in a Premier League campaign.
Talking Points for Week 3
Week 3 should mean 3 points. That's the bottom line. Liverpool needs to win this match. They don't need to blow Bournemouth out, they just need to get the job done. With matches on the horizon against an upstart Newcastle United, followed by the Merseyside Derby against Everton, the Reds need 3 points from Bournemouth.
The schedule is about to get more crowded as well. Liverpool's Champions League season is due to start on either September 6th or 7th. Their group was announced on Thursday night. It includes Ajax, Napoli, and Rangers. This will add another dimension to Liverpool's already hectic 2022/23 calendar.
Liverpool's injury problems remain a big part of the slow start to the 2022/23 season. In his Friday afternoon press conference, Jürgen Klopp gave a bit of a bad news/good news assessment of the Reds' injury situation. The bad news is, that Liverpool won't have any of their injured players back for tomorrow's match.
The good news is, Thiago Alcantara, Curtis Jones, Diogo Jota, Caoimhín Kelleher and Joël Matip are all nearing a return. According to Klopp, “This weekend probably not but after that Joël, Curtis, Thiago is not too far away, Diogo is getting closer, Caoimhín will be in training, I think, early next week as well.”
Up the Cherries?
Thankfully, one of the EPL's leading contenders for relegation visit Anfield on Saturday afternoon. Bournemouth, known to their fans as the Cherries, shocked Aston Villa on opening day but they have looked poor since. Granted they've played Manchester City and Arsenal in the last two weeks but they've gotten rocked in both games.
Bournemouth is back in the Premier League for the first time since the end of the 2019/20 season. When the Cherries have been in the EPL, Liverpool has easily handled them. Liverpool has beaten Bournemouth 6 games in a row in the EPL by an aggregate score of 19-1.
That seems to suggest they are the perfect opponent for Liverpool to get up, dust themselves off, and finally win a match. However, Bournemouth's current manager, Scott Parker, was the last manager to beat the Reds at Anfield. He did that with Fulham at the time, back in 2021.
The experts seem to think that Bournemouth won't have what it takes to hold on to a Premier League spot this year. They are a team that isn't on the same level as Liverpool.
The Reds must not play down to their opponents, and yet they have to respect them as potentially dangerous. It's a tricky balance that they haven't been able to strike in the matches against Fulham or Crystal Palace.
LFC Globe Verdict
To borrow a phrase from the NFL's Oakland Raiders, “Just Win, Baby.” Just win the match. Do whatever needs to be done to get the 3 points. Jürgen Klopp might need to make some changes in the lineup. So be it, make the changes, whether it's the much talked about Fabinho and Fabio Caravalho midfield or something else.
The Reds are missing something in their attack. And it's not just the obvious absence of Darwin Núñez. I think they are missing Sadio Mané right now. He has shown no signs of slowing down in Germany and Liverpool could certainly use his offensive skills right now.
It is crucial for Liverpool to figure out their attacking issues and to do it fast. Stay tuned to LFC Globe to see what they do with their lineup tomorrow.
