Liverpool could be without a number of players for Saturday's Premier League clash against Crystal Palace

Your morning Liverpool headlines, including Jurgen Klopp and former Reds defender Jack Robinson

Your morning Liverpool headlines, including Jurgen Klopp and former Reds defender Jack Robinson

Jurgen Klopp will have a number of tough decisions to ponder ahead of Liverpool's trip to Crystal Palace

Jurgen Klopp will have a number of tough decisions to ponder ahead of Liverpool's trip to Crystal Palace

After the trials and tribulations of last season, things are looking rosy for Liverpool just six months on. The Reds currently sit second in the Premier League table and are just two points off Arsenal in top spot.

Moreover, Liverpool has opened up a four-point gap on perennial rivals Manchester City, as Pep Guardiola's side go through something of a mini-crisis. The 2-0 win against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane means Liverpool is now unbeaten in its last eight league games, with its only defeat of the season coming to Tottenham way back at the end of September.

The only negative point is the injury to Joël Matip, which could rule the Cameroonian out for the remainder of the season. The defender ruptured his ACL in the 4-3 win against Fulham and, with his contract expiring at the end of the campaign, he may never play for the club again.

READ MORE: Liverpool and Arsenal set for three-game reckoning as bold Pep Guardiola prediction may backfire

READ MORE: Liverpool must accelerate Jürgen Klopp transfer plan after suffering biggest injury blow yet

Liverpool is on the road again this weekend, as it travels south to face Crystal Palace and ex-manager Roy Hodgson. Liverpool drew in the same encounter last season, but Jürgen Klopp will be hoping for a better outcome this time around. Here are two Liverpool.com articles that you shouldn't miss today.

Man City and Pep Guardiola in unchartered territory

The words Man City and crisis have never been used in the same sentence in the Pep Guardiola era, until now. Guardiola's men are winless in four games in the Premier League. This normally wouldn't be an issue for teams down the years; bumps in the road are to be expected in any given league season.

Yet due to the blistering pace City has cut over the last half-decade, this represents a massive hurdle for Guardiola's side to overcome. They find themselves six points behind Arsenal already, and Guardiola's sniping at pundits gives off the impression of a coach beginning to crack, just a little bit. Read more from James Martin by clicking here.

Arsenal and Man City prove Jürgen Klopp has Liverpool advantage

Over the past week of Premier League football, both Arsenal and Man City have conceded three goals in a single game. Arsenal scraped to a 4-3 away win against Luton Town in midweek, while City drew 3-3 with Tottenham last weekend.

Liverpool also conceded three goals against Fulham last weekend, but Jürgen Klopp has an advantage in the shape of Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson. Alisson missed the game against Fulham due to injury, and no one is better in the Premier League at shot-stopping.

Alisson has faced a total of 589 shots on target worth roughly 170.7 expected goals, but conceded just 150 times, not counting own goals. Alisson effectively been 20 goals better than the average goalkeeper, and this is the advantage Klopp needs to regain quickly. Learn more from Josh Williams by clicking here.

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Trent Alexander-Arnold's England team-mate Kieran Trippier had a night to forget as Newcastle fell to a 3-0 defeat at Everton

Trent Alexander-Arnold's England team-mate Kieran Trippier had a night to forget as Newcastle fell to a 3-0 defeat at Everton

Pep Guardiola is adamant: Manchester City will win the Premier League for the fourth successive season. Or he was, at least, until his side lost — and was outplayed — by Aston Villa on Wednesday.

Unai Emery had never beaten a Guardiola team before but John McGinn ran rings around Manchester City and Erling Haaland barely had a kick. After Arsenal and Liverpool had won earlier in the midweek round of games, perhaps the title picture is changing.

Manchester City is not going anywhere, of course. Aston Villa might have moved ahead of the Cityzens in the Premier League table but the chances of that being the case when it matters in May are extremely slim.

READ MORE: Kylian Mbappé transfer deadline set amid Liverpool links as Arsenal offered Ivan Toney 'Plan B'

READ MORE: Liverpool must accelerate Jürgen Klopp transfer plan after suffering biggest injury blow yet

But there is more than a bit of hope emerging for those looking to win the league ahead of Manchester City. Even though Arsenal and Liverpool are not perfect sides, Guardiola's team is offering enough slip-ups and dropped points to suggest it could be there for the taking this year.

The next few matches, though, will help determine a lot. Before Christmas, Liverpool will host Arsenal at Anfield. Before that, Mikel Arteta's men play Aston Villa and Brighton.

Those two games are set to be major tests for where Arsenal is currently at. Leading the league by the two points that separate it from Liverpool, the Gunners will face the exact test that Manchester City just failed by heading to Villa Park on Saturday.

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Roberto de Zerbi's Brighton might not be quite the side they were last season this time around but they can always cause problems. Arsenal lost twice at the Emirates Stadium to the Seagulls last season (in the Premier League and the Carabao Cup) and that fixture will not be an easy one either.

It is no surprise that December will be vitally important in shaping what the title race looks like — it always is, except when the World Cup is played then — but the next two Arsenal games really will be instructive of just where it is at. Liverpool, meanwhile, can only continue to pick up points, facing Crystal Palace (A) and then Manchester United (H).

By Christmas, Manchester City will have a game in hand (an as-yet-unscheduled clash against Brentford) as it travels to play in the Club World Cup around that time. And that means there is a chance for either Liverpool or Arsenal to get ahead and put the points on the board.

Either way, we should know a lot more about whether Guardiola's prediction is likely to come true or not by the time the Reds take on Arsenal in the FA Cup on January 7. If Liverpool can win its next two games and avoid defeat against Arsenal, Klopp's men could definitely be sitting on top of the league standings as they tuck into some turkey.

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Newcastle players reacted angrily to a resounding 3-0 defeat to Everton at Goodison Park

Newcastle players reacted angrily to a resounding 3-0 defeat to Everton at Goodison Park

Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp has faced criticism from former Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor over a recent post-match interview. Agbonlahor referred to Klopp as "a big baby" due to his reaction during the interview.

The incident occurred after Liverpool's 2-0 victory over Sheffield United. Klopp was asked about the early kick-off time for the upcoming match against Crystal Palace.

Klopp has previously expressed his dislike for early kick-off times, citing the impact on player recovery time. This season alone, Liverpool has had four Premier League matches scheduled in the early time slot, many of which have fallen directly after the international break, which has left Klopp frustrated. However, Agbonlahor questioned Klopp's right to be discontent and accused him of overreacting during the interview.

READ MORE: Kylian Mbappé transfer deadline set amid Liverpool links as Arsenal offered Ivan Toney 'Plan B'

READ MORE: Liverpool must accelerate Jürgen Klopp transfer plan after suffering biggest injury blow yet

During an appearance on talkSPORT, Agbonlahor stated, "He’s a big baby, isn't he? It's okay when he wants to make a joke about things. The poor presenter Marcus Buckland is having a little joke about it... liven up, Jürgen. Liven up Jürgen, you big baby." Agbonlahor also highlighted the sensitivity of managers in general, mentioning instances where other managers like Pep Guardiola had clashed with presenters.

It is worth noting that this criticism from Agbonlahor is not new. Last year, Klopp publicly criticized Agbonlahor after the retired striker made remarks about Manchester United following its heavy loss to Brentford. Klopp questioned Agbonlahor's credibility and reminded him of Liverpool's 6-0 victory over Aston Villa during Klopp's first year as manager:

"He lost against us 6-0 in my first year, so I couldn't remember him as a mentality monster on the pitch then! But what he said about Man Utd in that show, I was close to calling in and telling him: 'You forgot completely that you were a player'."

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The exchange between Klopp and Agbonlahor illustrates the ongoing tension and differing opinions within the football world. Managers often face scrutiny and criticism from pundits and former players, leading to heated debates and exchanges.

While Klopp's reaction in the post-match interview may have been seen as overly sensitive by Agbonlahor, it is important to remember that managers are under immense pressure, and their reactions can be influenced by various factors. The clash of personalities and differing perspectives adds to the drama and intrigue of the football world.

Liverpool.com says: Maybe Klopp was a little needlessly sharp, but he's under a lot of pressure. And the joke about kick-off times was poorly thought-out, at best, with this an issue close to the manager's heart.

A long-time advocate of player welfare, the festive schedule is no laughing matter. He was always going to be snippy when that was trivialized. Hopefully, another incredible put-down against Agbonlahor is on the way. Bringing up the 6-0 was genius.

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You may notice the below message on a small number of Liverpool.com articles. We like to innovate and this is part of a trial to look at whether AI can help speed up the publishing process. We will always declare where this happens.

This article was crafted with the help of AI tools, based on a piece first written by Tom Cavilla for the Liverpool ECHO. You can read the original piece by clicking here. A Liverpool.com news editor reviewed this content before it was published. You can report any errors to matt.addison@reachplc.com.

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Liverpool recorded a 2-0 win over Sheffield United on Wednesday night but a tackle from Darwin Nunez was highlighted by Blades boss Chris Wilder

Liverpool recorded a 2-0 win over Sheffield United on Wednesday night but a tackle from Darwin Nunez was highlighted by Blades boss Chris Wilder

Liverpool are preparing to face Crystal Palace on Saturday lunchtime after their victory over Sheffield United on Wednesday night

Liverpool are preparing to face Crystal Palace on Saturday lunchtime after their victory over Sheffield United on Wednesday night

Liverpool have excelled at Crystal Palace recently, despite the narrative, but will Roy Hodgson dent their Premier League title hopes this weekend?

Jurgen Klopp‘s side head to Selhurst Park for the Saturday lunchtime offering, knowing how vital another win would be in the title battle.

While the horrors of 2014 will always create an element of concern when Liverpool head to Palace, the Reds have won on eight of their last nine visits there.

The Eagles are ticking along in their usual mid-to-lower-table manner, but there is growing frustration surrounding Hodgson and whether a new manager would get more out of the squad.

Ahead of the game, Henry Jackson spoke to actor and Palace regular Robbie Scotcher (@RobbieScotcher) to discuss Hodgson’s future, Liverpool’s title chances, VAR and more.

How would you assess Palace’s season so far?

I’m writing this after the Bournemouth game on Wednesday night. It’s slowly going from promising to frustrating to ‘when does the cricket season start’!

The board tried to make positive moves in the summer, but due to our business relying on other deals to go through, we ended up starting the season very light.

But we got points on the board and were looking good for mid-table or maybe even creeping into top half of the table.

Then Eberechi Eze was kicked off the park, and with Michael Olise still injured, we lost our spark.

But defensively, Crystal Palace are still solid. We got everyone back, then the Luton game happened, with Eze kicked back off the pitch onto the treatment table and Cheick Doucoure limping off with a potential season-ending injury.

Which takes us from the end of last season and playing some bloody good stuff, to watching some pragmatic football instead.

Wednesday night it was just dire, though – as bad as I’ve seen it in a long time.

Is it time for a change of manager?

I don’t think so. There’s not an obvious replacement, apart from potentially Steve Cooper. Right now, we need to get to the point where either the players return or we invest in the squad.

I don’t think players spend a great deal of time on the training ground in December and Roy Hodgson knows this team inside out.

He has his faults and can come out with some clangers in interviews – he hates doing media – but a few weeks ago he went on a Palace podcast and listening to him was insightful and actually inspiring.

The only way I would make a change was if the perfect candidate to take the team forward became available.

I would like to see the board invest in the squad.

Who has starred and disappointed this season?

It’s hard to think back after Wednesday evening’s shower of shit.

Most of the season the defence have been very solid, with the centre-back pairing the best we’ve had and Tyrick Mitchell finding the form that got him his England call-up.

He went off injured against Bournemouth, which is a concern.

Bringing in Dean Henderson made it look like Sam Johnstone’s time at Palace might be over, but the former went off shortly into his first game – ironically against the team we bought him from – and the latter has looked great ever since.

Odsonne Edouard has been showing some form and Jefferson Lerma has been great on a free, while Jordan Ayew, the Ghanaian Messi, has been an important player for us.

His holdup play and work rate have been excellent and we will miss him when he goes off to the Africa Cup of Nations next month.

Olise is just starting to get going after missing the start of the season – when they’re both back on the pitch everything knits together.

Nathan Ferguson has been a disappointment for me, though, not that it’s his fault. We have had him for a few seasons and he has been plagued with injuries and never got going.

He is a really talented right-back that I’ll get to see one day.

Just how big a loss is Eberechi Eze?

It’s huge. Eze is so creative and at the centre of so much that we do well. Having him and Olise on the pitch is a handful for anyone.

He is such an intelligent player and everyone else is better with him on the pitch. He is that player that makes the crowd get on their feet.

Eze has just signed another contract with us, but I’m sure he will move on soon, potentially becoming a Champions League player.

What’s your take on VAR?

I still have the utopian view that no matter how much money is around, football should stay the same. From grassroots up to Champions League, over the white line, there isn’t any difference in the actual game.

I get goal-line technology, but I didn’t want VAR. I don’t think it takes into account momentum of a single moment or the feel of the game.

That said, now that it’s here, it’s not going anywhere, so we should look at improving the individuals using it – and not change the handball law a million times.

Our referees seem a bit arrogant on the pitch and then flap in the VAR van. The conversations over decisions seem like a free-for-all, with the loudest voice winning.

I think we have to remember that these are laws of the game, not rules, and some things are up for interpretation.

Pundits need to stop saying that was never a penalty, free-kick or handball when the new laws say it is.

Looking at Liverpool, how do you assess their title chances?

Liverpool will definitely be up there fighting for the title until the end.

It seems open this season with the likes of Man City and Arsenal, and you’re playing some great football.

 

What has changed compared to last season?

Great recruitment. You needed to make changes and you brought in some really good footballers.

I love Darwin Nunez, who is the sort of player every fan loves and gets behind, and Trent Alexander-Arnold seems to be getting better and better.

The pace Liverpool play at is the most frightening thing, as well as being great to watch.

Where will the key battles take place at Selhurst Park?

I don’t think Liverpool have too many weaknesses, especially against a very depleted Palace side.

We may stand a good chance at set-pieces, though.

Alisson is potentially the best away goalkeeper I’ve seen at Selhurst Park. If he is out, then maybe that will unnerve the defence a little.

Olise has shown he can hit the target from anywhere, but I’m clutching at straws.

I don’t believe in the early kickoff being an issue – I think you beat us 7-0 at that time back in 2020/21.

We need our fans onside. If we can frustrate you a little or even grab an early goal, then we can get the crowd going.

We definitely won’t get a result with a quiet Selhurst park.

Finally, what’s your prediction?

We will set up to lose 2-0 and maybe nick one.

We need a reaction from Wednesday, and while Liverpool are expected to win comfortably, this is an opportunity to put in a good performance.

That’s what I want from the game – a good, solid team performance.

I never say we will lose a game, so I will go for Crystal Palace 1-1 Liverpool.

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RedBird Capital founder Gerry Cardinale confirmed plans to bring an NBA expansion franchise to Las Vegas

RedBird Capital founder Gerry Cardinale confirmed plans to bring an NBA expansion franchise to Las Vegas

Liverpool's forward are enduring a mini-drought in front of goal after Wednesday's win over Sheffield United - but that is no bad thing