Win it, or regret it

Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool - Premier League Preview

This is one of those days that will linger in the memory, for good or for bad. Chelsea have slipped. The path has cleared. Liverpool must seize it. No excuses, no hiding place.

Nottingham Forest have flown home from Turkey with weary legs. Liverpool have had a week to prepare. If ambition means anything, this is the afternoon to show it.

And yet there is still unease for me. Arne Slot’s judgement has felt muddled at times, and his man-management has been open to question. Dominik Szoboszlai is a midfielder of drive and authority, not a makeshift right back. To blunt his influence for the sake of patchwork solutions is self-harm. Cody Gakpo’s form is a concern that cannot be ignored. Heavy touches, hesitant decisions, breaking attacks before they begin, confidence draining by the week. Many would bench him. Most suspect he will start.

Expect Liverpool to have the ball early, plenty of it. Expect long spells of circulation, tidy triangles that flatter without frightening. The first half may crawl. Forest will scrap, the crowd will roar, and the Reds (or greens/whites today) will need composure.

But quality and conditioning should tell. With fresher legs and superior craft, Liverpool ought to grow into the contest and own the closing stages. If Van Dijk and Konate dominate, if the midfield plays to a natural rhythm, if Salah and Ekitike find their range, then three points are there for the taking.

This isn’t about style. It’s about nerve. Win it, or watch the season start tilting away.

🔺 LFC Predicted Starting XI:

Alisson; Szoboszlai, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Wirtz; Salah, Ekitike, Gakpo

🔺 Scoreline: Forest 1-2 Liverpool