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Okay, so yesterday, this Premier League matchup got me thinking. Wolverhampton hosting Liverpool at Molineux. Big game, right? Naturally, I wanted to dig into how both sides were likely lining up, see who looked stronger on paper. Here’s exactly what I did.
Checking the Source Material First
Right, step one was obvious: gotta find the projected lineups. Scoured a few decent football news sites – the usual suspects. Read articles, checked reports from folks who cover the teams. You know the drill. Found the most talked-about potential XIs for both sides. Made notes.
Wolves’ Expected Look
For Wolverhampton, the lineup everyone seemed to agree on looked something like:
- Sa in goal, obviously.
- Defense: Semedo, Kilman, Dawson, Ait-Nouri.
- Midfield: Lemina and Gomes holding.
- Attacking trio: Neto, Cunha, Hwang Hee-Chan up front.
Not too surprising. Gary O’Neil seems settled on this structure lately. What stood out to me? That front three has pace and is in decent nick, but depth? Not convinced. Looked thin on the bench, really thin. If someone gets marked out or tires, options felt limited. The midfield pair works hard but… is it top level?
Liverpool’s Potential Setup
Now Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool, that was trickier. So many options! Based on whispers and recent patterns, I put together their probable starting eleven:
- Alisson always starts if fit.
- Back four: Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson.
- Midfield: Mac Allister as the holder? Seemed likely. Then Szoboszlai and probably Jones.
- Front three: Salah, Jota, Diaz. Nunez buzzing about too.
Immediately, the difference in quality just jumps out. World-class keeper, rock-solid defense, Salah always Salah. But the midfield? Felt a bit… workmanlike without Thiago or a fully firing Gravenberch? Good, but maybe not their absolute peak. What struck me hardest? The bench strength. Even if starters aren’t perfect, the subs… Gakpo, Elliott, Tsimikas, Endo? Serious players ready to come on.
Putting Them Side-by-Side
Laid my notes out. Wrote it down simply:
- GKs: Alisson vs Sa? Come on. Massive edge Liverpool.
- Defense: Wolves decent unit, solid. But Liverpool’s VVD and friends? Still the best around. Edge Liverpool.
- Midfield: Wolves hard-working, decent. Liverpool’s more technical, better passers. Edge Liverpool, though maybe not a crushing one.
- Attack: Wolves front three are lively! Can cause problems. Liverpool’s? More proven, more goals, more variety. Edge Liverpool.
- Bench: Wolves… meh. Liverpool? Packed with game-changers. Huge edge Liverpool.
The Final Gut Feeling
Adding it all up. On paper, Liverpool just look way stronger in almost every area, especially with that bench. Wolves’ best hope? Super motivated home crowd, Liverpool having an off day defensively, and their pacey forwards running riot on the break. Could it happen? Yeah, football’s football. But honestly, looking purely at the squads and the likely starters… it’s Liverpool. More quality, more depth. Feels like a tough ask for Wolves unless they pull out something brilliant.
Maybe I’m wrong! We’ll see how it plays out. But that’s where my digging landed me.