Liverpool will have to make do without it Muhammad Salah (£14.0 million) and Cody Agat (£7.5 million) for the hectic festive period.
Salah sharply criticized his club and manager, Arne Slot, on Saturday evening, leading to his omission for the midweek trip to Inter Milan.
He is back in the squad for Saturday’s match against Brighton and Hove Albion, but will soon be heading to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and could be away for a month.
As for Gakpo, he suffered a muscle injury during the 3-3 draw against Leeds United on Saturday, which will keep him out for a few weeks.
Here we look at the possible ways Liverpool could line up without Salah and Gakpo, while also looking at the implications from a Fantasy Premier League (FPL) perspective.
HOW LIVERPOOL FACED AGAINST INTER MILAN
In the absence of Salah and Gakpo, Slot opted for a 4-4-2 diamond formation against Inter. The rationale behind the decision: a lack of wide players available for the Dutchman.
Slot explained his team selection earlier this week:
“The idea is that I currently have thirteen outfield players with Premier League or Champions League experience at my disposal. Conor Bradley came back from injury and played for the first time on Saturday. Two days after the match you could ask yourself the question: isn’t it too big a risk to play against him again? Florian Wirtz came back with an injury from the German national team, had to play three games in seven days, now the fourth in ten days is coming.”
“So the thinking behind the lineup is that there aren’t that many available, and in my opinion, if you don’t have wingers available – apart from Rio [Ngumoha]who is very young – I think it makes the most sense to play with two number nines.
“It’s not the first time we’ve played this system, maybe against Leeds we did something similar to what we’re doing tonight. But for them [Isak and Ekitike]it is the first time they play together after the match against Frankfurt. So good players, but I think it’s normal that they have to find a certain connection. The more they play together, the more they will find a connection.” – Arne Slot
In this system Ryan Gravenberch (£5.6 million) lined up at the base of the diamond, with Dominik Szoboszlai (£6.7 million) and Curtis Jones (£5.4m) for him.
Alexis MacAllister (£6.2 million) was number 10, with Alexander Isaac (£10.4 million) and Hugo Ekitike (£8.4m) at the top in a two-striker system.
HOW IS LIVERPOOL GOING AGAINST INTER MILAN?
Liverpool looked solid and compact for the most part, with the Reds prioritizing defensive solidity over attacking threat. It’s still early days for the system, of course, but the diamond formation made it more difficult to play through, helped by four central midfielders flooding the center of the park.
Indeed, Liverpool limited Inter to just nine shots, one clear chance and less than 0.5 expected goals (xG).
In summary, it was a very decent defensive performance against Serie A’s top scorers, but it did weaken their attacking threat as little was achieved from open play.
WHICH LIVERPOOL PLAYERS stood out against INTER MILAN?
Szoboszlai, who notably acted to convert Liverpool’s late penalty (with Isak off the pitch we should add), provided energy on the right side of the diamond, with two shots and two key passes.
With Salah and Gakpo absent, we can say that the Hungarian was Liverpool’s star performer.
Ekitike, meanwhile, led the number of shots (three) in Milan and was more effective than Isak, who now looks a shadow of it. But in reality, neither is really convinced, as Slot’s defense-oriented approach limits the duo’s influence.
Above: The underlying stats of Liverpool players against Inter Milan on Tuesday
Replace instead Florian Wirtz (£8.0m) outscored both of them to win the late penalty converted by Szoboszlai.
At the back, Ibrahima Konate (£5.4m) performed better, while Virgil van Dijk (£6.0m) looked assured throughout, with five clearances, three blocks and one interception, falling just one below the FPL threshold for defensive contributions (DefCon).
CAN LIVERPOOL USE THE DIAMOND IN GAME WEEK 16?
Federico Chiesa (£6.3m) is back in Liverpool’s squad for Gameweek 16 after missing the midweek trip to Milan due to illness.
However, Chiesa is yet to make a Premier League start in 2025/26, and given that Slot’s options on the wings remain limited, he could be tempted to continue with the diamond formation.
A decision will have to be made on Isak as the Sweden international is doubtful for this encounter after suffering a knock in Europe.
Wirtz, Slot’s most natural number 10, came off the bench in midweek to replace Isak and impressed, so could be in line for a similar role.
When discussing his two-striker lineup on Friday, Slot said:
“I think what we’ve all seen – and what’s completely normal – the more they’ll play together, the more they’ll adapt to each other and the better they’ll work together. I think it’s fair to say that the other two that were on the pitch, the two number 9s – [Marcus] Thuram and Lautaro Martinez were more used to playing with each other. But I also saw promising things from both. It’s the second time they’ve played together for obvious reasons, match fitness being the obvious reason for that. And I think we’ll see more of this in the future of them playing together. But Alex [Isak] also took a hit in the first half, so let’s see how he recovered from that today. If he can start tomorrow and if he can, I will make the decision to start them again together or we will do it in a different way.” – Arne Slot
HOW CAN LIVERPOOL LINEUP BE DIFFERENT WITHOUT SALAH + GAKPO?
In a ‘different way’, Slot could return to a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Ideally, Wirtz would play as the ’10’ in this formation, but Gakpo’s injury could force the German into a wider role.
Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Jones and Gravenberch would then fill the other midfield spots, with two playing further forward.
If Slot wants to play with more width at Anfield, the 4-2-3-1 formation certainly makes the most sense, with Salah another option if he is deemed ready to start.
Above: A potential Liverpool XI in Gameweek 16
Slot could also use the 4-4-2 formation he deployed against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League earlier this season, with Ekitike and Isak up top.
The absence of both Salah and Gakpo would make things more difficult, but Wirtz could play on the left, with Szoboszlai on the right, either side of a midfield pair of Gravenberch, Mac Allister and Jones.
FINAL THOUGHTS
If Slot sticks with the diamond formation, which includes four central midfielders in the middle of the park, the Reds’ defensive structure should be fairly robust, which will increase the appeal of Van Dijk and co.
Even if there are no clean sheets, Van Dijk still has a certain appeal due to his threat in a set-play goal and his DefCon potential.
The full-backs have been somewhat reluctant in this formation so far, but once they are fit, Jeremy Frimpong (£5.7m) would introduce a new dynamic and should benefit this form as he offers much more of an attacking threat than stand-in Joe Gomes (£4.9 million). The same goes for Conor Bradley (£5.0m) once he returns from suspension.
Further afield, Liverpool have shown very little attacking play of late, so investments feel a little riskier.
Nevertheless, whether in a diamond or a 4-2-3-1 formation, Szoboszlai is probably the best option at the moment. The Hungarian is currently one yellow card away from a Premier League suspension, but becoming the main penalty taker in Salah’s absence would obviously increase his appeal. He also regularly plays the full 90 minutes and can contribute to DefCons, with a success rate of 26.7% on the season to date.
Wirtz and Ekitike are also players to keep an eye on, especially in the diamond, which would put them both in the middle of the pitch. That said, we will obviously need to see a lot more of them if they are to make a serious claim for inclusion in our squadrons.
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