Some Liverpool fans are desperately begging for the club to hand under-used Xherdan Shaqiri a start in their upcoming Premier League clash against Brighton.
The Reds were held to a 1-1 draw by Serie A giants Napoli in their Champions League group stage game in mid-week. This means that Jurgen Klopp’s men have to win against RB Salzburg in the last game of the group stage to qualify for the next round.
But the players have to quickly shift their attention to the Premier League when they will host Brighton on Saturday. The club’s Twitter posted images of training and some fans caught sight of Shaqiri. They are now begging to see the Swiss attacker feature against the Seagulls.
Start Shaq
— #TAASZN (@TrentAArnoldSZN) November 29, 2019
give shaq a chance on Saturday please
— vina (@vinaakbrn) November 29, 2019
We only see Shaqiri in the pictures
— Pammy (@therealmrsAgger) November 29, 2019
Cmon shaqiri n keita, this is month for u to shine. Make the most of any chance u get
— BCTF_LFC (@BctfL) November 29, 2019
Get NK in the rotation please…Shaq also needs minutes.
— Kellan (@thatKellKell) November 29, 2019
Shaq’s starting. Confirmed
— CHARLIE (@charlieohllrn) November 29, 2019
The former Inter and Bayern Munich man has been far from a regular under Klopp this season. He has played four times in all competitions, featuring twice in the Premier League and playing 25 minutes of football so far.
This is in contrast to last season when the Switzerland international made 30 appearances in all competitions for the club. He racked up a tally of six goals and five assists.
Should Shaqiri start against Brighton?
He deserves it
Can't risk him yet
Some of the most iconic moments last season for the winger came in Liverpool’s 3-1 win over Manchester United at Anfield- the loss that led to Jose Mourinho’s sacking from United. He had also assisted once in the club’s memorable 4-0 win over Barcelona in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final.
Shaqiri had arrived at Anfield from Stoke in the summer of 2018 after the Reds had triggered his £13m release clause.
What do we think?
Liverpool have a gruelling set of fixtures in the upcoming month of December. It can make or break their campaign and it could be a decisive point in many of the competitions that they’re playing in. If they slip up at Salzburg, they will play Europa League football. If they slip up in the Premier League in 2-3 games, they will allow Manchester City and Leicester City back into the title race.
To make sure that this doesn’t happen, Klopp has to keep his squad fresh and ready. Shaqiri should play more often next month. His aforementioned numbers from last season show that he can still produce an output.