Five Important Questions Ahead of Liverpool’s Trip to Watford

A very important match between Liverpool and Watford will take place on Saturday. How important, we may never know.

But answers to these five powerful questions will no doubt provide us with some clues.

1. Watford manager Nigel Pearson is supposedly given credit for building the Leicester City team that won the Premier League under Claudio Ranieri in 2016. Pearson had brought the Foxes up from the Championship just two seasons before with largely the same squad but, let’s not be ridiculous, it was Ranieri. In five words, describe Saturday’s match referee Michael Oliver.
2. Klopp chose a midfield of Gini Wijnaldum and Naby Keita anchored by Fabinho against West Ham on Monday. With Jordan Henderson sidelined for weeks the manager still isn’t able to play his preferred team but he does have excellent options. There’s Naby Keita, who has the slick footwork and eye for a pass that could be necessary against Watford’s tight defense. Keita has started the last two games, though. He might step aside for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain or Adam Lallana. Dropping Wijnaldum is a possibility but far too risky unless Milly’s available, and he’s not. You see, when one low center of gravity having, master of the butt shield is removed another must take his place. How long can you keep your eyes open without blinking?
3. Sooner or later Klopp’s going to have to put Joël Matip into the starting XI. And I think there’s a chance Matip’s time arrives against Watford. Joe Gomez could do with a rest, probably. He’s played a lot of football with both Dejan Lovren and Matip out for awhile. I don’t know if Virgil van Dijk needs a rest or not. Probably not, but depending on Klopp’s interest in the FA Cup at this point, Van Dijk could be given a night off at Chelsea on Tuesday and make way for Matip’s return to the team. It’s important that Joël gets his mojo up and running. Name one rap song.
4. Watford have just five victories this season: Norwich City, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Wolves, and especially Manchester United, a 2-0 loss that followed a week after Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Hornets at Anfield. Pearson’s team are second to last in the league but they do have a chance of getting out of the relegation zone because West Ham, Villa and Bournemouth, all above the Hornets in the table, have been equally terrible at winning matches. Nobody seems to be winning anything down there at the bottom. Use the name of ex-Watford chairman Elton John in a sentence.
5. From Anfield to Vicarage Road is 320 kilometers, that’s 199 miles. By car it’s a roughly three and half hour drive. By hot air balloon it’s maybe forty hours, without stopping. I don’t know anything about hot air balloons but I’d bet you have to land from time to time, find a bush along the way. So, if you’re still sitting at home and reading this when you should have hopped into your balloon basket days ago, you’ve missed your window. And Chelsea on Tuesday would be an even farther trip into London for you. Forget it. You’d have to be airborne Saturday and you’re not ready. Everton is next but you’re not going to fly a balloon over Stanley Park. You promised you weren’t in it for the cheap publicity anymore. Easy come, easy go, you said. But a flight to Manchester City on April 5th would be a very respectable afternoon in the air. And that’s my recommendation. Keytars or Segways? Remove one from existence.