We tend to think that the European side will always be the overwhelming favourite in the Club World Cup, while that may be true, the South and Central American sides are usually tough to beat.
Monterrey should provide a tough test for Liverpool tonight, and they might even provide a shock if they have a decent threat going forward as Liverpool’s back line can be described as makeshift at best.
Jurgen Klopp announced his starting XI and it seems to feature Jordan Henderson playing as a centre back:
?? TEAM NEWS for our #ClubWC semi-final ??
Virgil van Dijk is out due to illness.
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 18, 2019
According to the tweet, Virgil van Dijk is out through injury so Klopp had to think outside the box to complete is defence. Liverpool fans can rightfully point out to the ridiculous schedule they face that meant they had to leave a squad at home to face Aston Villa in the cup last night.
Only Klopp knows if he has a younger centre back who could’ve got the nod instead if they had traveled, but these Liverpool fans on Twitter seem fairly shocked by the team announcement:
Oh no
— ?6?? (@chielinilookout) December 18, 2019
HENDERSON CB ???
— RF9 ?? (@PrimeFirmino) December 18, 2019
When I saw Henderson at CB pic.twitter.com/XWU5fm0lQ2
— Aro karem (@Arokarem) December 18, 2019
Hendo at CB? We really are thin there ?
— ??Harry? (@HarryLombardi) December 18, 2019
Henderson CB now. Cementing himself as the most complete midfielder of all time… https://t.co/FPUahj9DzQ
— #9 (@NineRole) December 18, 2019
Henderson CB, Lallana DM and Milner RB it’s acc too ridiculous to not work ???
— Bubbles (@bubbIxs) December 18, 2019
We’ve seen plenty of midfielders step into defence over the years in emergency situations or when a manager wants someone to help the team play from the back, but Henderson doesn’t seem like that kind of player.
He is important to Liverpool but always seems to be the first player the fans target when things start to go wrong, so let’s hope he’s up to the task tonight.