December is upon us, and the football continues at breakneck speed as the winter period kicks off, with Liverpool returning to Premier League action to face bottom-placed side Sheffield United.
Travelling to Bramall Lane, the second-placed Reds come off the back of an extraordinary late turnaround that saw two late thumpers – courtesy of Wataru Endo and Trent Alexander-Arnold – hand the Anfield outfit a 4-3 victory over Fulham.
Jurgen Klopp's side have not been perfect this season and still face questions over their defensive strength and ability to stifle opponents' transitions, but the resilience that has restored a standing among the division's heavy-hitters in Arsenal and Manchester City has been brilliant.
The hosts have just sacked Paul Heckingbottom after losing 5-0 to Burnley and will be hoping to wreak havoc on Liverpool's resurgence, with the returning figure of Chris Wilder now back at the helm.
Liverpool team news vs Sheffield United
The extent of the knee injury that Joel Matip picked up on Sunday afternoon has not yet been revealed, though Klopp grudgingly admitted that it "doesn't look good" for the Cameroonian defender.
On a positive slant, however, Diogo Jota and Alisson Becker are both expected back early after sustaining injuries against Manchester City last month, though neither will be available on Wednesday night.
Spanish midfielders Thiago Alcantara and Stefan Bajcetic remain long-term absentees, while Andy Robertson continues his rehabilitation from shoulder surgery after picking up an injury with Scotland in October.
With a 12:30 trip to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon, Klopp will be expected to unleash multiple changes against the Blades.
Ryan Gravenberch must start vs Sheffield United
Klopp's style requires high energy and suffocating pressure. Liverpool penetrate their opposition with incisive breaks and a multiplexity of attacking talent.
Everything became rather stodgy last season, however, with a malfunctioning engine room failing to charge the squad's efforts, and the summer transfer activity saw a mass midfield exodus and the additions of several top-class midfield talents.
Among those was Ryan Gravenberch, who signed for Liverpool in a £34m transfer from Bayern Munich after failing to really make his mark in Germany, starting just three times in the Bundesliga last season.
Once proclaimed to be the "greatest talent" in the Netherlands by former Ajax striker Wim Kieft, Gravenberch has been excellent across the early days of his Anfield career, provided with a license to strut his stuff in the centre and entrusted with a role that simply didn't materialise at the Allianz Arena.
Across 15 outings for Liverpool, Gravenberch has scored two goals and supplied two more, though the Fulham match was his first league start in three fixtures and he will be eager to make his mark against the beleaguered Blades.
As per FBref, he ranks among the top 15% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 5% for shot-creating actions, the top 7% for progressive passes, the top 11% for progressive carries, the top 6% for successful take-ons and the top 5% for blocks per 90.
This punctuates his multi-functionality and willingness to drive forward and influence attacking sequences, something Klopp has clearly been left enamoured by.
#
Player
Club
1
Jude Bellingham
Real Madrid
2
Khephren Thuram
OGC Nice
3
Dominik Szoboszlai
Liverpool
4
Conor Gallagher
Chelsea
5
Joelinton
Newcastle United
*Sourced via FBref
The £150k-per-week star will feel that there is much more to come yet but has proved that he can be the difference-maker in midfield, and while he produced one of his more ineffective performances against Fulham, the 6 foot 3 midfielder would bring the progressive presence to sink Wilder and co.
Some might feel that Curtis Jones should start, and it would certainly be a good shout, but while the Englishman offers remarkable crispness in his distribution, Liverpool will be expected to retain the lion's share of possession regardless, and Gravenberch could engineer openings with greater regularity and efficacy.
While Gravenberch may well start again, Darwin Nunez might be among those demoted to the bench after several weeks of poor finishing now, with Cody Gakpo offered the opportunity to lead the line in the English top-flight.
Cody Gakpo's season in numbers
Nunez was plagued by profligacy last season and while that middling trait has not quite been wiped away, the Uruguayan – who has missed 13 'big chances' in the league this season – is still some way away from boasting the clinicalness to rival the likes of, say, Erling Haaland (though, in fairness, that's not an easy task).
Gakpo neither is the raw goalscorer to break records in the Premier League, but he is an incredibly effective and dynamic option and has not started at centre-forward in the Premier League since Liverpool's controversial loss against Tottenham Hotspur in September, where he scored right after picking up an injury that ruled him out for a few weeks.
Across all competitions, the Dutchman has posted six goals and two assists from 17 appearances this season – including just ten starts – and was praised for his "standout" two-goal performance in the Europa League against LASK last week by Liverpool correspondent Neil Jones.
Ranking among the top 8% of forwards for progressive passes, the top 16% for progressive carries, the top 20% for successful take-ons, the top 1% for tackles and the top 7% for blocks per 90, the argument of his flexibility is strengthened.
Very Strong
Strong
Crossing
Finishing
Taking set-pieces
Key passes
Passing
Aerial duels
Defensive contribution
*Sourced via WhoScored
Once proclaimed to possess a "special skill set" by Reds assistant manager Pep Lijnders, the £120k-per-week Gakpo could be emboldened by his destructive display on the continental scene last week and indeed his rasping effort that was well-saved by Bernd Leno in the dying embers on Sunday, directly leading toward Alexander-Arnold's winner.
As per Sofascore, he took six shots against the Austrian opposition on Thursday, also completing one key pass, 88% of his total passes, winning Liverpool's penalty and hitting the woodwork.
He'll be fired up and convinced that his technical prowess will pick Sheffield United apart and facilitate the success of the likes of Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz on the flanks.
While Nunez is a fierce forward, December has arrived and Klopp would be wise to make some changes, and with Gakpo hoping to add to his seasonal tally, a fine replacement could ensure Liverpool continue their purple patch in the Premier League.
It could help to spoil Wilder's Bramall Lane homecoming in the process…
