Liverpool are currently cruising to the Premier League title, 16 points clear at the top of the table, while they play their game in hand on rivals Manchester City this evening. The Reds travel to the London Stadium where they will face a West Ham United side who have been on an appalling run of form with one win in their last six Premier League matches.
Furthermore, the Hammers are winless in their past six meetings with Liverpool in the top-flight, last getting the better of the Reds four years ago. All of that means is that this could be the ideal opportunity for Jurgen Klopp to experiment with his side and rest some key squad members.
Takumi Minamino is yet to make his first Premier League start for the Merseyside club. The clash with West Ham could be the ideal opportunity to hand the 25-year-old his full top-flight debut, especially considering the draining effect drawing with Shrewsbury may have had on some squad members at the weekend. The Japanese international impressed in the Champions League for RB Salzburg in the opening half of the season, scoring twice and assisting on three occasions in six matches for the Austrian side.
Against Wolverhampton Wanderers, the 25-year-old was introduced after 33 minutes, when Sadio Mane hobbled off with a hamstring injury and performed admirably against the seventh-place side. Minamino completed two dribbles around opponents, higher than his average of 1.5 per match in the Champions League, along with taking on a shot. There were moments when the 25-year-old appeared to be slightly rusty, making four unsuccessful touches, as well as being dispossessed once, but that is understandable considering he is adapting to a new league.
Further evidence to suggest the Japanese midfielder is ready to start his first Premier League match is that he kept an immaculate 96.4 percent pass accuracy from 28 attempts during his 57 minutes of action. It was an impressively assured first sighting in the league considering he was introduced midway through and had to adapt to the game’s tempo.
Starting against West Ham could give Klopp an indication of where Minamino is concerning his fitness after he started the 2-2 draw with Shrewsbury. In a game with little riding on it for the Reds, the clash could be the perfect opportunity for Klopp to experiment.
