AFP
LONDON
Jurgen Klopp has dropped his biggest hint yet he is ready to strengthen his Liverpool squad in January but on his freescoring attack and not his error-prone defence.
Liverpool travel to Middlesbrough aiming for a first victory in three games to reignite their Premier League title hopes in the wake of a 4-3 defeat at Bournemouth and a 2-2 draw at home to West Ham, which has seen them lose ground to their rivals.
Klopp has recently played down suggestions he will listen to offers for Liverpool's out of favour England international Daniel Sturridge. The German head coach seems more intent on keeping Sturridge and bolstering his attacking options when the winter transfer window opens next month, though he warned at the difficulties of bringing in players mid-season.
"The winter transfer market is the most difficult. We are always looking," said Klopp, who will be without the influential Brazilian midfielder Philippe Coutinho for at least another month due to an ankle injury. "If you look at our bench, we're very experienced in defence, and not offence. If the situation stays like this it is clear we have open eyes."
Liverpool enter the latest round of Premier League game six points off leaders Chelsea, having dropped five points in their last two matches, conceding six goals in the process. Klopp is set to keep faith with Loris Karius, after hitting back at withering criticism of his goalkeeper's displays in those two games from the television pundits and former Manchester United defenders Gary and Phil Neville.
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has also used his position as a TV pundit to hammer Karius, notably after the defeat to Bournemouth. The Liverpool boss will refuse to bow to mounting pressure to drop the 23-year-old, who has largely failed to impress in making 11 appearances since signing from German side Mainz six months ago for £4.7m.
Since beating Watford 6-1 at the start of November, Klopp's side have won only one of their last four league games to raise question marks over their title credentials. Emre Can is a set to miss out against Middlesbrough with a knee problem, although the German midfielder is expected to be fit for next week's Merseyside derby against Everton. Defender Dejan Lovren, who was forced off with cramp against West Ham at Anfield, is a doubt for the trip to the North-East.
Jose Mourinho has warned Wayne Rooney he cannot be sure of being involved in Manchester United's clash with Crystal Palace on Wednesday despite Henrikh Mkhitaryan's injury. The United and England captain has been relegated to the bench by both this season and has started just one league game since being left out against Leicester at the end of September.
Rooney is one goal short of the 249 career United goals scored by the legendary Bobby Charlton, but with just three goals this season, and only one in the league, the striker might have to wait a while longer to make history. And although an injury to Mkhitaryan in Sunday's win against Tottenham will keep the Armenian forward out of United's next two games, Mourinho insists Rooney, 31, is just one of five players battling to start at Selhurst Park.
"I knew that was coming," joked Mourinho when asked if Rooney would start. "Rooney, (Marcus) Rashford, (Jesse) Lingard, Ashley Young, Memphis Depay -- that's a position where we have lots of players so that will not be another problem, to choose a player to play. The problem is Mkhitaryan was playing so, so well and now he's not there."
PLAYING WEDNESDAY
Middlesbrough v Liverpool (1.15 am), Sunderland v Chelsea (1.15 am), West Ham United v Burnley (1.15 am), Crystal Palace v Manchester United (1.30 am), Manchester City v Watford (1.30 am), Stoke City v Southampton (1.30 am), Tottenham Hotspur v Hull City (1.30 am), West Bromwich Albion v Swansea City (1.30 am)
*Timings IST, Thursday
