The ECHO’s Liverpool writers pick their teams for Sunday’s trip to West Ham United
01:00, 30 Nov 2025
Wataru Endo could make a rare start for Liverpool(Image: Getty Images)
Liverpool will be looking to move into the top half of the Premier League table when they are entertained by West Ham United on Sunday afternoon.
Arne Slot’s champions have lost nine of their last 12, which sees the club on its worst run of form since 1953 and big questions are being asked as a result.
Slot will be without the likes of Conor Bradley, Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz for the game, although there is potentially more positive news for Alisson Becker and Hugo Ekitike.
As ever, the ECHO’s dedicated Liverpool FC writers have picked their teams for what is a huge fixture for Slot as he attempts to arrest a woeful slump.
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Paul Gorst
A lot rests on the fitness of Alisson Becker. Liverpool have been too easy to score against during his absence and while Giorgi Mamardashvili has not exactly been poor, the Brazil international’s return would be a huge boost between the sticks.
As ever, the question at right-back lingers. No Conor Bradley, no Jeremie Frimpong and Dominik Szoboszlai is wasted there, frankly. For me, I’m picking Joe Gomez for his first Premier League start in nearly 12 months.
The versatile Gomez may be needed as an emergency centre-half if injury hits for Ibrahima Konate or Virgil van Dijk but Gomez’s natural defensive instincts might just help plug a gap there for a leaky defence that has conceded the most out of all Premier League clubs this term, across all competitions.
On the left side, I am recalling Andy Robertson in place of Milos Kerkez, who continues to be in a bit of a funk. Robertson started the games against Aston Villa and Real Madrid, which is the sort of level Liverpool should be aspiring to at the moment.
In midfield, I am dropping Ryan Gravenberch for Wataru Endo, whose defensive qualities might just be needed to keep things tighter than they have been. Sacrificing Gravenberch’s ability to progress the ball up the pitch is a risk that I am willing to take to get back to the basics of a clean sheet. Alexis Mac Allister starts alongside him.
I had toyed with the idea of dropping Mohamed Salah for Federico Chiesa but after much thought, the Egyptian keeps his place but Cody Gakpo is taken out and Hugo Ekitike – if passed fit – starts there. The France international has been about the only bright spark, attacking-wise, in recent weeks.
Alexander Isak leads the line. The Sweden international has been a pale imitation of the striker that made him a £125m player less than three months ago but he needs to play, get fit and eventually return to those levels.
My team (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Gomez, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Endo, Mac Allister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Ekitike; Isak.
Ian Doyle
Be afraid. Be very, very afraid. For Liverpool are playing a game of association football today. It’s a trip to West Ham United in the Premier League and a chance for the visitors to remember what it is like to not lose a match.
What, though, is Reds boss Arne Slot to do? You can’t keep on losing all those games without then making changes. And I am demanding there be a lot of them.
Alisson Becker is no longer unwell so he can come back in goal. Andy Robertson can return at left-back, and Joe Gomez can start at centre-back alongside skipper Virgil van Dijk. None of this 4D-chess thinking. It’s time to win some games right now.
Curtis Jones can remain at right-back, but the big change comes in midfield with a shift of formation.
Wataru Endo is in as the sole defensive midfielder and there are three players narrow in front of him – from left to right, Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai.
That leaves two up front, and that can be Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak. Mohamed Salah needs a rest and can start the remainder of the games before he heads off to the AFCON.
My team (4-1-3-2): Alisson; Jones, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Endo; Szoboszlai, Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Isak, Ekitike.
Mark Jones
At the start of the season if someone had told you that Wataru Endo would be the answer to Liverpool’s prayers by late November you’d have got plenty of funny looks. But he might just be now.
On an east London afternoon where the visitors need to show fight and a willingness to do the dirty work, throwing Endo into the centre of midfield and telling him to kick anything that moves for an hour could at least give Liverpool a solid base from which to work on.
It’s basic stuff, yes, but that is exactly what Virgil van Dijk said the Reds needed to show more of prior to the PSV Eindhoven debacle, and we all saw what happened there as that remarkably grim second half unfolded.
What else to do though? Well it seems like Alisson is well enough to go back in goal, but I’d be taking Ibrahima Konate out of the firing line after his dreadful last couple of outings. Joe Gomez has to be trusted at centre-back at some point even if he can only play one game a week, and I’d keep Curtis Jones on the right of defence and bring Andy Robertson back on the left, mainly for his experience.
Endo comes into centre midfield, where I’m dropping Alexis Mac Allister and telling Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai to use their energy and physicality to run all over a West Ham side that occasionally looks a bit soft in the centre.
In attack I’ll keep Mohamed Salah in the side, with Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo joining him. Don’t be surprised if Hugo Ekitike and Federico Chiesa end up playing crucial roles from the bench though.
My team (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Jones, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Endo, Gravenberch; Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo; Isak.
