Jurgen Klopp given two easy Liverpool decisions to make amid Mo Salah and Sadio Mane dilemma

Liverpool defeated Cardiff City in the FA Cup but Jurgen Klopp has some decisions to make for their next game against Leicester City in the Premier League.
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Liverpool continued their unbeaten start to 2022 with victory over Cardiff City on Sunday.

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Diogo Jota, Takumi Minamino and Harvey Elliott - making his return from a five-month injury absence - were on the scoresheet.

Things continue to come thick and fast for Jurgen Klopp’s side, though.

They are back in action on Thursday against Leicester City - the last team to beat Liverpool when the two sides met on December 28 at the King Power Stadium.

Klopp will already be weighing up the team he will select against the Foxes.

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Here are some of this key decisions he might have to make after the Cardiff win.

Goalkeeper and defence

Caoimhin Kelleher made one of his first memorable errors in his Liverpool career when he raced off his line and took out visiting striker Mark Harris

The keeper was perhaps lucky to only be handed a yellow card and will learn from his mistake.

Regardless, Alisson Becker will be restored between the posts and Kelleher will be back on the bench.

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Trent Alexander-Arnold was one of the standout performers for the Reds, with his free-kick assisting Jota's opener. He'll again be at right-back.

Kostas Tsimikas on the opposite flank was also highly impressive. However, Andy Robertson is first-choice left-back and underlined his quality when coming off the bench with a sumptuous cross to set up Elliott's goal.

The Scot is likely to come back into Klopp's starting XI while the pair might be rotated for the trip to Burnley on Sunday.

Virgil van Dijk again was solid but Ibrahima Konate may see himself back on the bench in place of Joel Matip.

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Joe Gomez should too be among the subs after missing the Cardiff game after isolation having tested positive for Covid-19.

Midfield

Klopp is a big admirer of Naby Keita yet his Anfield career continues to stutter.

Having recently returned from AFCON after representing Guinea, the midfielder was subdued against Cardiff.

Keita faces the risk of being axed and he won't be able to grumble should he make way for Fabinho, who'll be back after representing Brazil during the international break.

Curtis Jones also struggled during his 57-minute outing.

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The academy product stepped up significantly before the pause in the campaign, impressing in victories over Arsenal and Crystal Palace.

However, Jones largely struggled in the Cardiff encounter.

He failed to provide the attacking spark that Harvey Elliott provided when replacing Jones.

Klopp's got a decision to make on whether he thrusts Elliott back into the starting line-up.

The teenage sensation certainly never looked like he'd been away during his outing. You'd never have guessed he was returning from a five-month lay-of, having dislocated his ankle at Leeds in September.

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Liverpool are being cautious with Elliott and could again use him as an impact sub.

Thiago Alcantara may also not be quite ready to start after he came back from a hip injury for the final 13 minutes.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain had found form in a forward role before the international break. He was absent against Cardiff due to a lack of preparation after contracting Covid-19 and being forced to isolate.

Yet if he has a good week in training, Oxlade-Chamberlain could drop back into his favoured midfield role alongside Fabinho and Jordan Henderson.

James Milner is the other option.

Forwards

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There was jubilation and heartbreak for Sadio Mane and Mo Salah on Sunday evening.

Mane netted the winning penalty in the shootout that saw Senegal claim their first AFCON title - which broke the hearts of Salah and Egypt.

Both will now make their way back to Merseyside but Klopp has to decide whether he will start either.

The pair played out a gruelling goalless draw for 120 minutes before Senegal won 4-2 on spot-kicks.

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Surely Salah deserves to be handed a rest - especially after three of Egypt’s past four games went all the way to penalties.

The Reds have found their goalscoring groove without their talisman, although they'll relish his return when he does arrive back.

Mane may well get the night off, too. He's set to return to his homeland, according to Klopp, and celebrate the triumph.

Certainly, the burden has eased since Luis Diaz arrived during the January transfer window from Porto for a fee of up to £50 million.

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The Colombian caught the eye on his bow when coming off the bench against Cardiff, with his good work leading to Liverpool doubling their lead.

Diaz, therefore, could be handed a full debut.

Jota is a shoo-in to start either centrally or on the flank and Roberto Firmino is likely to keep his spot should Salah and Mane be unavailable.

That may mean Minamino is again sacrificed despite bagging a seventh goal of the season.