Xherdan Shaqiri will be handed just his fifth start for Liverpool in their Premier League clash against Cardiff City this weekend, according to the Daily Telegraph.
The newspaper claim the Switzerland international, 27, was substituted after 68 minutes of the Merseysiders’ 4-0 Champions League demolition of Red Star on Wednesday night “because he is guaranteed to start” Saturday afternoon’s home fixture against Neil Warnock’s side.
The Telegraph report that Shaqiri’s man-of-the-match display against Red Star was proof that he has “truly arrived at Liverpool” after a difficult first few months at the club in which he has struggled for game time and was hauled off at half-time in his first league start against Southampton.
OPINION
There has been a sense so far that Jurgen Klopp hasn’t really trusted Shaqiri, either to provide enough penetration as one of the front three, or to do the defensive work needed to play in an attacking midfield role in front of two central pivots. He was used as a right-sided playmaker against Red Star, with Mohamed Salah down the middle, Sadio Mane on the left and Roberto Firmino in a number ten role. Shaqiri was outstanding, tigerishly winning the ball and laying it off brilliantly to Andrew Robertson in the build-up for the opener and, soon afterwards, putting Salah through to bang in his second goal in consecutive matches with his right foot. Cue plenty of social media jokes from Liverpool fans hoping that Shaqiri’s arch-critics Gary Neville and Charlie Adam were watching. With the matches coming thick and fast, the Telegraph appear convinced the Swiss will be handed just a third league start out of a possible 10 this season. From fringe man to main man. What a turnaround.