Why Roberto Firmino is out & Nat Phillips is starting over Joe Gomez for Liverpool vs Crystal Palace

Explanations for some of the surprise selection calls in Liverpool’s matchday squad on Monday have been provided online.

The Reds, of course, are set to return to action in short order.

After being held to a disappointing share of the spoils by newly-promoted Fulham in the club’s season opener, Jurgen Klopp’s troops are primed to welcome Crystal Palace to Anfield, eyeing a swift return to winning ways.

The efforts of the evening’s hosts to do so, though, will come sans the talents of a number of key performers.

Klopp’s latest matchday squad, as is customary, was unveiled an hour prior to kick off.

And integral players at both ends of the pitch were nowhere to be seen, in the form of Joel Matip and Roberto Firmino.

Liverpool themselves, in turn, have since provided an explanation for as much, with the latter missing out owing to a muscle strain, and Firmino absent as a precaution:

It is the omission of Matip in particular, though, which has since given rise to a major shakeup at the heart of the Reds’ backline.

As showcased above, forgotten man Nat Phillips has been afforded a shock start versus Palace.

With Ibrahima Konate sidelined and Matip too unavailable, the widespread assumption had been that Joe Gomez was in line to slot into Klopp’s defensive ranks on Monday.

As has since been confirmed online, though, England international Gomez has also only recently recovered from a fitness issue of his own, meaning he was not deemed fit enough to start:

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