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Soccer, especially in Liverpool, takes you on a roller coaster of emotions. One minute you feel like the moon from the latest result, the next you’re heartbroken after hearing injury news that no one wanted to hear.
That’s what it was like to be a Liverpool fan in recent days. After comfortably beating Atalanta in the Champions League, there was an understandable sense of optimism and joy. Progression to the knockout stages of the competition came one step closer, and the team showed class and quality ahead of a difficult trip to Manchester City this weekend.
Then on Friday, Jürgen Klopp provided an update on Thiago Alcântara’s fitness level, and everyone was suddenly sad and somewhat frustrated. With the Spaniard almost certain to miss Sunday’s trip to the Etihad Stadium, it will mean that Thiago will have missed at least nine games for Liverpool since signing for the club in September.
Of course, the 29-year-old has been unlucky not to have had more minutes on the pitch with his new club. He first tested positive for Covid-19 and had to serve the required time frame on the sidelines, then he was on the receiving end of a reckless entry into the Merseyside derby, which is still having lasting effects on his fitness.
Fans are understandably upset that they won’t be able to see Thiago in action, especially in a game the magnitude of Man City away. But this Liverpool team has proven time and time again that it can rise to the occasion.
Let’s not forget that Klopp guided the club to triumphs in the Champions League, the Club World Cup and the Premier League before taking Thiago to Anfield. There is already an undeniable quality to the team, and the former Bayern Munich player adds to that existing ability on the pitch.
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It has already been pointed out that Klopp can use Thiago this season for so-called “big games”: games against the six best traditional clubs or when a trophy is at stake. True, Klopp would surely have wanted the seasoned midfielder to be fit and available for the journey through the M62, but the boss has proven time and again that he is capable of handling challenging and, at first glance, impossible tasks.
There is no doubt that Liverpool have already been badly affected by injuries this season; Virgil van Dijk, Fabinho, Alisson Becker, Naby Keïta, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Joël Matip, as well as Thiago, there seems to be an endless list of the club’s key players requiring treatment and a spell on the sidelines in the first few weeks. of the Bell. And yet, despite these adversities, Liverpool still find themselves at the top of their Champions League group and at the commercial end of the Premier League table.
Yes, Thiago being injured is not ideal and it cannot be escaped that Liverpool could have done it with his quality in the starting eleven to face Man City. But Klopp has faith in the other players at his disposal, and everyone else should too. After all, have they given us any reason not to?
What I read on Liverpool.com
Ollie has put together a really good piece on Mohamed Salah, and how the Egyptian seems to have taken his game to another level this year.
There’s also a nice piece from Joel, looking at how Joe Gomez has flourished with the added responsibility that has come with Van Dijk’s injury. Both pieces are a must-read this Saturday morning.
What i’ve been seeing
If you’ve been on social media today, you may have noticed a video posted by the club that shows Jordan Henderson Issues Instructions during the recent victory over Atalanta. A must see, for sure, and shows the influence of the club captain.
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