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Nothing could stop Liverpool last season as the Reds advanced to their first Premier League title. This season, however, is shaping up to be a bigger challenge for Jürgen Klopp’s team from injuries sustained by key figures, with Virgil van Dijk feared for the remainder of the 2020/21 campaign.
In addition to this, Alisson Becker has missed several weeks due to a shoulder injury suffered in training. The Brazilian closer appears ready to return to action earlier than initially planned, but some damage has already been done to Liverpool’s season, with Adrian a lame substitute in his absence.
Thiago Alcantara was, like van Dijk, abandoned since the Merseyside Derby, missing the mid-week win over Ajax in the Champions League as a result, although the summer transfer could recover in time to face Sheffield United this weekend. week. Joel Matip is another of those who could appear on Saturday after a period on the sidelines.
Of course, it wasn’t long ago that Jordan Henderson was in the physical therapy room, with the Liverpool captain returning to action during the international break. Going further back, Naby Keita was another who suffered injuries, with the Guinean just beginning to find his groove in Merseyside following his arrival in the summer of 2018.
Keita missed no less than 28 games (according to Transfermarkt) due to injury in his first two seasons as a Liverpool player, and James Milner was another who missed a significant part of last season on the sidelines with two recurrences of an injury in the hamstring.
These are all key players for Klopp and raise questions about Liverpool’s track record when it comes to injuries. Of course, injuries affect all teams, but the Reds have suffered more than their fair share of late, certainly during the early part of the season. Is this something that Klopp and the decision makers at Anfield should try to address?
In previous seasons, so many injuries to so many key figures in such a short time would have critically damaged Liverpool. Even two seasons ago, when the Reds were starting to find their groove with Klopp, it would have been enough to prevent them from achieving their goals.
Now, however, Liverpool have the squad to absorb so many blows. This was evident in the away win over Ajax in the Champions League, when Fabinho and Joe Gomez formed a formidable central defense partnership in the absence of van Dijk and Diogo Jota, Xherdan Shaqiri and Takumi Minamino came off the bench for the last 30 minutes.
Much of Liverpool’s transfer focus in recent windows has been to add depth to their squad, and Kostas Tsimikas also signed this summer to provide coverage and competition for Andy Robertson. Now they are seeing the benefits of that, even if the Reds find themselves in a situation they never wanted to be in. At least they made some plans to account for it.
However, if this pattern continues throughout the season, there are serious concerns from Liverpool’s point of view. There will come a time when your system will be too warped by important absences to function as efficiently. Klopp has trained a group of players with the same ideological mold and image, but he still needs first-rate operators to carry out his game plan.
This season has been chaotic for everyone in the Premier League so far, including Liverpool. Injuries were always likely as a result of the tight schedule due to the late start, but the Reds have reason to look a little more closely at their team’s fitness record.
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