Jose Mourinho once compared managing Tottenham to having “a blanket in your bed and you pull it up and your feet are left out – then you cover your feet because they’re cold but half of your body is outside the blanket”.
An analogy made back in February might have drawn little sympathy from Jurgen Klopp at the time, but the Liverpool boss is facing the same sense of ill-fate this season. Fix one problem and another soon appears. Never assume things can’t get much worse, for they always can and inevitably do.
Mo Salah has reportedly tested positive for coronavirus while on international duty. The Egyptian Football Federation initially confirmed the news on their website, before adapting a statement to say three players would be tested again before the game against Togo this weekend.
The 28-year-old is a major doubt for the Reds’ next Premier League match against Leicester City (November 22), as well as the Champions League meeting with Atalanta (November 25).
Salah, who has scored eight goals in as many league games this season, joins a long list of Liverpool players currently ruled out.
Klopp’s injury crisis worsens
Joe Gomez has just undergone surgery on a tendon in his left knee after sustaining an injury in England training. The centre-back is expected to join fellow defender Virgil van Dijk in being out for the majority of the season.
Klopp has bemoaned the impact of TV scheduling – and the removal of the five substitute rule – on his depleted squad, with Trent Alexander-Arnold having been forced off against Manchester City with a calf injury.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (knee), Thiago Alcantara (knee), and Fabinho (hamstring) are all currently sidelined.
Defending a title won by an 18-point margin was never going to be easy, but Klopp has every right to feel the cards dealt to him this time around have been unfairly stacked.
Liverpool’s absentees this season
It was a stroke of good fortune that Alisson was able to return from a shoulder injury ahead of schedule.
The goalkeeper’s absences are always among the most dramatic with Adrian stepping in, where other setbacks – such as the thigh injury suffered by Konstantinos Tsimikas, or Joel Matip’s unspecified muscle problem – have gone under the radar somewhat.
Meanwhile in midfield, Naby Keita has been restricted to just four Premier League appearances this term.
Prior to Salah’s test, three Liverpool players – Thiago, Sadio Mane and Xherdan Shaqiri – had also tested positive in the 2020/21 season (though the Swiss forward’s test was later shown to have come up false).
Liverpool injuries and expected return dates
- Mo Salah – coronavirus (2 weeks)
- Joe Gomez – knee (3-6 months)
- Trent Alexander-Arnold – calf (within 1 month)
- Virgil van Dijk – ACL (+6 months)
- Thiago Alcantara (1 week)
- Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (2 weeks)
It is testament to Liverpool’s depth that they should be able to cope without Salah, particularly against Atalanta, whom they defeated 5-0 in their most recent European meeting.
When asked if “fate” was playing a role in determining whether his side marched to the title last season, Klopp replied “I don’t go that far”. It’s just as well, really.
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from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3lwiQgC
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