Liverpool does not play again until the last day of the month against Brighton. Jürgen Klopp’s side could have a couple of players back available after injuries.
With the final international break of the 2023/24 season now having arrived, Liverpool will not be back in action again until the final day of the month. When the Premier League returns, the Reds will host Brighton at Anfield on the same day that Arsenal travels to face Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
After that, there is the visit of Sheffield United before another trip to Old Trafford to play Manchester United. The lack of the FA Cup means that the schedule is slightly less relentless — though Liverpool would much prefer to be heading to Wembley to take on Coventry City — but the Europa League soon kicks back into gear.
For that reason, the fact that several players are on their way back from injury is significant. Jürgen Klopp’s squad has been stretched to the very limit over the last few months and perhaps that can go a long way towards explaining the lethargic showing against Manchester United. Physically and mentally, a number of Liverpool players looked tired.
After the international break, though, Liverpool should have a few players back from injury. Ibrahima Konaté didn’t make it back in time to play at Old Trafford but given he was in contention for that match, he should be available again in a fortnight.
And prior to the FA Cup tie, Klopp explained that Curtis Jones should be back in time to play against Brighton at Anfield. That fixture is at the end of the month.
A week or so after that, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Diogo Jota might be back and suddenly, Liverpool would look substantially stronger. All four of those players would go straight back into the starting line-up if the Reds had an important midweek fixture coming up rather than an international break.
Having Konaté available will give Liverpool another option at the back, though Jarell Quansah was excellent on Sunday. But Jones will offer a big boost in the center of the pitch.
Wataru Endō has played a lot of matches lately and while Alexis Mac Allister has excelled further forward, having Jones in the team and the Argentine deeper would make Liverpool stronger. Dominik Szoboszlai’s minutes have been carefully managed after his injury return, too.
Potential Liverpool line-up vs Brighton: Kelleher; Gomez, Konaté, Van Dijk, Robertson; Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Jones; Salah, Núñez, Díaz
Having even just one extra option in midfield will make a big difference for Liverpool. Everyone looked tired against Manchester United but the spaces in the center of the pitch were remarkable. That was almost by design for Manchester United, but for the Reds, it was probably a sign of certain stars being jaded or not at full match sharpness.
