Liverpool return to action against relegation-threatened Burnley as they look to bounce back from last weekend’s disappointing defeat to Arsenal. After last summer’s overhaul, few expected Jurgen Klopp to still have all of his midfield options available at the same time.
New Liverpool signings Alexis McAllister, Dominic Soboslay and Wataru Endo have all played key roles in the first half of the season, while Ryan Gravenbirch has shown his undeniable talent. As Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott progress from youth to senior players, we are still waiting to see how Klopp will make it all happen. Stefan Vaicetic has struggled with fitness since injury, while Thiago Alcantara is ruled out for the season after undergoing hip surgery before last weekend’s defeat to Arsenal.
The Spanish midfielder had been back in training for nearly a week when he played at the Emirates at the last minute. It was a bright spark on a disappointing day for Klopp, but the positive vibes around Thiago lasted for days. Thiago picked up a muscle problem during his Arsenal cameo and will now spend more time on the sidelines, according to the Liverpool ECHO.
It is the latest in a string of injuries for the 32-year-old, who is out of contract at Anfield this summer. If he can, he will surely offer something that no other Liverpool player can. His passivity and technique are second to none and Klopp will want him to get more minutes against Burnley. Those plans have now been thrown out the window. He joined Szobosleigh in the treatment room, who missed the Arsenal defeat with a hamstring problem he picked up last month.
The Hungarian will not play this weekend and appears to be in real contention for the Carabao Cup final with Chelsea after traveling to his home country for further assessment. However, despite the injury, Klopp’s selection of the midfielder against Burnley means there will still be some decisions to make when Endo returns to action. The former Stuttgart man played every minute of Japan’s Asian Cup quarter-final defeat to Iran and is now back on Merseyside.
Alexis McAllister has impressed in his absence in a deeper sixth role and has won praise from Klopp for his performances in recent weeks. The Argentine started the season before Endo’s arrival and it seemed inevitable that he would soon move into a more advanced role.
However, it wasn’t always that way and after the win with Bournemouth, Klopp offered to stay in his place. “He’s not a regular top-six player at Brighton, but he’s an incredibly intelligent player,” said the Liverpool manager. If you can form a compact formation, you will have a perfect 6. You can tell me what you want. But he has a better 6-pointer than any 6 you can think of and is very good against the ball. strong”. Endo may lack flair on the ball, but he offers qualities that Liverpool desperately need and his absence has cost Arsenal.
Ironically, if he is called up alongside Mac Allister against Burnley, it will be only the second time the pair start together in the Premier League. With Liverpool likely to take possession this weekend, this could be the perfect opportunity to get Gravenburch back on track after a lackluster performance at Arsenal.
Elliott can call on Klopp after starting the last two games on the bench.It remains to be seen when Klopp will pick from his perfect team. For Thiago, the latest failure will be a huge blow and will show that he cannot be trusted.
But even without the Spaniard, the Liverpool manager has options and some key decisions to make that could show the true size of his squad at Anfield.
