Liverpool suffered an unfortunate injury setback over the international break. But Jürgen Klopp doesn’t have to look very far at all for some good news.
The international break was just starting to grow on us. After the Liverpool contingent successfully navigated the first round of fixtures, Jürgen Klopp might have started feeling the tiniest bit thankful for the gap in the domestic schedule, breaking up an intense run of games and giving those with existing injuries time to recover without missing more matches.
But in an instant, we were reminded of why international breaks are The Worst. The sight of Andy Robertson being anxiously examined by Scotland medics has become all too familiar this season, and the Liverpool left-back looks to have suffered another blow.
Having not been back all that long from a dislocated shoulder sustained while captaining his country, Robertson must now undergo a scan to determine the extent of an ankle injury. Northern Ireland’s Trai Hume put in a heavy challenge, and the full-back was unable to continue despite attempting to do so.
Scotland manager Steve Clarke expressed hope that the setback is not too serious. But he warned that tests will be needed to ascertain the extent of the problem, and now both he and Klopp will be crossing their fingers.
But Liverpool does not need to cast around very far to find a piece of good news. In fact, it doesn’t even need to leave Hampden Park.
That’s because Conor Bradley lit up the game against Scotland. A right-back by trade, he can’t provide a direct orthodox solution for Robertson’s absence, but his continued rise is a wonder to behold.
Given the way he took his goal, the only one of the contest, perhaps there is a case for ‘inversion’. Bradley had temporarily charged over to the left to put pressure on Nathan Patterson, winning the ball back in a passage of play that would surely have made Klopp proud. He then cut in and unleashed a lovely strike, admittedly benefitting from a deflection as it flew into the top corner.
But regardless of whether or not he can solve the Robertson issue, Bradley is certainly a ray of positivity for Liverpool. It would be wrong to say he came from nowhere — he enjoyed a very strong loan at Bolton in League One last season — but few could have anticipated the manner in which he has made the step up.
Even with Trent Alexander-Arnold due to return shortly after the international break, it would be a surprise if Bradley did not play a significant role in the rest of the Premier League run-in. He might find himself starting a little less often, but Klopp will certainly turn to him within games as a slightly different, more direct option.
Beyond the season, and therefore beyond the Klopp era, the next manager will be inheriting an excellent player. It will be the successor’s task to work out a long-term plan that gets the best out of Bradley and Alexander-Arnold.
That’s a challenge, but an enjoyable one. If Alonso is the chosen successor, perhaps the answer will be to use Alexander-Arnold in the ‘Granit Xhaka’ role, dictating play from deep as part of a double pivot (maybe with Alexis Mac Allister). Bradley could then take up the wing-back role performed with such distinction at Bayer Leverkusen by Jeremie Frimpong.
Regardless of the specifics of the solution, Bradley is a talent worth accommodating. At the very moment where Liverpool was suffering an injury blow, Klopp at least got a reminder of one of the best things to come out of this season.
