Liverpool’s squad will reassemble at the AXA Training Centre now the final international break of the season is over.
The Reds’ season Premier League title charge recommences when they make the trip to Southampton on Sunday. Arne Slot will be hoping all of his troops who have been away with their respective nations have avoided any injuries.
A roll call will be required when players report back for training later this week. Certainly, Slot will not want any of his forward line who have picked up a fitness issue. Liverpool have been without Diogo Jota and Federico Chiesa for the past month which have left their options in short supply. In Jota’s absence, Darwin Nunez has been given the duty of leading the Reds’ line. The ex-Benfica man had to be patient at the beginning of Slot’s reign but has fired two goals and one assist in his past six outings – including opening the scoring in the 2-0 win over Aston Villa last time out.
Nunez represented Uruguay during the international break, with Marcelo Bielsa’s side earning a 1-1 draw against Brazil last night. But Nunez was substituted at half-time of the game when it was still goalless. Certainly, that would have come as a surprise to those watching given that the 25-year-old is his country’s most potent threat in the final third. Anyone watching may have feared that Nunez sustained an injury.
But according to Uruguayan media, that was not the case. El Pais reported that Nunez could not impact the game as he’d have liked and La Celeste boss Bielsa made a change because of tactical purposes. The report said: “Darwin Núñez made way for the man who had emerged from Liverpool. He had had a good first half, but many times, due to the position of the Celeste on the pitch, the Liverpool striker from England had to lean back to the middle of the pitch to get the ball and look for play far from the area.
“More accustomed to moving out of the centre-forward zone and capable of mainly playing on the left wing, Marcelo Bielsa opted to have more mobility with Rodrigo Aguirre who can easily change positions with Maximiliano Araújo and Facundo Pellistri with more mobility and versatility in attack.”
However, Alexis Mac Allister may well have done to have avoided injury in Argentina’s 1-0 win over Peru. The midfielder was on the end of a nasty tackle from Carlos Zambrano in the 88th minute, which caused the Liverpool midfielder to be substituted. Argentine outlet TyCSports reported it was a “tremendous kick on Alexis Mac Allister that seemed to come out cheap, especially due to the violence that can be seen in the replay, which reflects a clear tackle towards the midfielder’s left ankle.”
Mac Allister was subbed shortly afterwards although that was likely as a precaution. Posting on Instagram after the game, Mac Allister said: “We close a year full of effort and emotions, with your support, which makes us stronger. Thank you for always being there! See you next year.”
Meanwhile, Luis Diaz played the entire 90 minutes as Colombia suffered a surprise 1-0 defeat by Ecuador.
