Trent blow for Klopp
Now it’s 10 players out to hit Liverpool’s title tilt
NEW year, same injury luck for Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp’s troops are dropping like flies, and with the Reds competing on four fronts, the medical team might need to perform a Mo Salah-esque piece of magic if they are to claim silverware this season.
Trent Alexander-Arnold became the latest member of a 10-man list of players absent for tonight’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Fulham at Anfield, with Klopp’s squad decimated by injuries and two key components, Salah and Wataru Endo, away on international duty.
So far, Klopp and right-hand man Pep Lijnders have come up with solutions to every enforced absence. When left back Andy Robertson dislocated his shoulder, up stepped Kostas Tsimikas. When Tsimikas broke his collarbone, Joe Gomez showcased his admirable versatility.
Unfortunately, Liverpool only have one Gomez. He has filled in at right back, centre back and left back when needed this season — but he can only be in one position at a time. Alexander-Arnold’s injury threatens to be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
An unproven youngster must step up in his absence, Conor Bradley or Owen Beck most likely to deputise. Both are well-liked by Liverpool and there are no worries in a defensive sense, but the Reds have now lost their creator-in-chief, with Alexander-Arnold so often the star man.
‘Trent was decisive in all the games and was the one who constantly created for us from deep and gave the team a high level of flexibility,’ said Lijnders yesterday. ‘We will really miss him.’ And the Dutch coach is right, especially with top scorer Salah also missing for around a month.
Alexander-Arnold was seen limping on to the team bus at the Emirates on Sunday evening — but told reporters he would speak to them after the next game, as he was in a rush, which suggests the 25-year-old did not expect this to be a serious issue.
Lijnders said the prognosis was ‘a few weeks’. Given the upcoming winter break, plus just one Premier League game between now and January 31, there could be worse times for their key men to be missing.
But Fulham are not to be taken lightly, as shown in a recent trip to Anfield where they lost 4-3 but led until the final minutes. Of course, Alexander-Arnold was the man who bailed Liverpool out with a late winner.
Klopp will be wary of forward Raul Jimenez, who has scored five times in his last seven games and is rediscovering his best form after struggling for goals following a career-threatening head injury. ‘He is playing without fear,’ said Fulham boss Marco Silva. ‘Everyone is seeing he is doing important things.
‘Raul is the same player who signed with us last July, he is a player who we believe can help us be strong. When you have 10 or 11 months without a goal in the Premier League, you cannot imagine the impact. Imagine what was going through his mind.’
Liverpool are likely to turn to Northern Irish full back Bradley, who impressed in a 15-minute cameo at Arsenal. The 20-yearold was Bolton’s player of the season on loan last year. Another option is to shift Gomez to a more natural right back role and play left back Beck, great nephew of Ian Rush who has been recalled from a loan at Dundee.
The Welshman got rave reviews north of the border and is seen as more ready to play than fellow youngster Luke Chambers.
‘We have many weapons so there is no one irreplaceable here,’ added Lijnders. ‘If the best players are not there and you play really well — the second half against Arsenal — then that’s a really good sign and that’s what we’ve always done.’
Robertson will consult a surgeon this week on his shoulder injury. He is hoping to return to training by late January, which would also appear to be the target for Alexander-Arnold.