Liverpool are taking everything deep into this season.
And having to dig deeper into the squad.
With Mo Salah not fit enough to start, Liverpool began at Brentford minus him, Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dominik Szoboszlai (four of the best players this season), Thiago Alcântara (who had been fit again, briefly), Stefan Bajcetic and Ben Doak; and by half-time had lost Diogo Jota and Curtis Jones to injury, and feeling a twinge, Darwin Núñez too, after superb back-to-break finishes in the past two games.
Jota may be out for months, given his history; at the point where he has matured into a leader on the pitch, driving with and without the ball into dangerous areas, to create and score.
Now 27, there’s a good four years left of him at this super-sharp level, if he can stay fit; but players recklessly flying into his knee has cost him before. He’s a super-smart footballer, a student of the game. Hopefully it’s not as serious as it looks, but it reminded me of the injury picked up at FC Midtjylland in 2020.
I also don’t think a player is injury-prone if the majority of their issues are impact-related.
Liverpool can win the title and the other trophies with four of the five strikers. The quintet now have 65 goals between them, and Darwin Núñez has finally relaxed and started converting a few more chances.
But to be down to just three would limit rotation options.
There are solutions within the squad, however, to mix things up, but some luck will be needed too.
That said, the following players and a bit of a readjustment can help cover any shortages up front, including one specialist rarely used there for the Reds.
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