Why Many of the Injuries To Liverpool’s Key Players Is Actually Good News
Salah, Szoboszlai, Alexander-Arnold and Others Getting Their Rest
To have come so far this with so many injuries – and using so many young players – bodes extremely well for the final 17-30 games of the season.
When the Reds’ U18s thrashed Arsenal’s 7-1 in the Youth Cup on Saturday, Arsenal had first-team-experienced Ethan Nwaneri involved. For their bench in the Premier League win over Crystal Palace, they had one young player, Reuell Walters (19), otherwise the youngest subs were ‘kids’ who are now 23 and 24.
For Liverpool, this was the age of the oldest outfield sub in their Premier League match away at in-form Bournemouth.
(Interestingly, I think Liverpool could also have fielded Kaide Gordon, Bobby Clark and had been fit, Ben Doak. But as the forwards scored all seven goals, they weren’t needed. Calum Scanlon is also still young enough.)
Gordon and Clark joined fellow teen James McConnell on the senior bench, whilst Owen Beck and Jarell Quansah are youngsters, too.
Opta’s Michael Reid:
“Today, in Conor Bradley (20), Harvey Elliott (20), Ryan Gravenberch (21), Bobby Clark (18), Owen Beck (21), and Kaide Gordon (19), Liverpool had 6 players aged 21 or younger play in the same league match for only the fourth time ever, and first since April 1965 vs Wolves. #LFC”
(That 1965 game was days before the FA Cup final and Bill Shankly rested the whole team.)
By contrast, Liverpool had Mo Salah at AFCON, Wataru Endo at the Asian Cup, and then injuries to Dominik Szoboszlai, Trent Alexander-Arnold and the generally ignored or forgotten (by the media) Andy Robertson, Thiago Alcantara and Stefan Bajcetic, as well as possible season-ending injuries before midway to Joël Matip (who was back in form), Kostas Tsimikas and Ben Doak (who would have got minutes as Mo Salah’s understudy this month).
While Thiago is not as important to Liverpool as Kevin de Bruyne is to Man City, Thiago is still elite, when fit; just like de Bruyne, who is also prone to muscle injuries.
Yet all we heard was about when de Bruyne is back, ignoring the role a fit Thiago could play.
Thiago in this Liverpool team, with its greater energy and youth, could be sensational; making the ball do the work, finding space and opening up opposition defences.
As such, Bournemouth away was always likely to be one of the toughest games, once key players wouldn’t be quite ready in time. But the Reds showed their mettle. Then, the twin threats of Chelsea and Arsenal, after the cup tie with Fulham.
But after that, as I’ve shown, it gets easier for Liverpool, and harder for Arsenal and Man City.
Reds Red-Hot Run-Ins
Liverpool are almost always excellent from February onwards under Jürgen Klopp.
Only once since 2018 have Liverpool failed to go at at least 2.3ppg in their final ten games of the league season. For a comparison, Arsenal went at 1.2ppg in the final 10 last season.
The only season when the Reds didn’t go on some kind of brilliant run-in was after the Reds won 27 of the first 29 games, and the pandemic struck, which was a case of not giving up a 25-point lead in the final nine matches after the restart. It wasn’t required; but even in the grim, defeat-heavy, injury-ravaged campaigns of 2020/21 and 2022/23, the run-in was impressive: 2.3ppg.
The final ten games of the four finished seasons, when coasting in aside, were 2.3ppg, 2.30ppg, 2.3ppg, and 2.7ppg.
But there have always been a number of fresh players for Klopp, back from injury or just plucked from the fringes, who make truly massive impacts.
Equally, anyone who can pick up an injury midseason that lasts a month or so gets a full refreshment, without the need to undergo months of recovery work.
Indeed, without this minor hamstring strain, Mo Salah would have zero midseason break; less important for Wataru Endo, who plays fewer minutes.
Those who have been out for the first half of the season are busily building up their fitness again, and once at that point, will have fresh legs.
Freshness in the run-in – to not have played 60 games by April – is key.
I’ll show the players who have made these impacts, and the players I expect to do so this season; and how 3-4 weeks out at this point of the season can be great for the run-in.
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