Liverpool injury news: Jurgen Klopp finally gets something he’s been waiting for all season

Liverpool injury news: Jurgen Klopp finally gets something he’s been waiting for all season

Liverpool enter the final 12 of their Premier League season with a tough game against Manchester City on Saturday, but there is cause for optimism

Liverpool are entering the final third of a difficult season and are still looking for the kind of consistency that has become their trademark in recent years.

The Reds will meet at the AXA training center this week ahead of the trip to Manchester City on Saturday lunchtime and it’s the start of a three-game series that will have a big say in their ability to enter the race for the course all- important fourth place in the Premier League.

Trips to the Etihad have been seen as an indicator of where the league title could go in recent years given the rivalry between the two at the top of English football since the 2018/2019 season.

However, Jurgen Klopp won’t be fighting for such an award this time around as he wants to make sure an alarming drop in form ends with at least acceptable resolution. Failure to qualify for the Champions League could have dramatic repercussions for a club whose operating model aims to be self-sustaining through funds raised from competitions such as Europe’s biggest club tournament. The knock-on impact of not finishing in the top four for the first time since 2016 could be drastic, both financially and sportingly. Liverpool have not won at Man City in the league since the opening weeks of Klopp’s reign, when a stunning performance saw them exit Manchester City in a 4-1 win. A first win of any kind since their Champions League triumph five years ago would provide a huge confidence boost and statement for the other four Tottenham and Newcastle hopefuls.

Following the trip to City, the Reds head to London for a fixture with struggling Chelsea before hosting leaders Arsenal on 8 April. I’m in the Champions League next season. In any case, Liverpool will be encouraged by the possible return of Luis Diaz to a team from the beginning of October. The Colombian international has been greatly missed at times and while he shouldn’t be anywhere near his best this weekend, the prospect of a brief cameo from the electric fullback is exciting when he returns.

The 26-year-old continued to work on his fitness during the international break at the Kirkby facility, training with some academy ranks last week with a view to a possible return to full squad training this week.

Diaz suffered a knee injury in a collision with Arsenal’s Thomas Partey in a 3-2 defeat against the Emirates on 9 October and had to undergo surgery in December following a breakdown during the mid-season away match at the club in Dubai during the World Cup. His absence of nearly six months means Liverpool won’t have too high expectations for the former Porto player, but his return will certainly give everyone a boost for the final weeks of the season. Another South American forward expected to compete is Darwin Nunez after missing Uruguay’s friendlies with Japan and South Korea with an ankle problem. The complaint is not considered serious and a good performance in training should see the £64m striker declared fit for the move to East Manchester. Klopp will provide an update on both when he addresses the media on Friday.

With Roberto Firmino, Diogo Jota, Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah also expected to be part of the selection dilemma for Klopp this weekend, it could mean the manager will be able to pick from all six of his star men for the first time. since he got the mall. we went to the club together. It gives Klopp an impressive arsenal of firepower for the final weeks of the campaign, if everyone stays fit. Entering the final weeks of eight trophy-laden years as a Liverpool player, Firmino will be looking to finish on a high note. His goal in a 7-0 win over Manchester United was his tenth in a season without a World Cup. The Brazilian had already signed nine times before the mid-season break but will be desperate to end what will be known as a legendary Merseyside career for the last 12 games.

The versatility and tactical flexibility of players like Gakpo, Jota and Nunez in particular will give Klopp the opportunity to use different combinations of his signature three-man attack system in the future. Dutch international Gakpo was used almost as an attacking midfielder in the 1-0 defeat to Real Madrid and Brentford’s 4-2-3-1 system in the second half was not reversed, but fully completing his attacking department should at least be an interesting proposition for the Liverpool boss. It could make the difference in the top four of the chase.

The visit of Tottenham, scheduled for Sunday April 30, is another potentially crucial date for the fate of Liverpool. The now managerless Spurs will have a new head coach when they come to Anfield, but it will be interesting to see how the north Londoners fare immediately without Antonio Conte, who was sacked last week.

Despite eight league defeats and elimination from all three cup competitions, there is still something for Liverpool to salvage from this miserable season, but the next fortnight will provide the best taste of their stomachs for the fight.