Liverpool injury news latest as four players miss Arsenal with Jurgen Klopp’s Virgin van Dijk prediction

Arsenal news as the Gunners are winless in their last four games in all competitions against a Liverpool side on Easter Sunday

Jurgen Klopp hopes Virgil van Dijk is fit for Arsenal

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Arsenal travel to Liverpool on Sunday afternoon after a full week off at Anfield to face Liverpool after beating Leeds. The Gunners maintained their eight-point lead over Manchester City last weekend and are just nine games away from their first Premier League title in 19 years.

Liverpool will have just four days between games after facing Chelsea on Tuesday. Jurgen Klopp’s side are now four games without a win in all competitions and are seven points off the top four in the match against Arsenal.

At Stamford Bridge, Klopp made six changes to the side that were beaten 4-1 by Manchester City on Saturday. Most have faced performance-related issues, including Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold, but the Reds have their own injury concerns.

Virgil van Dijk had to miss the trip to the capital due to illness. The defender’s absence was confirmed by the club an hour before kick-off on Tuesday. After the game, Klopp hinted the 31-year-old could return this weekend, telling Sky Sports: “I think he’ll be ready for the weekend, yeah.”

Striker Luis Diaz has been out since December and will return to the Reds’ starting XI. He was expected to be back after the international break in March, but he didn’t feature against Man City or Chelsea.

Klopp is expected to reveal more about the Colombian during his press conference outside Arsenal later this week. Luckily for Liverpool, Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota appear to be fully fit again and have both started the stalemate with Chelsea.

In midfield, Thiago Alcantara is still out after a hip flexor injury but has returned to training. Naby Keita appears to have played his last game for the club after suffering a muscle injury on international duty for Guinea. with his contract expiring this summer.

Youngsters Stefan Bajcetic and Calvin Ramsey are out for the rest of the season.

Also…

Liverpool said three Jurgen Klopp stars ‘aren’t good enough’ as ​​stark verdict not the full story

Liverpool have learned that three of their rising stars are not up to scratch to compete for the top honours. Jürgen Klopp knows there is more to it.

Hardly anyone at Liverpool is safe from criticism this season. Alisson was undoubtedly in goal, but just about everyone in Jurgen Klopp’s side came under intense scrutiny.

That being said, some of the younger stars have largely escaped the harsh limelight. Stefan Bajčetić in particular was hailed as a bright spot in an otherwise dismal season with his untimely injury, one which more or less summed up the season.

Meanwhile, Fabio Carvalho has been the object of sympathy more than anything else, with many Liverpool fans questioning why Klopp has used him so sparingly. He looked good when he got the chance.

As for Harvey Elliott, his dismissal against Chelsea was the first Liverpool game of the season in which he played no part. His defensive work has sometimes come under scrutiny, but the overwhelming response has been positive and most people have been amazed at how the teenager has become such a mainstay. Yet it’s this trio that has been labeled ‘not good enough’ by a former Liverpool player, providing a candid assessment of what it takes to compete for trophies such as the Premier League and Champions League.

In fairness, Glen Johnson’s comments to DAZN need to be put into context:

“Obviously they are good players and will continue to be, but at the moment they are not good enough to win you the Champions League or even the Premier League.

“Those young players are obviously talented, but they need experienced players around them to improve. You can’t have half a squad full of players like that – inexperienced and in need of guidance – to put Liverpool back where they belong.”

“I have no doubt they will become that kind of player in the future, but you can’t rely on them now. If those three are in your starting XI when you play against Man City, you’ll be shot all over the place. It’s not a dig at them, but you can’t develop them all at once.”

Stefan Bajčetić and Harvey Elliott are among those yet to be called ‘not good enough’ for Liverpool. (Image: Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)

In many ways, Johnson praises the Liverpool trio and expresses confidence that they will all be “fantastic”. It’s also worth noting that he didn’t call for all three to be dropped from the immediate starting battle, merely raising doubts as to whether they could all develop together as first-team options. .

Liverpool will certainly try to fit them all into the first team. Elliott is already there, just like Bajčetić before the injury. The two started together in midfield against Wolves and scored a 2-0 win.

But at the same time, there is not a big rush. In Carvalho’s case in particular, Klopp is clearly taking things slowly and it’s accepted that all three players are both prospects for the future and potential options for the present. None of them will reach their peak for half a decade or more. Essentially, all Johnson is really saying is a modern spin on the “you can’t win anything with kids” line. This, of course, has been famously refuted. But that young Manchester United team was undoubtedly an exception, and that team too had the likes of Denis Irwin, Steve Bruce and Peter Schmeichel contributing invaluable know-how. Most of the major teams have effectively blended youth and experience.

Arsenal, on their way to winning the league with the youngest team in the division, also have players like Granit Xhaka in the mix. There may be some truth to the idea that one particular youth midfield cannot be left to their own devices. And Klopp’s continued reliance on Fabinho and Jordan Henderson suggests that he adheres to this theory to some extent.

So ‘not enough’ is certainly not everything for Elliott, Bajčetić and Carvalho. But for their sake, as well as that of the team, it’s not outrageous to suggest that Liverpool need to strengthen themselves in the transfer market to the point where there will be less reliance on the former pair, perhaps paving the way for a loan deal for Carvalho. also punish. Fixing the midfield would instantly solve a whole host of problems for Klopp, and this is just another example.