As the football world gears up for one of the most anticipated matches of the Premier League season, Liverpool’s preparations have been marred by a growing list of injuries.
Jurgen Klopp’s squad is set to face Manchester City on Sunday, 10 March, without several key players, presenting a significant challenge for the Reds as they aim to secure a vital win against their title rivals.
Critical absences in the Liverpool squad
The injury woes for Liverpool have reached a critical point with a total of nine players confirmed to be absent for the upcoming clash against Manchester City. The sidelined players and their expected return dates* are as follows:
Trent Alexander-Arnold – April. The reason why Liverpool were able to rescue a point against City in November, the 25-year-old is a huge miss. Conor Bradley has been fantastic at right back but facing Pep Guardiola’s side is a lot more daunting than anything he’s delt with so far.
Ryan Gravenberch – April. After Moises Caicedo tackle on him in the Carabao Cup final saw him leave Wembley on a stretcher, the Dutchman is a confirmed absentee for Liverpool this month.
Alisson Becker – April. After Pep Lijnders said the injury as one that will” really take time” to heal. As the best goalkeeper on the planet, the Brazilian is a massive miss. Fortunaely, Caoimhin Kelleher is a superb backup – van Dijk reckons he’s world class.
Curtis Jones – April. A another midfield option, is sidelined until April, further limiting Klopp’s choices in the centre of the park. The 23-year-old has been simply fantastic this season and will be a major miss at Anfield on Sunday.
Diogo Jota and Stefan Bajcetic – Unknown. Both players are very seriously injured and the club is not currently putting a date on their injury returns.
Joel Matip, Thiago Alcantara, and Ben Doak have been ruled out for the rest of the season, removing key defensive, midfield, and attacking options from Klopp’s arsenal.
*Injury timelines from the London Evening Standard.
The impact on Liverpool’s strategy
With such significant absences, particularly in defence and midfield, Klopp will have to delve deep into his squad to find viable solutions.
The absence of Alisson Becker poses a particularly difficult challenge even if Kelleher is a very able backup. Given how many attacks the Reds will have to weather, hopefully his absence won’t be too costly.
The midfield void left by Thiago Alcantara, Ryan Gravenberch, and Curtis Jones will require strategic adjustments. Liverpool will need to rely more heavily on their remaining midfielders to control the game’s tempo and disrupt City’s rhythm.
Defensively, the absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joel Matip will test Liverpool’s backline resilience. Ibrahima Konate has been incredible lately so, alongside Virgil van Dijk, that area of the pitch is in very safe hands.
Jurgen Klopp will be desperate to avoid more injuries as Europa League campaign gets back underway
As Liverpool faces this injury crisis, the depth of their squad will be put to the test.
Players who have had fewer opportunities this season will need to step up and deliver performances in Europe with Klopp likely to play a weaker than expected side to deal with the fixture congestion.
Jurgen Klopp has faced challenges before, but navigating this spate of injuries against a team of Manchester City’s calibre is a daunting task. It will require tactical ingenuity, player resilience, and perhaps a bit of luck for Liverpool to emerge this week with a squad ready to face the champions.
As Sunday approaches, all eyes will be on Klopp’s lineup and how he plans to tackle the absence of key players.
It’s a significant moment in Liverpool’s season, and their response to this adversity could define their remainder of the season.
