If all the eggs are having to be placed into the one basket for Liverpool just now then you would argue the Premier League still supersedes the Europa League.
Sunday’s 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace might have handed the initiative to Manchester City, who now hold a two-point advantage over both the Reds and Arsenal, but it is far from insurmountable with six games left to negotiate.
That fact will colour the team selection for Thursday’s Europa League quarter-final return leg with Atalanta in Italy as Jurgen Klopp’s side go in search of a(nother) famous European fightback on the manager’s watch.
Liverpool scored five times without reply on their most recent visit to Bergamo four years ago and with a place in the semi-final at stake, there will be no throwing in of the towel just yet. Not for a coach who already has Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona on his list of teams conquered via comebacks.
That being said, the precarious nature of the title challenge means this is a particularly delicate one for Klopp to try and get right, particularly given the lack of form of so many of his key men just now.
As Liverpool’s most creative outlet, Trent-Alexander Arnold will be needed in a game where the Reds need three goals just to force extra time. And while the defender has been absent for most of the calendar year with injury issues, this feels like a good time to hoist him back into the thick of it.
One or two passes from that gifted right peg might just be enough to unlock the Serie A side and with Conor Bradley likely to be sidelined anyway through injury, this one is a no-brainer.
Ibrahima Konate has endured something of a nightmare since his own comeback from the injury he picked up against Sparta Prague in Czechia and Jarell Quansah offers Klopp an alternative alongside Virgil van Dijk while the issue at left-back remains pressing.
Joe Gomez has generally had a fine season but the return of Andy Robertson affords Klopp some more natural width and balance in that area of the pitch and, in full fairness to the Scotland captain, he was perhaps the only player whose levels didn’t dip against Palace at the weekend.
In midfield, it’s a combination Klopp must mull over with considerable thought. Wataru Endo looks out of sorts, while Alexis Mac Allister might be suffering from fatigue given the reliance on him this term. The Argentina international has played 39 of 51 games this term but might be asked to dig deep once more in Italy.
Dominik Szoboszlai, whose excellent early-season form has tailed off in recent weeks, is another who a lot has been demanded of but he remains in contention alongside Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott. Ryan Gravenberch feels like he would represent more of a gamble at this stage, however, that is not doing the Netherlands Under-21 star a disservice.
Up top, Klopp has his five-man frontline available to him for the three designated spots and while that quintet have registered 82 goals between them, few have come of late. This feels like an opportune time to recall Diogo Jota to try and shake off some of the rust that accumulated during his two-month absence after the victory against Brentford in mid-February.
A fully-fit Jota can still contribute hugely but he must start somewhere. Mohamed Salah is likely to get the nod, while the left-hand side may yet be a three-man shootout between Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo, who has been a rare bright spot over the last two games.
Might Netherlands international Gakpo be rewarded with a show of faith in Italy? Nunez could be a game-changer from the bench if Jota is preferred through the centre. As ever, it’s decisions, decisions for Klopp.
