A few weeks back, it seemed Liverpool fans were finally on the brink of seeing Jurgen Klopp field his preferred starting lineup, but once again, the club is grappling with distressing injury updates.
The Reds had been eagerly anticipating the return of Mohamed Salah, among others, in time for the Carabao Cup final, along with three other significant contests to be contested before season’s end, including the coveted Premier League title.
Liverpool faces a daunting task in fending off Manchester City, who are now hot on their heels at the summit of the table. This challenge has been compounded by the recent developments emanating from Anfield.
Just as the talismanic Trent Alexander-Arnold had made his comeback from a knee injury sustained against Arsenal in the FA Cup, news broke this week that the 25-year-old would be sidelined for the Carabao Cup final due to a recurrence of the same knee issue that kept him out for a fortnight in January.
There are now lingering doubts surrounding Klopp and his coaching staff regarding how three players returning from injury could suffer setbacks so swiftly, with two of them experiencing the exact same setback.
Concerns about the extent of injury woes plaguing Anfield have persisted since the early days of Klopp’s tenure. Critics have noted that his high-intensity “gegenpressing” style places added strain on players, potentially leading to burnout in the long term.
In Klopp’s inaugural season, he faced scrutiny for his approach. Liverpool legend Graeme Souness publicly criticized him following a match against Stoke in January 2016, during which three players were sidelined due to injury.
Souness remarked, “It’s a difficult balance coming in after 11 games to push the players when they’re playing two, maybe three games a week, weekend, midweek, weekend. I think it’s a hard thing, a big ask to do that and not suffer the problems they’ve suffered.”
Acknowledging the concerns, Klopp admitted that adjustments to training methods might be necessary to ensure player fitness. “Maybe we would have to change our training methods,” he conceded. “I am responsible certainly.”
The situation reached a surreal low point in the 2020-21 season when Klopp struggled to field a fit center-back, highlighting the depth of Liverpool’s injury woes.