Liverpool’s victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers last month was a big moment for Jurgen Klopp — it ended a run of six games without a win for his team in 12.30pm kick-offs.
Klopp punched the air at the final whistle, looking like a man flooded with relief. Maybe his cheeriness stemmed, in part, from wondering whether that result had finally put to bed any more enquiries around why Liverpool struggle in that early Saturday slot, or more pertinently, why they are made to play in it so frequently.
That hope did not last long.
Liverpool once again find themselves playing at 12.30pm, this time against Everton at Anfield, after a double round of international fixtures and, just for good measure, they do it again against Manchester City after the November break.
That will take the tally of 12.30pm Saturday games following an international window under Klopp to 13 — more than double the number faced by any other top-flight club.
So when Klopp faces the cameras again later this week, expect more comments about the timing.
“Playing at that time is not a problem if it’s a normal week,” Klopp has said. “The only problem is the lack of recovery time.”
But what can Liverpool learn from their (largely negative) experiences in the past?
The big questions revolve around his use of his outfield South American contingent and Wataru Endo, depending on how many minutes the Japanese midfielder gets in the friendly with Tunisia today.
Klopp made the sensible decision to put Colombia’s Luis Diaz and Uruguay’s Darwin Nunez on the bench at Wolves last month but put his faith in Alexis Mac Allister being able to handle a third game in quick succession after a taxing trip to Argentina.
That call backfired: Mac Allister was withdrawn at half-time after an unusually leggy display (he was replaced by Diaz), part of a series of changes made in midfield once Liverpool had equalised.
Mac Allister was not alone in being well off the pace in that first period at Molineux, which probably counts as Liverpool’s worst half in this season’s Premier League. That will be on Klopp’s mind when he picks his team for the derby and he may well think twice about starting Mac Allister.
Alexis Mac Allister struggled at Wolves (Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)
Liverpool do have a little more breathing space before Everton as Saturday’s game is at Anfield, meaning no travelling, but the recovery time is still short as some of the players will not return to training until Friday. Klopp’s sports science department are sure to be a key element in discussions between now and Saturday.
This is how Klopp’s outfield departments have been affected in this international break so far.
Liverpool fans: Tell us what you feel about Everton
Defence
Liverpool have already been dealt a blow with the injury to left-back Andy Robertson. A timeframe has not yet been put on his absence but a shoulder dislocation leaves him facing the likelihood of a few weeks on the sidelines.
Kostas Tsimikas is expected to step up to replace him, although he has been busy with Greece, playing against the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands.
Most other members of Klopp’s back line were involved in matches for their countries. Trent Alexander-Arnold played 90 minutes for England against Australia and could face Italy on Tuesday, and Virgil van Dijk also played the whole of the Netherlands’ game against France last Friday and was in the starting line-up against Greece on Monday.
Ibrahima Konate, meanwhile, played 90 minutes for France in that game against the Dutch and will be considered for Tuesday’s friendly with Scotland.
Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk met on international duty last week (John Thys/ AFP via Getty Images)
Joe Gomez and Joel Matip stayed back at Liverpool’s Kirkby training base and their fresh legs might make them plausible options for Klopp.
Midfield
Picking a fit and firing midfield is not as straightforward as it sounds, either.
The influential Curtis Jones is suspended and Thiago, Stefan Bajcetic and Cody Gakpo are all recovering from injury. Mac Allister and Endo will both need assessing at Kirkby after long trips to either side of the world with Argentina and Japan.
Harvey Elliott played the whole of England Under-21s’ 9-1 win over Serbia last Thursday and another 90 minutes in a 3-2 loss to Ukraine on Monday, while Dominik Szoboszlai — who played the full duration of Hungary’s 2-1 win over Serbia — is also likely to be fully involved against Lithuania on Tuesday.
Ryan Gravenberch — left out of the Netherlands’ senior and under-21 squads — would appear an obvious starter although his specific role has not yet been made clear at Liverpool. Early signs suggest he is not suited to that deeper No 6 role, so again Klopp may need to get creative.
Attack
Another area of the pitch where many Liverpool players will be feeling the effects of draining journeys as well as game time.
Diaz and Nunez played 90 minutes for their countries last week and are now preparing to play again in the early hours of Wednesday (UK time), meaning they will be among the contingent who do not arrive back on Merseyside until Friday.
Mohamed Salah, meanwhile, played 89 minutes as Egypt beat Zambia last Thursday and 90 minutes in Monday’s 1-1 draw with Algeria.
It means Diogo Jota, who came on as a very late substitute for Portugal against Slovakia on Friday and only played the last 24 minutes against Bosnia & Herzegovina on Monday, could emerge as a fresher option, particularly as he missed Liverpool’s most recent game away to Brighton through suspension.
(Top photos: Alexis Mac Allister, Diogo Jota, Ryan Gravenberch; Getty Images)
