Jurgen Klopp Faces Familiar Selection Challenge Ahead of Derby with Everton

Jurgen Klopp has become accustomed to the selection headaches that come with international breaks, and this time is no different. As Liverpool prepares to face Everton in the Premier League on Saturday at 12.30 pm, Klopp faces a combination of injuries, suspensions, and late returns, making his task of choosing the right squad a tricky one.

This marks the 13th early kick-off for the Reds during Klopp’s tenure, a number set to increase further with the upcoming fixture against Manchester City next month. In fact, Liverpool will have participated in six of the last eight 12.30 pm kick-offs following international breaks, matching the total of the next club over a period of more than eight years.

Yet, regardless of the challenges Klopp must tackle in the coming week, they won’t compare to the decisions that had to be made for the game that initiated this sequence of early starts two years ago today.

Liverpool traveled to Watford, not only contending with an early post-international break fixture but also navigating the implications of coronavirus travel restrictions as the world adjusted to life after the pandemic. South American national teams played three times in eight days due to the need to catch up on World Cup qualifiers, with the final game taking place just 36 hours before Liverpool was set to play at Vicarage Road.

Liverpool requested the game to be rescheduled for 7.45 pm, a request Watford declined. The Premier League, however, took no action, and quarantine rules compelled Liverpool to send Brazilian duo Alisson Becker and Fabinho directly to Spain to prepare for the Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid the following midweek. Notably, Atletico had their La Liga game postponed that weekend by the authorities, similar to Liverpool’s situation.

Liverpool persevered, with Roberto Firmino scoring a hat-trick, Sadio Mane adding to the tally, and Mohamed Salah delivering a goal-of-the-season contender in a 5-0 victory. Caoimhin Kelleher, making only his third Premier League start in place of the absent Alisson, had little to do in terms of saves.

Interestingly, the line-up from that afternoon differs significantly from the one expected to begin at Anfield for the 243rd Merseyside derby next weekend. Kelleher is injured, and five of the starting XI, including Mane, Firmino, James Milner, Naby Keita, and Jordan Henderson, have left the club. It’s also anticipated that Andy Robertson will be missing due to a shoulder dislocation suffered while playing for Scotland. Even among the nine substitutes, four have departed, and of the duo sent to Spain, Fabinho has also moved on.

Consequently, there will likely be only four starters from that day in Watford – Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Joel Matip – who will feature against Everton. Ibrahima Konate, Joe Gomez, Kostas Tsimikas, Diogo Jota, who were on the bench at Vicarage Road, will also be in contention.

This serves as a reminder that while the personnel changes, the challenges posed to Liverpool and Klopp by the fixture scheduling remain very much the same.