A look at how Liverpool may line up when they entertain Chelsea on the other side of the international break later this month
Arne Slot will have his fingers crossed for the best part of a fortnight now as his Liverpool players are whisked off for international duty and into the care of their respective nations. September’s break coincided with a foot fracture for Harvey Elliott while on duty with England’s Under-21s and players picking up issues while turning out for their countries is not an entirely new problem at Anfield.
So some trepidation will be understandable for Slot and his backroom staff, particularly given the huge games that await the Premier League leaders later this month.
Looking at what sort of team Slot may field on the other side of the break, at home to Chelsea on October 20, is a difficult one just now, but it is safe to assume Alisson Becker will miss out after a hamstring issue at Crystal Palace on Saturday.
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Caoimhin Kelleher missed the game at Palace through illness but will return to deputise once more for Alisson, meaning Vitezslav Jaros will keep his place on the substitutes’ bench after his Premier League debut at the weekend. Kelleher is widely regarded as one of the finest back-ups in the top flight, so the Ireland international is the obvious candidate while Alisson recovers.
All being well, Slot will be able to name his strongest back four and Scotland captain Andy Robertson is expected to return for Kostas Tsimikas as a result.
Liverpool have the best defence in the league presently, with just two goals conceded from the opening seven games, and much of that has been down to having a settled, consistent back four of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk and Robertson. Even with Alisson sidelined, that line-up will give the Reds a strong platform to build from when Chelsea visit.
In midfield, Ryan Gravenberch remains one of the first names on the team sheet. The Netherlands international has been outstanding this season, with Slot keen to detail exactly why he is flourishing in a deeper role since he took over from Jurgen Klopp in the summer.
“Ryan has certain characteristics to play in that position and one is that he is really comfortable with the ball and he knows what to do, so he is really good with his one and two-touch passes,” Slot said. “But he is also comfortable turning away from his man to create overloads.
“And apart from that, I think the main thing for people probably – because you make highlights of him – you are showing mainly his offensive work. He can run, he is strong in duels and the positive for him in this position, if plays higher people talk about goals and assists and that he needs to do more but in this [deeper] positions that is not why we play him.”
Expect Gravenberch to start when Enzo Maresca’s side visit but what happens with Alexis Mac Allister will now be intriguing. The Sunday afternoon slot for the game means the Argentina international will get an extra day to recover from his South American exploits, with the world champions set to play Venezuela and Bolivia. That, of course, is if he is permitted to play in those World Cup qualifiers.
Mac Allister was withdrawn with a suspected groin injury at Palace on Saturday, giving Slot another fitness concern, but the Reds midfielder’s social-media update later that day did at least suggest it is not a serious one. He posted: “I felt a slight discomfort during the game, but nothing that will stop me. Now fully focused on what’s ahead.”
If Alisson’s absence is anticipated, Mac Allister’s situation is less clear, with Slot saying after Saturday’s game: “How bad it is, that’s difficult for me to judge at this moment. He could have continued playing as you saw because it didn’t happen one second before half-time.
“But he felt it a bit too much and said he doesn’t think it’s too good to keep on playing because you never know, he might make it worse. What is the exact situation – can he go to Argentina, can he go and play over there? That’s difficult for me to tell you now. His injury is in the groin area.”
Should Mac Allister be ruled out then Curtis Jones is the leading replacement, although Wataru Endo earned some praise for his cameo late on at Selhurst Park.
It will be interesting to see how far along Elliott is in his own recovery during the break. The midfielder had targeted a comeback for the Chelsea game but there has been no further update since. Dominik Szoboszlai is expected to start at Anfield, should the Hungary captain come through unscathed during the break.
Up top, Mohamed Salah will be stationed on the right side, all being well, but Slot has a welcome dilemma on the left after Cody Gakpo continued his impressive early-season form on Saturday. The Dutchman claimed an assist for Diogo Jota with a low ball into the box and justified his selection ahead of Luis Diaz, who himself has been superb in the opening six weeks or so. Slot has an embarrassment of riches up top.
Jota may keep his place after his winning goal at Palace. Darwin Nunez started in the 2-0 win over Bologna on Wednesday but Jota has now scored four goals in all competitions and has been involved in 13 in his last 14 Premier League starts with eight goals and five assists.
Keeping the No.20 fit is vitally important. Federico Chiesa should be cleared to return but the Italy international may be targeting his next significant outing to be at Brighton in the Carabao Cup later this month.
