Topic: Squad depth and rotation

[Too early for flapjacks?]

Does anyone see the CL dead rubber as chance to flex our squad and build more depth and rotation options:

we should look at the positives and we can still put out a half decent Liverpool team: offer kids and squad players a chance to prove themselves.
 Jones, N Williams, R Williams, squad players - Minamino, Origi, Tsimikas, Kelleher.
What about the other kids Jaros, Cain,Clarkson - do they get a chance for this match?

Are there others close to team match fitness  and need a 45 min or 30 min run out then they get a bench role. E.g. Trent - Ox?
Bobby may need some more match rhythm - so do we start him? 

Any others that deserve a chance ?

I think anyone who plays against Wolves should be left at home. I wouldn’t take Kelleher as conceding a few goals as part of a weakened team isn’t going to be great for his confidence if we need him for Fulham. Sounds like Trent, Keïta and Ox aren’t far off returning to training so they might get 45 mins each. Looking at our squad listed on the UEFA website maybe something like this:

Injured: Alisson, van Dijk, Gomez, Trent, Thiago, Milner, Keïta, Ox, Shaqiri

Leave at home if possible: Kelleher, Robertson, Neco Williams, Fabinho, Matip, Wijnaldum, Curtis Jones, Henderson, Mané, Salah, Jota, Firmino

Bulk of squad for Midtjylland: Adrián, Jaros, Tsimikas, Rhys Williams, Billy Koumetio, Yasser Larouci, Elijah Dixon-Bonner, Jake Cain, Leighton Clarkson, Luis Longstaff, Paul Glatzel, Minamino, Origi, Liam Millar, Layton Stewart

[exiledintheUSA]

Does anyone see the CL dead rubber as chance to flex our squad and build more depth and rotation options:

we should look at the positives and we can still put out a half decent Liverpool team: offer kids and squad players a chance to prove themselves.
 Jones, N Williams, R Williams, squad players - Minamino, Origi, Tsimikas, Kelleher.
What about the other kids Jaros, Cain,Clarkson - do they get a chance for this match?

Are there others close to team match fitness  and need a 45 min or 30 min run out then they get a bench role. E.g. Trent - Ox?
Bobby may need some more match rhythm - so do we start him? 

Any others that deserve a chance ?

Klopp has always maintained that first team appearance's are not given out like candy - but in this instance and the chance for a majority of the current first team to have a week gap between games - he should be Willy Wonka.

[dutchkop]

I think anyone who plays against Wolves should be left at home. I wouldn’t take Kelleher as conceding a few goals as part of a weakened team isn’t going to be great for his confidence if we need him for Fulham. Sounds like Trent, Keïta and Ox aren’t far off returning to training so they might get 45 mins each. Looking at our squad listed on the UEFA website maybe something like this:

Injured: Alisson, van Dijk, Gomez, Trent, Thiago, Milner, Keïta, Ox, Shaqiri

Leave at home if possible: Kelleher, Robertson, Neco Williams, Fabinho, Matip, Wijnaldum, Curtis Jones, Henderson, Mané, Salah, Jota, Firmino

Bulk of squad for Midtjylland: Adrián, Jaros, Tsimikas, Rhys Williams, Billy Koumetio, Yasser Larouci, Elijah Dixon-Bonner, Jake Cain, Leighton Clarkson, Luis Longstaff, Paul Glatzel, Minamino, Origi, Liam Millar, Layton Stewart

   some great options there - thanks!

[dutchkop]

First things first, most or all of the 11-14 involved on Sunday should be left off the plane if possible and at the least won't be starting the game.

Exception perhaps if Tsimikas starts on Sunday we might want to give him another run out. Same with Kelleher but it'd be a good opportunity for Jaros or play Adrian.

Minamino and Origi will start i'd imagine and perhaps a youngster like Miller or Clarkson up front. Shaq or Keita to get minutes possibly if returning, maybe even Trent for 20-30 minutes off the bench or a half.

Cain and Clarkson will probably play.

We will see how many Klopp rests and how many he plays. I suppose we should expect a lot a of kids - and a few of the first teamers coming back from injury that need game time. I am interested to see how many of the squad players are on the plane - I do think Klopp needs to test some of the kids and I am very interested to see how this can add to our strength and depth

[Ghost Town]

I'd have thought Kelleher would benefit from the extra game time. It's unlikley he's going to get injured, and the game will give him extra minutes without pressure, a chance to work on more aspects of his game in a real match situation but with nothing riding on it. Pure development.

[Wengerpresser101]

This has very little to do with the medical department. When players get injured, they play their role in advising on the speediest track to as complete a recovery as possible.

With regard to the prevention of injuries, at the end of the day the medical staff will assess players to see if they have any injuries or knocks that preclude training and game selection. Without a doubt they would have asked for greater rest between games, but they also have to work with the circumstances that we have been dealt which is that the players only get 3-4 days rest between games if they are lucky.

It's not like a computer game where if you hire a staff member with 96 skill, then you can reduce injuries by 10% Medical matters are far more complicated and nuanced than that.

I think the quality of the staff have an impact on player's fitness too. I mean, that's why Klopp hired nutritionist (Mona) and fitness coach (Kornmayer), to improve our player's fitness.

Interesting about the circumstances factor of course, to use the computer game analogy, even if you hire a staff member with 20/20 physiotherapy skill etc, if you get a player to play a game every 3-4 days, their risk of injuries go up too.

So yeh I wonder how much the percentage is due to our medical department competence (seeing as we have had some staff leave), and how much the percentage is down to the jam packed fixtures and not (being able to) rotate enough resulting in fatigue.

According to this article there has been a 42 percent increase in injuries this season across the league.
https://theathletic.com/news/premier-league-injury-updates-latest/LnlJvn9gPLL5

Deffo agree that Wolves attendees shouldn't play against Midgetland due to the aforementioned factor.

[Vinay]

So who starts in goals against the Wolves this week-end?

[Ghost Town]

So who starts in goals against the Wolves this week-end?

Kelleher. He's hardly played and Ali will be back soon. Not only can Caoimhín play Sunday and Wednesday, but it will be good for his development, too, especially as the latter is a no pressure game. We're expecting Ali back after that, right?

[Mr Benn please?]

First things first, most or all of the 11-14 involved on Sunday should be left off the plane if possible and at the least won't be starting the game.

Exception perhaps if Tsimikas starts on Sunday we might want to give him another run out. Same with Kelleher but it'd be a good opportunity for Jaros or play Adrian.

Minamino and Origi will start i'd imagine and perhaps a youngster like Miller or Clarkson up front. Shaq or Keita to get minutes possibly if returning, maybe even Trent for 20-30 minutes off the bench or a half.

Cain and Clarkson will probably play.

Never heard of Jaros before. Is he the Brazilian keeper we signed over the summer?

[Welshred]

Never heard of Jaros before. Is he the Brazilian keeper we signed over the summer?

No, he's a 19 year old Czech goalkeeper, been with us a few years now I think

[Sangria]

Kelleher. He's hardly played and Ali will be back soon. Not only can Caoimhín play Sunday and Wednesday, but it will be good for his development, too, especially as the latter is a no pressure game. We're expecting Ali back after that, right?

How do you pronounce Ali?

[Ghost Town]

How do you pronounce Ali?

Ali

[macmanamanaman]

How do you pronounce Ali?

Muhamed

[Sinyoro]

I think anyone who plays against Wolves should be left at home. I wouldn’t take Kelleher as conceding a few goals as part of a weakened team isn’t going to be great for his confidence if we need him for Fulham. Sounds like Trent, Keïta and Ox aren’t far off returning to training so they might get 45 mins each. Looking at our squad listed on the UEFA website maybe something like this:

Injured: Alisson, van Dijk, Gomez, Trent, Thiago, Milner, Keïta, Ox, Shaqiri

Leave at home if possible: Kelleher, Robertson, Neco Williams, Fabinho, Matip, Wijnaldum, Curtis Jones, Henderson, Mané, Salah, Jota, Firmino

Bulk of squad for Midtjylland: Adrián, Jaros, Tsimikas, Rhys Williams, Billy Koumetio, Yasser Larouci, Elijah Dixon-Bonner, Jake Cain, Leighton Clarkson, Luis Longstaff, Paul Glatzel, Minamino, Origi, Liam Millar, Layton Stewart

Injured

[Mr Benn please?]

No, he's a 19 year old Czech goalkeeper, been with us a few years now I think

Ah, ok thanks. We seem to have a few keepers at present. In that case he should play against the Danes. Or Adrian. If Kellaher's likely to be in the squad v Fulham he should be rested. I don't think anyone likely to be involved v  Fulham should be going to Denmark. Wrap 'em all up in cotton wool and give them a few days off.

[Ghost Town]

Ah, ok thanks. We seem to have a few keepers at present. In that case he should play against the Danes. Or Adrian. If Kellaher's likely to be in the squad v Fulham he should be rested. I don't think anyone likely to be involved v  Fulham should be going to Denmark. Wrap 'em all up in cotton wool and give them a few days off.

Why? He's played one game

Honestly it's like a tic with some of you; a player plays a game or two, immediate calls for rest. He's barely played at match level and he's a keeper, not a pacy winger. And on the off chance that Alisson gets more injuries down the line, Kelleher needs as much real match practice as possible.

[Mr Benn please?]

Why? He's played one game

Honestly it's like a tic with some of you; a player plays a game or two, immediate calls for rest. He's barely played at match level and he's a keeper, not a pacy winger. And on the off chance that Alisson gets more injuries down the line, Kelleher needs as much real match practice as possible.

Didn't word that very well. I don't mean he needs a rest. Clearly he doesn't. What I meant was that no one likely to be in the squad v Fulham should be going to Denmark. Partly because it would minimise the risk of them getting injured in a match which has happened a lot of late, but also because it would probably benefit the whole squad to have a week together to prepare for the next match. Play the kids in Denmark. Will be a great experience for them.

[Suareznumber7]

This may be the only time I would agree with something like not sending anyone who is going to play at the weekend to the CL game.  And, the only reason is Covid.  No need to take even the slightest chance to increase potential exposure. 

[farawayred]

Muhamed

Cassius

[Sangria]

Ah, ok thanks. We seem to have a few keepers at present. In that case he should play against the Danes. Or Adrian.

I don't think Kelleher should be playing against Adrian.

[GreatEx]

Why? He's played one game

Honestly it's like a tic with some of you; a player plays a game or two, immediate calls for rest. He's barely played at match level and he's a keeper, not a pacy winger. And on the off chance that Alisson gets more injuries down the line, Kelleher needs as much real match practice as possible.

Agreed. And hell, if we are unlucky enough to suffer a Kelleher injury, then Adrian will step up for the next PL game, not the end of the world. The reward outweighs the risk by a mile.

[royhendo]

It’s nice when you’re forced to dip into the reserves and discover that you’ve got the league’s 2nd best keeper and the second coming of Souness in reserve eh?

Can’t help feeling we’re a Tsimikas away from the perfect skwahd.

[rawcusk8]

Mass rotation against Midgetland. I would go as far as giving Klopp the night off and letting Pep run the show. Can imagine the media would have their pitchforks if we ever did that. There are plenty of first teamers that could do with the rest. In terms of returning injured players, hopefully in the next week or so we’ll have Millie, Shaq and Ox back in training.

[PoetryInMotion]

It’s nice when you’re forced to dip into the reserves and discover that you’ve got the league’s 2nd best keeper and the second coming of Souness in reserve eh?

Can’t help feeling we’re a Tsimikas away from the perfect skwahd.

Ideally, we get another promising CB in January and sell Nat Phillips to a decent PL team coming summer when we get Van Dijk and Gomez back. With Kelleher, Jones, Neco and Rhys Williams stepping up I think we're complete with just that one more CB.

[Fromola]

Mass rotation against Midgetland. I would go as far as giving Klopp the night off and letting Pep run the show. Can imagine the media would have their pitchforks if we ever did that. There are plenty of first teamers that could do with the rest. In terms of returning injured players, hopefully in the next week or so we’ll have Millie, Shaq and Ox back in training.

Would make sense, but I don't think Klopp would entertain that on principle.

The Shrewsbury replay was a one off perfect storm and obviously he couldn't possibly have took charge of the Villa game.

[Suareznumber7]

Would make sense, but I don't think Klopp would entertain that on principle.

The Shrewsbury replay was a one off perfect storm and obviously he couldn't possibly have took charge of the Villa game.

I'm all for 10 or 11 changes with everyone with the exception of Naby and TAA staying home so they can get some fitness in but Klopp definitely needs to be there if nothing else to make sure the squad players that will be playing know that they are valuable. 

[Fromola]

I'm all for 10 or 11 changes with everyone with the exception of Naby and TAA staying home so they can get some fitness in but Klopp definitely needs to be there if nothing else to make sure the squad players that will be playing know that they are valuable.

And that's the main principle of it. There'll be first team players involved. The first team were off on their winter break when the Shrewsbury game was penciled in, so the principle for that was to play the kids and with their coach.

[Welshred]

It'll be a mix of first teamers and youngsters for this and Fulham I'm sure, managing minutes for all of them to go full pelt at Spurs next week. 5 subs on Wednesday makes it easier as well.

[Gnurglan]

We really need to remember this period for the future. The number of games we expect our best to play, the size of the squad etc. We are a few goals off first, we have faced lots of top teams and it's all during a severe injury crisis.

With so many first team regulars out injured we have seen the likes of Kelleher, R. Williams, Phillips, N. Williams and Jones. And how have they played? Overall I think they have been fantastic. Some of that is down to the quality they possess, but there is also an element of design in it. We have chosen to keep our best young players close to the first team. If/When there's an injury we expect them to play a role. We don't keep a few extra senior players just in case. We get the young ones involved.

[AmanShah21]

Is there any news on thiago? Klopp ruled him out until wolves but anything since then?

[redwillow]

Is there any news on thiago? Klopp ruled him out until wolves but anything since then?

There is a rumour (Twitter) that he has tested positive and thats why the club said a couple weeks. Sort of explains why he was sat on his own at Anfield but contradicts by the fact surely he wouldnt be allowed in Anfield...

[Crosby Nick]

There is a rumour (Twitter) that he has tested positive and thats why the club said a couple weeks. Sort of explains why he was sat on his own at Anfield but contradicts by the fact surely he wouldnt be allowed in Anfield...

Must be a shit rumour as he had it back in September didn’t he?

[Dazzer23]

Must be a shit rumour as he had it back in September didn’t he?

Yes he did.

[Barrow Shaun]

I'm not so sure about this now. In the other (match preview) thread I added Keita, Jones and Jota because 2 of them need more minutes (well specifically Keita, but Jota was on the bench Sunday and only played 20 mins or so) and one is fit and young (Jones - I wouldn't be worried about him, and you could say the same for Kelleher even.) I suppose we could add TAA to the squad for the same reason as Keita.
BUT I suppose it all depends on their conversations in training doesn't it. Even if Klopp might want to play a completely 2nd string/youthful 11, he might have a senior player or two really wanting to play. It is an away CL game after all, another one to add to your career list.

[jckliew]

It feels like though we have a squad. Some of the players are so injury prone, its not even worth considering them part of the squad eg Kieta, Matip. and Ox.

[Fordy]

It feels like though we have a squad. Some of the players are so injury prone, its not even worth considering them part of the squad eg Kieta, Matip. and Ox.

Ox is a bit unfair don't you think?

[jckliew]

Ox is a bit unfair don't you think?

He has been injured quite a bit since he joined? 

[farawayred]

I know it's hard to put time on this, but when is Gomez expected back? April?

[afc tukrish]

He has been injured quite a bit since he joined? 

Yes, but Fordy's underlying implication is that Ox's injuries are serious, legitimate ones, as opposed to Keita's and Matip's...

[macmanamanaman]

"He felt a muscle"

I am getting used to this line.
But I am pissed off that I am never given a chance to be part of the Liverpool team.
I NEVER feel a muscle. In fact, I have taken extreme measures to avoid muscle altogether and mostly focus on acumulating more fat on my body, as a precaution.
Pick me, Jurgen. I am Mr Dependable, and I promise NEVER to feel my (non existent) muscles.