Liverpool’s point gained against Manchester City came with a massive loss, as Jurgen Klopp watched another defender exit the match for an early shower.
Trent Alexander-Arnold is the latest player to fall victim to the injury bug that has undoubtedly and unfavourably plagued Liverpool in their title-defending campaign. After watching Joel Matip return to action and complete a full 90 minutes of football, the manager watched his star provider wobble off after the 63rd minute of the game.
A well-contested and hard-fought point was collected by the two title favourites, Manchester City and Liverpool. A penalty in the first half scored by Mohamed Salah gave the travelling side the lead, with City responding soon after going down. The only two goals were 18 minutes apart from each other.
A Kevin de Bruyne signature pass to Gabriel Jesus, who fantastically turned Trent into a new person and took him out of the game, levelling the score. After the two goals in the first half scored on either of the pitch pass Edison and Alisson, nothing big really transpired.
A couple of chances befell on both powerhouses but nothing worth tackling in detail as they all went begging and the final score read 1-1. High flying in the first 25 minutes then died out, as both didn’t want to lose more than a couple of points when they reached the dying minutes of the encounter.
The biggest talking points in this one is unsurprisingly VAR decisions and Liverpool losing Trent Alexander-Arnold to short-long a spell on the sideline. As per reports, the England international who was forced to remove himself from the national side is set to be sidelined for four weeks with a calf injury.
More from Liverpool FC
- “Dreadful” Liverpool defender was shunned for being “miles off” vs Wolves
- Liverpool: Jurgen Klopp’s agent FINALLY addresses rumours he’ll leave
- Liverpool will rival Manchester City for colossal Premier League defender
- Liverpool are advancing in talks to extend the contract of “top professional”
- Liverpool lose captain for a further game after ban extended for “abusive” language
"The Reds right-back is expected to miss around a month of football after picking up a calf injury, but is currently enjoying some time off due to the international break.Jurgen Klopp confirmed the England man would miss the national team’s triple header in mid November. He will step up his rehabilitation at Liverpool’s brand new AXA Training Centre next week as he sets his sights on a swift return to action."
Not the worst news but bad news which is also unwelcomed news. Arnold becomes one of many players to pick up an injury this season. For a team that barely suffers significant injuries for long periods of time, they are certainly finding it hard to cope with this demanding and crammed fixture list.
Joe Matip, who recently returned, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita (another recent re-entry), Thiago Alcantara, Virgil van Dijk, and Fabinho, have all had issues this season, keeping them out of action for important spells while they fight to keep their English crown and gain other silverware in the process.
Thankfully, losing Trent for about a month could go unpunished. Yes, there will unmistakably be a glitch in their attack without the sweet delivery right-back but they will have the service of Fabinho at hand as he recovers from his injury setback sustained in their Champions League victory against Midtjylland.
Jurgen Klopp, with this latest tissue—Trent issue, will be forced to adjust his tactics again. Having to fit his four attackers consisting of Diogo Jota, Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, has already caused the manager sleepless nights. Having no VVD and a couple of none senior CB’s for selection has too aided in bad nights for Klopp.
Will they call on the always reliable James Milner? Will they shift to a back three considering Matip and Gomez formed a splendid partnership and should not be replaced? Or will the young Nico Williams come in and state his case as the next fullback wonder to come out of Liverpool’s ranks?
"Scans have since taken place and Liverpool look set to be without the midfielder, who has been performing well as an emergency centre-back for the Reds, until after the international break.Klopp has confirmed that Fabinho should be fine to return after the international break. (Via: liverpoolecho.co.uk)"
With all this risky business arriving at the back for Liverpool as they take on the league with a bit of a limp, transfers for some cover/competition with first-team quality must be a strong consideration for the Reds. They’d be silly and naive to go the next half without another senior centre back.