Klopp could have his preferred back five together during the international break, and even if one or two may be wounded, he might find time to work on one or two areas ahead of another crucial period.
Adam Lallana is not the only Liverpool man to miss out on international duty with England over the next week or so, with Nathaniel Clyne sitting things out because of a persistent knee problem that he has been playing with in recent weeks, as reported by the Liverpool Echo among other outlets.
Dejan Lovren also has a groin problem after the Swansea City win, but Reds manager Jurgen Klopp admitted to reporters after the game that he would hope they were fit enough to feature in the huge clash that follows the international break – when Liverpool host Manchester United at Anfield.
What seems to be the way with Klopp is that his players need to be in training throughout the week ahead of a match if they are to play a full 90 minutes.
There has been no mention of the severity of Clyne’s knee problem, which would lead many to think that missing England duty is more precautionary than anything. He is the Reds’ only recognised right-back and they need him to be available for every game.
Assuming that Loris Karius retains his place in goal for the clash with Jose Mourinho’s side in two weeks’ time, Klopp has his preferred back five with him at Melwood during the break. Milner announced his retirement from international football at the start of Sam Allardyce’s brief England reign while Joel Matip has not featured for Cameroon for over a year.
It has been well documented that Liverpool have yet to keep a clean sheet in the Premier League this season, despite a start that has yielded 16 points from their opening seven games. While they are firing in the final third, and there have been some impressive individual performances at times from those at the back, as a unit they have yet to produce a shut-out.
Of course, if there are injuries to players then Klopp’s time with them on the training ground is going to be limited, but the Liverpool boss has an opportunity to get the five players analysing their game and where they could improve to ensure some solidity going forward as a unit, rather than individually. There could be some positional work undertaken that does not compromise their fitness, too.
One of the performances in the very early part of Klopp’s reign last season was the 4-1 win over Manchester City, where it was suggested that Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho’s omission from the Brazilian national side gave Klopp time to work on the training ground on things ahead of the City clash. The duo were influential as the Reds tore into Manchester City’s men.
It is worth noting that the back five have only played together the once so far this season. If this is going to be Klopp’s preferred back five for most of the season, then it’s probably for the best to this international break wisely in order to get as much of an understanding as possible.
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