Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp got away with one in midweek.
The Reds kicked off their Champions League campaign with a big test as AC Milan visited Anfield on Wednesday.
But Klopp made a bit of a gamble by omitting Virgil van Dijk from selection.
The German’s thinking was that because Van Dijk has played so much football already this season, having missed virtually all of last term with a knee injury, it made sense to give the big Dutchman a breather.
As a result, it was a tad shambolic from Liverpool defensively in Van Dijk’s absence, but Klopp’s side still ground out a 3-2 win nonetheless to kick off their campaign in enthralling fashion.
The visit of Crystal Palace this afternoon should, in theory, represent a less frenetic 90 minutes.
And the Liverpool boss has hinted that he’ll be recalling Van Dijk, telling the club’s website: “For the Milan game it worked really well [rotation], but it will not be that I now always do exactly that and say, ‘OK, Virgil is not ready to play for that.’ But I think we are early in the season and it was the right thing to do.”
Is Van Dijk playing against Crystal Palace?
In a word, yes.
Klopp, who added that rotating Van Dijk would be a ‘short-term thing‘, knows how important the Netherlands international is.
On form, Van Dijk is one of the best central defenders in world football and remember, Palace hammered Spurs – who were top of the Premier League at the time – 3-0 at Selhurst Park last week.
Rotating is important, but so is ensuring that he stays match fit and sharp enough to play immediately when called upon.
It’s a balancing act and restoring him to the first XI against the Eagles is a certainty.
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