Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders insists no-one is irreplaceable after influential full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold was ruled out for at least three weeks with a knee injury.
The England international tore a lateral ligament after hyper-extending the joint in Sunday’s FA Cup win at Arsenal and is not expected to feature until the end of the month at the earliest.
Liverpool’s winter break means he may only miss three matches – both legs of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Fulham and the Premier League match at Bournemouth – and he could be back for the January 31 visit of Chelsea.
With the team already without central defender Joel Matip and both left-backs Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas and Joe Gomez deputising on that flank, it leaves them short at the back.
But it is Alexander-Arnold’s pivotal contribution to the way the team operates, stepping into midfield in his now well-established hybrid role, with two goals and eight assists this season which makes his absence so difficult to cope with.
However, Lijnders insists they will find a way to handle the situation, as they have already had to do with Mohamed Salah having gone to the African Cup of Nations.
“We have many weapons so there is no-one irreplaceable here,” said the Reds’ assistant manager ahead of the first leg against Fulham.
“Mo goes away, (Diogo) Jota steps up. If the best players are not there and you play really well – the second half against Arsenal – then that’s a really good sign and that’s what we’ve always done.
“We don’t rely on one, two, three or four players. We are missing three core players from our leadership group – Robbo, Trent, Mo – so that’s a blow of course.
“We now we have to find solutions without Trent as well but, again, this squad has so much talent, so much power, and as long as counter-pressing is there everything else is replaceable.”
Alexander-Arnold’s absence means Liverpool are now without the four players who have created the most chances per 90 mins for them this season, the others being Robertson, Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai, whose hamstring injury means he is not available to face Fulham.
The options appear to be bringing in 20-year-old Conor Bradley, who impressed at right-back in a 15-minute cameo at the Emirates, 19-year-old Luke Chambers or Owen Beck, recently recalled from a loan spell at Dundee, on the left and moving Gomez back to the right.
But none of these options would come close to filling the void Alexander-Arnold’s absence leaves.
“He creates a lot of flexibility from the back and he can play passes that the forwards really like, he knows how to decide games and knows when to put balls where,” added Lijnders.
“The squad has a lot of other qualities in my opinion but for sure we need to find new dynamics.”
There will be no resorting to the transfer window to solve what are deemed short-term issues as the management have faith in their youngsters around the fringes of the squad.
“We spent a lot of money in the summer. We really invested in the squad, the ownership really brought in the right players,” said Lijnders.
“Conor and Bobby (Clark) are not back-up players, they are part of our squad. They are young, hungry and made for games like this.
“Young players just need the opportunity. They don’t need criticism, they just need trust from the coaching staff.”
Trent Alexander-Arnold will be sidelined for several weeks with a knee injury, Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders has confirmed.
Alexander-Arnold suffered the injury during Sunday’s 2-0 FA Cup victory over Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final with Fulham at Anfield, Lijnders said: “First of all, some not-that-good news, Trent hyper-extended his knee during the last game.
“So he has a little tear in the lateral ligament of his knee and he will need time to recover. He had a scan and he will be out for a few weeks, so let’s see after that.
“He will get some rest and then hopefully he can come back to where he was. Because this guy was decisive in all the games and was the one who created constantly for us from deep and gave the team a high level of flexibility.
“We will really miss him.”
Lijnders also revealed that Virgil van Dijk is available again after missing the Arsenal game due to illness, but Dominik Szoboszlai remains sidelined.
Joe Gomez insists Liverpool will not get giddy at the prospect of another potential quadruple tilt, but has acknowledged there is a fire in the squad to achieve this season.
The Premier League leaders continue to battle on four fronts after they progressed into the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday with a 2-0 win at Arsenal.
Next on the agenda for Jurgen Klopp’s team is Wednesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg at home to Fulham, but Gomez says there is no prospect of complacency creeping in.
He said: “We don’t want to get giddy. We’re all just full of desire and want to make the best out of the season.
“All we can do is take it one game at a time. I know it’s a cliche, but there’s desire and we have a platform to build on.
“We can’t take that for granted, as we know with last season it’s not always plain-sailing and we went through rough patches but we built from it and learnt from it. So, we have to keep at it and see where it takes us.”
Gomez only made 31 appearances in all competitions for Liverpool last season, but is already up to 26 this term and has recently been used at left-back with Andrew Robertson absent.
While the unorthodox position has been a challenge for the London-born defender, he relished another battle with Bukayo Saka and hailed a big team effort at the Emirates.
“He’s a top player, a direct winger. It’s not often the case these days but he’s one that will stay wide to pick up the ball and drive at you. It was tough. I knew it was going to be having played him so recently but yeah, great team performance, we all dug deep,” Gomez added.
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“It’s different at left back! It’s been a challenge to adapt. Small, minor differences that maybe aren’t noted, maybe how you receive the ball and so on.
“But people at the club know me now, they know I will give my all. I’ve been here long enough now but I’m grateful to play for the club.”
Liverpool were on the ropes for long period in the capital before Trent Alexander-Arnold’s free kick produced Jakub Kiwior’s own-goal and a late Luis Diaz strike made it four wins in five for Klopp’s men.
The victory was all the more impressive considering the club’s lengthy list of absentees with captain Virgil van Dijk ill, while Mohamad Salah is away at the African Cup of Nations.
Nevertheless, Gomez hailed the togetherness of the squad and backed them to take another step towards silverware in this week’s cup tie with Fulham at Anfield.
“There’s definitely a good bond in the team. There’s definitely a freshness and fire about the team,” he added.
“We’re not over-analysing who we lost and who we don’t have. We’ve got top players who we’ve missed this year.
“Thiago, Robbo, Kostas (Tsimikas), Mo going, but the gaffer keeps reiterating we can all do a job defensively and we can all defend.
“It means we don’t have to worry about who’s missing. We have to keep that mentality.
“We’ve got a bit more of a spring in our step. Another big game on Wednesday. We want to get to another final, (it’s) over two legs but we’ll go for it.”
Mikel Arteta admitted Arsenal need a psychological “reset” after they could not capitalise on chances in their 2-0 FA Cup third-round loss to Liverpool at the Emirates.
The Gunners dominated the first half but Jakub Kiwior conceded an own goal after 80 minutes before Luis Diaz’s neat finish in second half added-time was enough for Jurgen Klopp’s men to claim victory.
Arteta’s side now have just one win in seven matches across all competitions and the boss agreed his side risk falling into a mental slump after failing to find the finishing touch.
He said: “Probably it has (become a psychological issue). Especially after today, more than it was against Fulham or West Ham before that. That’s why I think we need to reset. This break is good. It comes in a good time.
“We’re going to as well feel how we feel and how I feel about them in difficult moments. Hopefully I can see that from other people too. When things are going well they jump on the train. Now things are difficult, let’s see where they stand.
“We haven’t capitalised. Not just today, but in the last few games as well. That’s why we’re not winning games. Merit-wise there is no question that we deserve to win the games but the results are very different.
“But when my team plays with that courage and attitude against probably the best team in Europe right now in terms of momentum what can I do but stick by them and support them?
“What we need to do now is stick behind those players, give them some love, train them and make sure they visualise something very different to what is actually happening now. They’ve done it. We’re not going to reinvent the wheel, because they’ve done it.”
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp was delighted by his side’s second-half reply, but brushed aside any suggestion he might look at the result as a harbinger for the Premier League title race, or even a boost for the Reds’ confidence in that chase.
He said: “No. I can’t (read into it). It doesn’t mean nobody can, but I can’t. We don’t have a problem with belief and confidence, we are not really bothered about the things you are talking about because we can read the calendar.
“We see it’s January; it’s cold outside, stuff like this, and you just have to stay warm and play as good as you can, and that’s what we try.”
Klopp was more forthcoming about his squad, rattling off a list of injured and absent, including Virgil van Dijk, who was ruled out with illness before the contest but remains a “hopeful” return for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg with Fulham.
He added: “It’s a tough game, nobody comes to Arsenal and wins just like this [clicks fingers], so in this game there will be difficult moments [and] if we start in these moments – which humans very often do – [looking] for excuses and then we realise who else is not here, it’s normal that we have these problems, then we are screwed.
“But if you know these kinds of things you can avoid it – and that’s what we did. The boys enjoyed the game, at least in the second half. That’s really cool. Staying in a game that looked in the first half like that, then growing into a game, is a pretty special thing to do.”
Trent Alexander-Arnold hailed Liverpool’s late victory after their 2-0 win over Arsenal in the FA Cup third round.
Jakub Kiwior conceded an own goal after 80 minutes before Luis Diaz’s neat finish in second half added-time was enough for Jurgen Klopp’s men to claim victory.
Liverpool struggled to get going in the opening 45 before they found their rhythm late on to book their place in the fourth round.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Alexander-Arnold said: “It was a huge win. We had a lot of players missing today. We came here with one objective, which was to win and to get into the next round and we have done that with two late goals.
“We had chances and we changed things at half-time internally. We came out and played football, created chances, the changes we made had an impact for us.
“There were times in the first half where we were a bit naive. We had mistakes, a sloppy pass here and there.”
Alexander-Arnold’s whipped corner led to Kiwior nodding the ball past Aaron Ramsdale and into his own net.
He added: “The inswingers (crosses) you want to make as difficult as possible and that’s the aim, to make it as hard as possible for them to clear the ball. Any flick from one of their players could potentially go in.”
Liverpool continue to battle on four fronts after Jakub Kiwior’s own goal and a stoppage-time strike by Luis Diaz sent them through to the FA Cup fourth round with a 2-0 win at Arsenal.
Jurgen Klopp’s side were without captain Virgil van Dijk and Mohamad Salah, but after they were able to ride their luck in north London, stand-in skipper Trent Alexander-Arnold’s excellent late cross forced the opener and Diaz was able to wrap up a hard-fought victory with a powerful late finish.
It inflicted a fourth defeat in seven matches on Arsenal, who fired another blank despite creating a plethora of chances at the Emirates to leave manager Mikel Arteta with problems to solve ahead of their short mid-season break.
The two Premier League title rivals – choosing not to wear red in support of Arsenal’s anti-knife crime initiative – played out a 1-1 draw at Anfield a fortnight ago and while both managers picked strong teams, a handful of changes were made with Aaron Ramsdale given the nod.
The Gunners goalkeeper was immediately into the thick of the action but in an attacking sense with a wonderful pass sending Reiss Nelson through on goal although he could only fire into the side-netting after rounding Alisson.
Nelson had been given a rare starting berth with Eddie Nketiah dropped and Gabriel Jesus out with a knee injury, which resulted in Kai Havertz leading the line.
Havertz tested Alisson with an early curled effort before the opener should have arrived in the 11th minute.
Bukayo Saka robbed Joe Gomez of possession and found the unmarked Havertz, who teed up Nelson and while Ibrahima Konate slide in, Martin Odegaard was first to the loose ball but he crashed an effort against the crossbar and Liverpool survived.
Klopp’s side waited until midway through the first half for their opening chance when Darwin Nunez headed wide from a Harvey Elliott corner.
It did not mark a shift in the ascendancy though with Havertz wasting a fine opening before Alisson tipped over a stinging drive from Ben White.
From the resulting corner Saka picked out Havertz at the back post, but the Germany international headed wide from six yards.
Not even treatment for Liverpool’s young defender Jarell Quansah halted Arsenal’s momentum with Havertz again denied by Alisson a minute before half-time.
Arsenal very nearly paid for their first-half profligacy when Cody Gakpo teed up Alexander-Arnold but the stand-in captain struck the crossbar with his superb 16-yard strike to ensure it remained goalless at the break.
Liverpool initially came out with improved intent for the second half and Curtis Jones curled over before Nunez flashed an effort wide.
Normal service soon resumed with Saka only able to hook over from a Havertz cross, before Alisson showed his class on the hour mark. Another Havertz delivery took a deflection off Quansah and looked to be heading in until the Reds goalkeeper brilliantly clawed the ball away, with Saka slicing wide on the follow-up.
Frustration was growing at the Emirates and as Klopp turned to his bench with Diogo Jota and Ryan Gravenberch introduced, Arteta made his first roll of the dice.
Gabriel Martinelli’s entrance injected renewed hope for an agitated home crowd, but Ramsdale was called upon with 13 minutes remaining to push wide a low effort by Diaz.
Jota headed against the bar from Alexander-Arnold’s resulting corner and yet his next delivery produced the breakthrough.
Odegaard fouled Gravenberch close to the byline and Alexander-Arnold’s fine inswinging cross was headed beyond a diving Ramsdale by the unfortunate Kiwior.
Arsenal pushed for a late leveller but Liverpool’s place in round four was confirmed when Diaz smashed home after a slick counter-attack in the fifth minute of added-time.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta believes it is time for FA Cup replays to be scrapped.
The Spaniard was speaking ahead of his side’s crunch third-round tie against Premier League leaders Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium.
Following Sunday’s match, the Gunners – who have slipped five points behind Jurgen Klopp’s side in the race for the title – are set to be out of action for 13 days.
But a draw at the Emirates would force the two sides to meet at Anfield during what would be a rare and crucial near-fortnight off for Arsenal in their challenge on both domestic and European fronts.
When asked if the Football Association should consider pulling the plug on replays, Arteta, whose side will also contest a rejigged Champions League next season if they finish in the top four, said: “I think so.
“We will see what happens because with the new format of the Champions League, there will be more games (to play) so I don’t know how we are going to fit them in.
“The (mini) break will be minimal and we have plans for both scenarios. We want to win the game and we will try to win the game, but that (cancelling replays) has to be considered.”
With just one win from their last five outings, Arsenal will head into Sunday’s mouth-watering fixture against in-form Liverpool as marginal underdogs.
In contrast to Arsenal’s drab defeat against Fulham, Liverpool fired four past Newcastle on New Year’s Day to allow them to take top spot in the league.
Arsenal’s free-scoring form of last season has dried up following just four goals in their previous five league outings – with half of those coming in a 2-0 home win against Brighton.
None of Arsenal’s frontline have managed to break into double figures for the season so far with Bukayo Saka leading the way on nine.
“What they (the forwards) did last year was exceptional and we knew that to maintain those numbers would be extremely difficult because it was a one-off,” added Arteta.
“Not just for us, a one-off in the league. We know that we need all the resources and all those kinds of goals to maintain the level that we want in the league.
“When it comes to those spaces, the timing and the definition of the action (in front of goal) that becomes trickier to coach and certainly to replicate as an action in the game.
“It’s very tricky but it’s something that we have to improve, especially in the way we have not transformed recent chances into goals.”
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admits he cannot afford to take too many risks with his team selection for the FA Cup third round tie at Arsenal.
Even though his side are already just two matches away from Wembley with a Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg at home to Fulham on Wednesday the Reds boss said he could not make huge changes against the Gunners.
Three will be enforced with forward Mohamed Salah and Wataru Endo at the African Nations Cup and Asian Cup respectively while fellow midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai has been ruled out for at least two matches with a hamstring problem.
The return of Alexis Mac Allister, out for a month with a knee injury, and Ryan Gravenberch are likely to fill the gaps in the middle of the pitch but the troublesome spot is Salah’s right-wing berth.
Harvey Elliott played there in the League Cup quarter-final with West Ham and the 19-year-old Kaide Gordon did the job in the Europa League defeat to Union Saint Gilloise but it seems unlikely the teenager will be pitched straight in at the Emirates.
“If you bring a boy who didn’t play for five or six weeks, it’s very rare he can play to his best. That’s why so far I think we did that quite well,” said Klopp of his rotation policy this season.
“But actually I am not sure if Arsenal is now a game to rotate. I don’t know 100 percent if we have the opportunity to do so to be honest.
“We have players available and we can line a good team up. If that looks then afterwards like rotation, I don’t know yet.
“We’ve had six days between the games (since Newcastle on New Year’s Day) and there’s no need for rotation.
“You can say, ‘OK, three days later we have another game’. Yes, that’s true, but we can think about that when the other game is over. That’s what we do usually.
“And both have the same importance, there is nothing in between. We want to win these games, we want to go to the final but we want to go to the next round as well but it is probably the most tricky draw you can get.”
Liverpool recalled Owen Beck, nephew of all-time top goalscorer Ian Rush, from a loan spell at Dundee as both left-backs Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas are injured, although the former is expected to be back by the end of the month.
The 21-year-old cannot feature against Arsenal due to an existing Scottish League Cup ban but should help to give Joe Gomez, standing in at left-back a break, with Klopp saying: “In Dundee he made big steps, and now the situation here is clear: we lose two of our left-backs so we think it makes sense if a boy we like is available for us.”
While December was busy Liverpool could have seven matches this month if they progress on Sunday.
And the nightmare scenario would be a draw which forces a replay and interrupts what should be the weekend of their scheduled Premier League break.
“I think a rematch against Arsenal would really not be helpful because it just doesn’t fit in, would kill the winter break,” added Klopp.
“We have the most busy month you can imagine in December and then some teams obviously don’t play that often in January. We don’t have that.
“For us it is a normal month: busy but not crazy busy like December where there were five games in 13 days. That just makes no sense, but that’s how it is.
“I think rhythm helps but in the end we will see that.”
Mikel Arteta admitted back-to-back defeats have halted Arsenal’s Premier League momentum but warned against putting his side’s rocky run under the microscope.
Arsenal’s title challenge has faltered in recent matches following a home loss to West Ham on December 28 before they suffered another defeat at Fulham three days later.
The Gunners have slipped to fourth in the table, five points behind leaders Liverpool who they host in the third round of the FA Cup at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
“We were not at the level (against Fulham) and we were not good enough,” said Arteta. “I don’t think we deserved to lose but we didn’t do enough to win it.
“It affects momentum that we had. Until Christmas Day we were top of the league and six days later we are fourth.
“You can be very tempted to look at things with a microscope or take the telescope and look a little bit further ahead and treat things with a little bit more perspective.
“And my job, big time, is to look with the telescope, have perspective, analyse things in a broader way and not get affected by one performance; not results, just one performance.”
Arsenal had 30 attempts on goal in their defeat to West Ham – but it was a different story at Craven Cottage as Arteta’s side failed to create chances.
The club continue to be linked with a new striker, although Brentford manager Thomas Frank said only an “unbelievable” offer would force the Bees to sell Ivan Toney during this month’s transfer window.
“We are open to the transfer market,” added Arteta. “But the emphasis is on making the most of the players we have.
“We will work with the club and see if we have any good options but first, our focus is on the players here.”
Put to Arteta that Arsenal might not sign anyone before the window closes, he replied: “That’s a possibility.”
Arteta is likely to rotate his squad for the visit of Liverpool, with defender Oleksandr Zinchenko possibly back in the frame after missing the defeat against Fulham. Goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale is also set to be handed a rare start in place of David Raya.
And Arteta has challenged the Arsenal supporters to create a difficult environment for Jurgen Klopp’s visiting side.
“There is a big history between the FA Cup and the club and we have a big opportunity (against Liverpool) to start again and make a beautiful journey,” said the Gunners boss.
“We are really happy with the atmosphere that we have created at the Emirates Stadium and on Sunday can we make it even more hostile? I think we can.
“We have to be so grateful for what we are achieving in our home ground and Sunday is going to be a big one again.”
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admitted he would be happy for Mohamed Salah and Wataru Endo’s international absences to be kept to a minimum as his side begin their fight on three fronts in January.
Salah is away with Egypt in the African Nations Cup, while Japan captain Endo is at the Asian Cup and both players are expected to go deep into the respective competitions.
That could mean a return in the second week of February but Klopp said he sent them on their way this week without wishing them too much success.
“I said if I wish you good luck it would be a lie,” he said ahead of the FA Cup tie at Arsenal.
“From a personal point of view, I would be happy if they go out in the group stage but that’s probably not possible. They can go on and win it.
“So it was ‘good luck and come back healthy’. We have to deal with it and we will deal with it. I am pretty positive that we will find a way.”
It is impossible to have a like-for-like replacement for Salah as he is one of a kind but Klopp does not really have a suitable player in the right-winger mould to take his place.
Midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai was touted as a potential option but he has been ruled out for at least two matches with a hamstring injury sustained in the New Year’s Day win over Newcastle.
“I can confirm it’s not a potential injury – it is an injury. Muscle, hamstring. But now we have to see,” added Klopp.
“Dom is very positive, doesn’t have a lot of pain but we have to wait a little bit. So, no chance obviously for Sunday, not for Wednesday (the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg at home to Fulham).
“And then we will see. After that, hopefully he might be back but we don’t know.”
Nevertheless Klopp was confident Liverpool could fill the hole left by Salah, even if he could not hope to replicate the Egypt international’s goal involvement.
“I think we played against West Ham (in last month’s Carabao Cup quarter-final) without Mo on that side and Harvey Elliott played there,” he said.
“We have different offensive options who can all play that wing in a different way.
“Nobody else can play like Mo, it is not possible – we just have to use the boys with their skills.
“Do we want to play without Mo? No. In the past we didn’t have to do it often but we always found a way.
“But we play Arsenal and you can lose to Arsenal with Mo Salah so it’s possible to lose to them without him.”
Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo admitted it was difficult to leave Merseyside for the Asian Cup just when he had started to really find his form.
The Japan captain, a £16million signing from Stuttgart, started the last six matches as he deputised for the injured Alexis Mac Allister and that regular rhythm undoubtedly helped the 30-year-old find his feet after a tough introduction to English football.
But the New Year’s Day win over Newcastle – that extended Liverpool’s lead at the top of the Premier League table to three points – was Endo’s last game for a month as he flies out to Qatar to begin preparations for the tournament which begins next Friday.
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Unlike Mohamed Salah, who is now away with Egypt at the African Nations Cup, when he returns, Endo will have lost his place to Mac Allister, who has been first choice in the holding role all season, and will have lost the momentum he built up.
“Of course I want to stay here but as a national team player it is important for me as I am captain. I am now focused on the national team and just doing my best,” said Endo.
“I want to have good results at the Asia Cup, but that’ll mean I have to stay longer in Qatar.
“But Macca has come back now, so I can just stay focused on the national team. I’m sure we (Liverpool) will play well, 100 per cent.
“I want to come back with the Asia Cup title. I’m confident Liverpool can do well in the absence of me and Mo.”
Endo’s late arrival in mid-August meant his integration into the side took longer and, as a result, he was mainly restricted to starts in the Europa League and Carabao Cup.
However, Mac Allister’s injury and a heavy December workload meant manager Jurgen Klopp had little option but to play him every week and that made a significant difference.
“It has been the toughest Christmas and New Year in my life but to play football is amazing so I’ve enjoyed it also,” Endo added.
“It’s a very tough schedule but I needed to keep playing. Playing the games is the most important way for me to improve.
“We have so many injured players. I was thinking, I am a very important player on the pitch so I needed to show why I came here.
“I think the team played well and I also played better than before and we are now top of the table so I feel I did my job. I feel like I’ve got to grips more with playing in England.
“Confidence is a big thing also. The manager has shown a lot of faith in me. The other players know me better now as well, that’s also important for me to play better.”
Liverpool have recalled 20-year-old James Balagizi from his loan spell at Wigan, where he made just seven appearances – only three of which were in League One.
Premier League clubs will lose key players to international duty over the next few weeks.
The Asia Cup in Qatar runs from January 12 to February 10, while the Africa Cup of Nations will be held in Ivory Coast from January 13 to February 11.
Here the PA news agency looks at how those tournaments could impact domestic football during a busy time of Premier League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup action, and discover who are the big winners and losers.
Oh Mo, Salah’s away
Study the stats and it is easy to see why Liverpool fans have every right to be concerned. Mohamed Salah tops the list for Premier League goal involvements with 22 – 14 goals and eight assists. Salah registered a 150th Premier League goal for Liverpool with a brace in the New Year’s Day win over Newcastle, and his absence comes with the Reds top of the pile, in the semi-final of the Carabao Cup and ready to get their FA Cup campaign underway. Just for good measure, Liverpool will be without Japan midfielder Wataru Endo over the next few weeks.
Spurs without Son
Tottenham have maintained their unexpected title bid despite a lengthy injury list, but can they cope without talismanic skipper Son Heung-min? The South Korea captain heads to the Asia Cup with Spurs fifth in the Premier League, a point behind neighbours Arsenal and Manchester City and six adrift of Liverpool. Son’s importance is underlined by his 12 league goals – only Salah and Erling Haaland have scored more – while Spurs will also be weakened by AFCON-bound midfielders Pape Sarr and Yves Bissouma.
Premier League losers
If Liverpool and Tottenham are missing headline acts, there are plenty of other losers. Manchester United will be without their first-choice goalkeeper, Cameroon’s Andre Onana, and Turkey international Altay Bayindir is set to make his debut in his absence. Wolves will also feel the loss of South Korea’s Hwang Hee-chan, their 10-goal top scorer, while Antoine Semenyo (Bournemouth), Yoane Wissa (Brentford), Nicolas Jackson (Chelsea), Jordan Ayew (Crystal Palace), Alex Iwobi (Fulham) and Mohammed Kudus (West Ham) are among high-profile AFCON players, while Nottingham Forest have no less than six players at the tournament.
Burnley boost
South Africa striker Lyle Foster will miss AFCON as he focuses on his well being. Foster has received specialist care for his mental health this season and did not play for eight weeks before returning last month. Burnley boss Vincent Kompany said Foster was not ready to travel to represent his country. But he will be available for the Clarets, and that spells good news as the 23-year-old scored his first goal since his return to action at Aston Villa on Saturday.
Champions City and Newcastle unaffected
As well as Burnley in their battle against relegation, champions Manchester City and Newcastle do not have any players away on international duty. Pep Guardiola’s City will hope to take advantage of a Salah-less Liverpool, as Arsenal cope without Egypt midfielder Mohamed Elneny and Japan defender Takehiro Tomiyasu. Aston Villa have only lost Burkina Faso’s Bertrand Traore. Newcastle boss Eddie Howe will be relieved his squad has not been weakened further as he seeks to engineer a New Year revival on Tyneside amid worrying injury issues.
Liverpool and Luis Suarez grudgingly accepted the striker’s eight-match ban for racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra on this day in 2012.
The Uruguay international began his suspension immediately after the club reviewed the 115-page document from the independent disciplinary commission and decided not to appeal against the sanction and a £40,000 fine.
However, Liverpool made it clear their action was by no means an acceptance of culpability and again criticised the way the Football Association handled the investigation into an incident which occurred during the 1-1 draw at Anfield in October, 2011.
“It is our strongly held conviction that the Football Association and the panel it selected constructed a highly subjective case against Luis Suarez based on an accusation that was ultimately unsubstantiated,” Liverpool said in a statement.
“The FA and the panel chose to consistently and methodically accept and embrace arguments leading to a set of conclusions that found Mr Suarez to ‘probably’ be guilty while in the same manner deciding to completely dismiss the testimony that countered their overall suppositions.
“Mr Evra was deemed to be credible in spite of admitting that he himself used insulting and threatening words towards Luis and that his initial charge as to the word used was somehow a mistake.
“The facts in this case were that an accusation was made, a rebuttal was given and there was video of the match. The remaining facts came from testimony of people who did not corroborate any accusation made by Mr Evra.”
Suarez, in making his own personal statement, made it clear he did not accept the accusations of which he was found guilty.
“Never, I repeat, never, have I had any racial problem with a team-mate or individual who was of a different race or colour to mine. Never,” he said.
“I am very upset by all the things which have been said during the last few weeks about me, all of them being very far from the truth.
“But above all, I am very upset at feeling so powerless whilst being accused of something which I did not, nor would not, ever do.”
The bad feeling continued when Suarez refused to shake Evra’s hand ahead of the return fixture between the sides in February.
However, the pair would shake hands before a Champions League match between Suarez’s Barcelona and Evra’s Juventus in 2015.
In 2019, when Evra made an appearance as a pundit on Sky Sports, former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher apologised to the Frenchman after Reds players wore a T-shirt supporting Suarez in the warm-up for a Premier League match at Wigan, and Evra later revealed he also received a letter of apology from the club.
Liverpool captain Virgil Van Dijk will not entertain talk of a Premier League title race unless the team can get to March in a similarly-strong position.
A 4-2 victory over Newcastle extended their advantage at the top of the table to three points over Aston Villa but, more significantly, ensured they stayed out of reach of Manchester City five points back, with their match in hand.
January is a significant month for Jurgen Klopp’s side as they do battle on three fronts, starting with an FA Cup third-round tie at Arsenal at the weekend followed by the first tie in a two-legged Carabao Cup semi-final at home to Fulham.
Due to the winter mini-break there are actually only two more scheduled league matches before February and that could help their primary aim of adding to the Premier League title they won in 2019-20 as it lessens the impact of the absence of Mohamed Salah, who signed off with two goals before heading to the African Nations Cup with Egypt.
But Van Dijk said they were not looking as far ahead as that.
“I’m not going to speak about any of this, I never did and I won’t do it now either,” he said when asked about the title race.
“It’s far too early to do that. We are at the start of January, we have players leaving now, we have players coming back from injury so let’s see what it brings.
“If in February/March we are still up there, obviously we have to get the last push going and see if we can squeeze it out, but for now we just focus on the game ahead, don’t look at others and try to improve ourselves.
“That’s always been the experience and it brought us one success over the last six years to win the Premier League and hopefully we will see what happens at the end of the season.”
Salah’s departure – having racked up 14 league goals and eight assists – will undoubtedly be felt but it is Klopp’s job to lessen how much.
He does at least have Diogo Jota fit again after a month’s absence, while midfielder Alexis Mac Allister’s return after a six-game absence will offset the loss of Wataru Endo to the Asian Cup.
“Obviously we are going to miss Mo and his qualities, his leadership qualities as well. The situation is how it is and the same goes for Wataru,” added Van Dijk.
“Other players have to step up and stay fit and it was good Jota came back, Macca came back and everyone has to be ready for a big game at the weekend in the FA Cup and then the Carabao Cup and then hopefully a little break again.
“I think December was already a very big month and the way we coped with that was very good in my opinion.
“Now we are going to play in three competitions, we have a chance to go to Wembley if we go through the Carabao Cup and to the next round of the FA Cup but how we approach it is game by game.
“It could be a good month but we will take it game by game and see.”
What the papers say
Paris St Germain and Newcastle are believed to be leading the chase for Kalvin Phillips. According to The Telegraph, the Manchester City midfielder is likely to leave the club this month in search of regular football, having made just two starts for City since his £45million move from Leeds 18 months ago.
The Hull Daily Mail reports Burnley winger Manuel Benson has entered talks with Hull City. The paper says the development comes after the two sides verbally agreed on a loan deal until the end of the season.
Manchester City are reportedly among a wealth of teams interested in 18-year-old Lille defender Leny Yoro. Le 10 Sport, via the Manchester Evening News, says Liverpool and Paris St Germain are also tracking Yoro, but Lille are unlikely to entertain any offers under £78m.
And the Liverpool Echo reports Liverpool are keeping a close eye on Genoa midfielder Morten Frendrup, but are not expected to make a move this month.
Social media round-upPlayers to watch
Kylian Mbappe: Le Parisian says Real Madrid and Liverpool both want the Paris St Germain striker, who is out of contract at the end of the season.
Joshua Kimmich: Manchester United and Liverpool are the frontrunners to nab the Bayern Munich midfielder, according to AS.
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