Liverpool needed a miracle after being without key players when appearing in the fifth round of the 2023-2024 FA Cup against Southampton, on Thursday (29/2/2024). This was conveyed by head coach Juergen Klopp who was facing the many injuries experienced by the Reds squad.
Most recently, midfielder Ryan Gravenberch, added to the list of players who had to enter the operating room to recover. Gravenberch was on the injury list when Liverpool faced Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final, Sunday (25/2/2024). “Ryan couldn’t appear. It was a ligament injury. It could have been much worse,” said Juergen Klopp, quoted by Reuters. He is also doubtful about appearing in the match after the match against Southampton. “But it’s bad enough to be ruled out for this game, the next game, we’ll see,” he said.
According to the Liverpool Echo, Liverpool had to lose 13 players. These include Thiago Alcantara, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Stefan Bajcetic, Alisson Becker, Ben Doak, Curtis Jones, Diogo Jota and Joel Matip. With so many Liverpool players injured, Klopp said a miracle was needed.
“We need a miracle with some players. That’s why I don’t want to rule (them) out for too long,” said the German coach. As is known, when Liverpool hosted Chelsea, they were without several key players. Names like Diogo Jota, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez and Alisson Becker cannot play. It is still not certain that Nunez and Salah will play against Southampton tomorrow.
The 1-0 victory over the Blues in the Carabao Cup final cannot be separated from the role of young players. Young players took on roles to fill the vacancies left by several key players. Harvey Elliott and Conor Bradley, who are still 20 years old, were able to start the final match. Meanwhile, Bobby Clark, James McConnell, Jayden Danns, who are not yet 20 years old, came on as substitutes.
Klopp also praised their performance for being able to play to help Liverpool emerge as champions. “Our squad is deeper than we thought. I have said it many times, without the kids, we wouldn’t be here,” said Klopp. Liverpool’s match with Southampton will take place at Anfield. Southampton is in a negative trend after suffering two consecutive defeats.
