Whichever way you look at it, this season has not gone according to plan. It started poorly and has carried on in very much the same vein, with the occasional bright spark. This season of course is different in that there is a forced break of almost six weeks. If you are sitting in Arsenal’s position, that break could not have come at a worse time, for Klopp and Liverpool however, it is potentially a season-saving gift from the footballing gods.That said, they have to take advantage of it. So, how could it affect Liverpool and those teams battling for the top four?
Compared with many of those teams in and around them, Liverpool will have fewer players at the World Cup. The debate about whether or not Firmino should have been on the plane to join current World Championships 2022 favourites Brazil is one for another day, but it should be seen as a blessing. Five weeks off in the middle of the season is a perfect opportunity for the Liverpool players to recharge their batteries, and for a team that has looked leggy and off the pace from the opening game that is crucial. That is particularly the case when a team’s whole philosophy revolves around energy, movement and pace, as Klopp’s side does.
Liverpool will lose seven players to World Cup squads. All of those, perhaps with the exception of Nunez’s Uruguay, will have high hopes of getting at least as far as the semi-finals. Compare that to the other clubs in the top third of the EPL:
Manchester City will have 16 players in Qatar. Despite appearances on the field, Manchester United boast 14 World Cup players. Chelsea have 12, Tottenham 11 and Arsenal 10. Even Brighton will lose 8 first-team players. Along with the very real chance of injuries, those players will be playing in desert temperatures, in games that come thick and fast. The schedule in Qatar is even more brutal than that for the Premier League. They will not be coming back rested. Far from it.
The work that the rest of the squad has been doing on the training ground, though invaluable, will only really be able to concentrate on fitness and recuperation, with huge chunks of the starting eleven away.
For Klopp, that will not be such an issue. It is easier to drop in a handful of players, than basically the entire first team. It isn’t just what happens when the managers try to cobble together a side when the league restarts on Boxing Day. The World Cup has meant that the two halves of the domestic league have been squeezed. Games come around quicker than ever. The run-in will see players having played more football, consecutively than they will ever have played before. Injuries and the tailing off of form are inevitable consequences. That could play into Liverpool’s hands as, on paper, it could very well be a role reversal of what has happened in the first three months of the season.
There is another, almost unforeseen positive that could come out of the Qatar World Cup. Trent Alexander Arnold has had a poor season, but now, could very well be a key player for his country. Trent could be one of the few players whose manager is desperate to see get game time. That brings another issue to the fore. There will be players going to Qatar who will not get a minute on the pitch. Yes, they will be kept fit, but whereas those left behind at their clubs will have behind-closed-doors matches, they will return to their clubs potentially rusty.
At this stage it is all conjecture and speculation, as we have never had a midseason World Cup before. All indications are that it could play into the hands of Liverpool, exactly when they need it most. Time will tell, if they are able to take full advantage.