As Liverpool chased an unprecedented quadruple last season, avoiding injuries for the majority of the second half of the campaign in the process as they pushed in vain for the Premier League title, it was perhaps no surprise that come the business end of the year, their intense calendar took its toll.
In the space of a mid-May week, as they came from behind to beat Aston Villa before defeating Chelsea on penalties to lift the FA Cup, they lost three of their most important stars to injury setbacks, with the trio not starting again until the Champions League final loss to Real Madrid. Rushed back and not 100%, in hindsight it should be no surprise that Jurgen Klopp ’s side fell flat in Paris.
Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Fabinho are three of the first names on the German's teamsheet and have been ever since moving to Anfield, playing a decisive role in transforming Liverpool into a side that could compete for Premier League and Champions League titles. Therefore it was inevitably most alarming back in May as they each pulled up one by one on the Reds’ final straight.
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Fabinho was the first man to be struck down as he suffered a hamstring injury after just 30 minutes of Liverpool’s 2-1 victory over Villa. Fast forward to Wembley and Salah wouldn’t last much longer in the FA Cup final as he was withdrawn with a thigh injury, while Van Dijk would initially play on after injuring his knee only to be replaced at the end of 90 minutes.
The sight of the trio limping off would be most concerning for the Reds. After all, nine times out of 10, when they’re available for selection, they start, such is their importance to the club. At centre-back it’s always Van Dijk and one other, while Salah is the ever-present in Liverpool’s attack regardless of form. Meanwhile, while Fabinho might have Jordan Henderson as a deputy at number six, historically it has only been utilised when only absolutely necessary, with the captain often still required to play alongside the Brazilian rather than in place of him.
Therefore, courtesy of being the three players Klopp rarely rotates with no obvious like-for-like replacement, their game-time last season was arguably the most strenuous in the Reds squad. Van Dijk's total of 51 starts was more than any other outfield player despite only returning from an ACL injury the previous summer.
Meanwhile, Henderson and Diogo Jota were the only outfielders to better his total of 51 appearances, yet the former started 75% of his 57 appearances while the latter started 71% of his 55 outings in contrast to Van Dijk’s 100% return.
Salah and Sadio Mane matched Van Dijk's return of 51 appearances, with the Senegalese starting 46 matches (90%) and the Egyptian starting 45 (88%). Meanwhile, Fabinho falls next on the list with 48 outings to his name and 41 (85%) of them coming from the start.
Klopp and his squad will insist that Liverpool are not suffering a hangover from their exploits last year, having competed in the maximum 63 matches on offer to them. They continue to deny it whenever they asked such questions by the press, yet with the players turned to most suffering those decisive injuries last year, they are equally the ones most out of form this season.
He can't ignore it any longer. His side have lost their identity and intensity. Deny it all they like but Liverpool are very much suffering a hangover. Yet not from falling short at the final hurdle last year, rather the amount of football played has finally caught up on tired Reds' legs.
You can include Trent Alexander-Arnold in this too, of course. Starting all 47 of his appearances last season, Van Dijk was the only outfielder to register more starts. While Calvin Ramsay has since been signed, like Salah, Van Dijk, and Fabinho, there is no clear replacement of the same standard and experience that allows him to be rotated regularly.
If you look at minutes played by Reds outfielders last season, Van Dijk topped the charts with 4,620 minutes, Alexander-Arnold registered 4,230 and Salah came third with 4,012. Andy Robertson, Mane, Henderson and Matip fall next before Fabinho's total of 3,693 minutes.
Yet Kostas Tsimikas, Ibrahima Konate, Joe Gomez and a plethora of midfielders provided like-for-like rotation options for such stars at least, even if it’s a luxury not afforded to Salah, Van Dijk, Fabinho and Alexander-Arnold.
In truth, the quartet have been the four players to disappoint most for Liverpool this season as the Reds’ flailing start to the season continues, unable to even get near their previous elite levels of performance as they look continue to look slow, sluggish and struggle to make a positive, meaningful impact on games. As a result, Klopp’s out of form squad repeatedly suffer.
If any other star was struggling to such an extent, the German would take them out of the firing line and hand an opportunity to an alternative option. In truth, he at least attempted this with Fabinho when recently benching the Brazilian in favour of a new midfield set-up when trialling the 4-4-2/4-2-3-1 formation last week. Yet it would be a surprise if he wasn’t recalled to face Rangers and then Man City next weekend, while Salah and Van Dijk remain immune to such treatment.
For so long Liverpool’s go-to players, they are the constants. But this in itself provides Klopp with his biggest problem as he continues to remain loyal to his unrecognisable, misfiring stars.
After all, the evidence would seemingly suggest that it is no coincidence that the players utilised most last year are the ones struggling most this year, having been inflicted to a later end to the previous campaign, a shorter summer break and pre-season and now an intense fixture list for the second year running, this time due to the mid-season World Cup.
In the past you couldn’t picture a Reds starting XI without Salah, Van Dijk, Fabinho and Alexander-Arnold, with them instead left in reserve for the biggest matches, watching on from the bench as others steal away from them in the pecking order. But now that is Liverpool’s undoing as they desperately flounder in an attempt to find form, no longer able to rely on their previously most-reliable and with no idea of how to win without them.
The undroppable have made themselves droppable. And if they can’t play their way back into form soon, Klopp will have no choice but to consider the previously inconceivable. 'Is it time to drop Mohamed Salah or Virgil van Dijk?' At least Alexander-Arnold's two-week lay-off with an ankle injury will take him out of the firing line.
It's the inevitable question he can no longer avoid the longer his side's issues go on. It could be the only solution left, in hope that leaving such players out not only rests their legs but restores the fire in their belly to reignite their fortunes, with lesser-used stars stepping up and making names for themselves in the meantime. Easier said than done.
In truth his below-par stars have left him with no choice as burnout accusations continue and the scrutiny grows with each passing week. They're just not at the races and can no longer stay immune to such 'mortal' treatment. If Liverpool are to recover this wretched season, Klopp might just have to comprehend a winning starting XI without them.
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