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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Freddie Keighley

Liverpool shift in squad WhatsApp group speaks volumes about Jurgen Klopp's options

Jurgen Klopp has noticed a welcome change in Liverpool's pre-match WhatsApp routine which proves just how strong a squad he has at his disposal.

The Reds made it three wins on the bounce with a deserved 2-0 victory over Leicester on Thursday night during which Diogo Jota scored both goals.

January signing Luis Diaz made his first start while Harvey Elliott came off the bench for his first Premier League appearance since September.

Thiago also returned from injury to line up in midfield and Mohamed Salah was fit enough to make a dangerous second-half cameo after returning from the Africa Cup of Nations.

Remarkably, Klopp's options may be further boosted ahead of Liverpool's next task, a trip to Burnley on Sunday afternoon.

Do Liverpool have the strongest squad in the Premier League when all players are fit? Have your say in the comments!

Liverpool are on the cusp of an unprecedented clean bill of health (REUTERS)

Sadio Mane returned to training on Friday morning after his Senegal side defeated Salah's Egypt in the AFCON final, and the forward may feature in attack.

Liverpool's only injury concerns are Jordan Henderson, Divock Origi and Joe Gomez, all of whom could also make the matchday squad if they pass late fitness tests.

A clean bill of health is a luxury Klopp has rarely had throughout his six years at Anfield, and the German saw that his injury-free squad led to a change in pre-match preparations ahead of the clash with Leicester.

"I said to the boys last night that we have this chat group where we share all the information around the team," Klopp told reporters on Friday.

"In this chat group, the players who are not available or not in the squad, they always send a message saying 'good luck boys' or whatever, and we had times when we had 13 or 14 players texting, which means they were not available for us.

"Now we have a different situation. I can't remember a situation like this before. We've never had the squad all available.

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Jurgen Klopp opened up on the change he noticed in Liverpool's WhatsApp group (Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

"But I've said before, while it's important who is playing, it's much more important how we play.

"Especially in the second half against Leicester, we did really well, we kept the pressure high and gave them a real job to do and won absolutely deservedly and could have scored more goals. We were really like it should have been."

Klopp went on to revel in his new-found attacking depth, highlighting the roles Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Takumi Minamino played throughout Salah and Mane's absences while also praising Origi and Diaz.

The Liverpool boss will be hoping league-leaders Manchester City slip up against Norwich on Saturday evening as he aims to close the nine-point gap at the table's summit.

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