Jurgen Klopp has suggested that his Liverpool side will adopt a tactical change once key men depart for the impending arrival of the AFCON tournament.
The Reds are currently set to lose top goalscorer Mo Salah in addition to fellow forward Sadio Mane and midfielder Naby Keita.
“Whoever will play in the period when the three boys are not here, will have a plan, and gives us a chance to win a football game,” the German was quoted by 90 Min from his pre-match presser.
“Can we play exactly the same kind of football? Probably not – but who cares? Then we play the football we are able to play then.
“You cannot always have the perfect solution. In this case we are far away from being the perfect solution without these players but we knew it and we now we have to deal with it.”
The Merseysiders aren’t entirely depleted of offensive options, of course, with in-form centre-forward Diogo Jota, in addition to Taki Minamino and Divock Origi, remaining available for selection.
With our attacking prowess taking a significant hit (with all due respect to our remaining options up top) once the Senegalese and Egyptian internationals briefly part ways with us, it will be interesting to see how Klopp adapts his side.
It’s difficult to see the German committing to a forward line of three attackers, with the possibility of a plumped-up midfield seeming more likely for the games the pair are likely to miss.
This is, of course, not necessarily a major concern provided that the release date for AFCON players is set beyond our early clash with Chelsea in January, with fixtures against Brentford and Crystal Palace likely to take the brunt of the loss.
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