Liverpool: Jurgen Klopp gambled – could it come back to haunt him?
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp gambled when he sent Nathaniel Clyne out on loan – and now an injury to Trent Alexander-Arnold could be the undoing of him.
Times reporter Paul Joyce has reported that Alexander-Arnold and Gini Wijnaldum will be missing for the Crystal Palace game on the weekend, which exposes the Reds a little at the back.
After Clyne was allowed to leave, this has been the moment all Liverpool fans were dreading. While the Englishman wasn’t a first choice, Clyne did improve the squad depth and had an excellent 100th game for the Reds against Manchester United.
But Klopp clearly wasn’t too concerned about the club’s strength in depth and had even played James Milner in that role. Fabinho, too, can occupy the right-back slot and has done so for Brazil.
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But with Joe Gomez still out and Joel Matip not at 100%, the Brazilian may be required to play alongside Virgil van Dijk. This would mean Milner has to come in on the right.
The 32-year-old isn’t a natural there, but has some defensive experience due to his stint as left-back last season. Milner has played 25 games in all competitions this season, and Klopp won’t want to rely on the elder statesman too much.
Fans did question the decision to allow Clyne to join Bournemouth on loan. Yes, there is cover in his position – but it’s always good to have a natural who can come in, rather than draft a defensively minded midfielder.
Palace have a pair of tricky wingers in Andros Townsend and Wilfried Zaha, who have made life difficult for some of the best full-backs in the league. There is no doubt that Alexander-Arnold will be missed, and despite the options that Klopp still has, this could be a decision that Liverpool fans come to regret.
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The youngster is out for four weeks. This next month is going to be a nervous time for Reds and Klopp.