Injuries mounting as LFC shifts focus back to Europe

Injuries are a natural part of football, but Liverpool are in the midst of a rough stretch where they are losing key names at a crucial point of the season. Diogo Jota and Alisson Becker are joining Andy Robertson on the shelf.

This is to say nothing of Thiago who has yet to feature this season or the young Stefan Bajcetic who has been limited as well.

The depth of the Reds is being tested at an inopportune time. As I have noted previously, this is going to be a crucial stretch of the season for Liverpool with matches coming thick and fast. The fixture list is a headache on its own without a rash of injuries.

Even more is going to be asked of the likes of Mohamed Salah and Virgil Van Dijk. However, this also provides an opportunity for Cody Gakpo to reignite his campaign.

The Dutchman has been in middling form for most of this term, but he will certainly now see significant game action on a regular basis. Jurgen Klopp will need him at his best.

As the club shifts its attention back to the Europa League, there's the thought of perhaps resting key names. Yet, the defeat to Toulouse means nothing is secured yet so we could still see a fairly strong lineup against LASK.

If Liverpool can come through that largely unscathed then the focus shifts to Fulham on Sunday in the Premier League. Klopp and his staff will now go into every match on a razors edge cringing with every knock his lads take.

Liverpool still have a plethora of elite talent at their disposal, but the cupboards are becoming a bit more barren in terms of alternate solutions on tougher days.

This could also mean more looks for someone like Ben Doak who has been battling his own fitness issues recently. Without question it will be all hands on deck in the foreseeable future for Liverpool.

We all want to win as many things as we can, dealing with availability issues like this comes with the territory. There are few managers that are comfortable working in these tough moments, but Klopp is one of them.

Injuries are starting to make things a bit more complicated at Anfield, but there is still enough star power standing to make sure things don't fall off the rails. Maybe invest in some bubble wrap just in case though.