21 February 2024 , 07:22
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The one Liverpool manager of the past so easily comparable with Jurgen Klopp is Bill Shankly. Deeply charismatic, transformative, adopted sons of the city.
And winners, too. But if there is one Shankly feat that Klopp never had a chance of repeating, it was the 1965-66 title win. Or, to be more specific, repeating the nature of the 1965-66 title win.
Yes, of course, Klopp has won a title, the 2019-20 Premier League, and he might well add another in three months time. But when Shankly led Liverpool to First Division glory 58 years ago, he did it using only FOURTEEN players in the entire season.
That is not just the First Division but across all competitions, and, in that season, Liverpool reached the final of the European Cup Winners Cup.
Bear in mind, the old First Division was a 22-team competition, although to be fair, Liverpool were knocked out of the FA Cup in the third round (the holders losing 2-1 at home to Chelsea) and did not enter the League Cup.
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Still, including the Charity Shield, that still meant Shankly used only 14 men in FIFTY-THREE matches. Thirty-eight games into the 2023-24 season and Klopp has already used THIRTY-ONE men.
But while the game has moved in so many ways over the past six decades - meaning any comparison can only be for quirky amusement - one of the reasons for Klopp using so many players is an injury list that has consistently hovered around the double-figure mark.
In one of a series of recent injury blows, Diogo Jota is set to miss the rest of the season (Getty Images)In fact, ahead of Wednesday night’s Premier League game against Luton Town, Klopp could have fielded an alternative eleven of players carrying one form of injury or not.
Of this line-up of players under treatment, only Darwin Nunez has a chance of making it against Rob Edwards’ side this evening. Here is the injured XI: Alisson - Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joel Matip, Rhys Williams - Stefan Bajcetic, Thiago Alcantara, Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones - Ben Doak, Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota.
Don’t forget, there is also a doubt over the participation of Mohamed Salah, who is only just back from an eight-game absence with a hamstring issue. While Liverpool’s injured list has to be seen as a little freakish, it is also gives even more weight to Klopp’s concerns that the demands of the football’s global calendar are excessive.
They are concerns echoed by players’ representatives, with the PFA chief executive Maheta Molango recently saying: “The continued expansion of the competition calendar, both at club and International levels, is pushing players behind their limits. Players are literally at breaking point.”
Mohamed Salah marked his comeback from injury with a goal at Brentford but is reported to have suffered a slight reaction (Kieran McManus/REX/Shutterstock)Considering the problems that have struck his squad this season, you can imagine Klopp would not disagree but, for now, he seems to be using the adversity as a spur in the club’s quest for silverware on FOUR fronts.
While Klopp has at least ten players unavailable through injury, the only enforced absentees from Pep Guardiola’s squad for the win over Brentford on Tuesday were Josko Gvardiol and Jack Grealish.
Mikel Arteta is missing five players from his squad for tonight’s Champions League fixture in Porto. Not that Klopp will use it is an excuse, saying: “As long as we have 11 players, we will go for it.”
And while a title win for Liverpool in 2023-24 would be in stark contrast to the one in 1965-66, it would, no doubt, be every bit as special.
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