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Never before has the gap between the summer and winter transfer windows been so short.
For Liverpool fans, however, it still seems like an eternity.
The news that Thiago Alcantara is unlikely to meet again this year has dealt another blow to a red team already shaken by the long-term absences of Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, Xherdan Shaqiri, James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are also missing, and it’s easy to see why Ajax boss Erik ten Hag was asking if his side were favorites for Tuesday’s Champions League clash. at Anfield.
The relentless schedule means Liverpool need to negotiate eight more matches this month before the transfer window opens in January, giving Jurgen Klopp time to weigh evidence of the team’s need for reinforcement in January.
Until then, however, it will remain an addiction to strengthening from within, with the Academy’s teenage duo Rhys and Neco Williams both poised for further European exposure.
While center-back Rhys has been consistent in his outings this season, right-back Neco has endured a more difficult period, not helped by getting into such a key position with so many first-team regulars already sidelined.
He was hooked during half-time in Brighton on Saturday after he attracted unwanted social media abuse three days earlier following a tough match in the defeat to Atalanta.
Klopp, however, will have no qualms about turning to the Welshman tonight, while his namesake could make a third consecutive Champions League start if Joel Matip doesn’t take a chance.
And the head of the Reds pointed out a unique problem these youngsters have when they enter the Premier League and world champions first team.
“If someone is a Liverpool youth or academic player, they already have a lot of talent, otherwise they wouldn’t be able to make the cut,” he says.
“They are going through all these difficult times in their youth career and you are already used to some difficult situations and a bit of pressure, but when you make the final pass and play in a competitive match for the first team that is a different animal and I think that the boys adapted very well.
“They did a lot of really good things, they helped us, and most of all right now.
“The only problem they have from time to time is that people compare it to the guy who played the position before them – in our case world-class players – and that makes it hard for people to clearly see how talented these are. boys.
“But from my point of view they did really well.”
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Liverpool only need one point to advance to the knockout stage and if things go wrong at Anfield, the safety net of FC Midtjylland’s home win next week will still be enough to make it through.
Klopp would prefer the target reached as soon as possible to offer the possibility of a possible rotation in Denmark, even as circumstances dictate sweeping changes tonight against an Ajax undefeated since Liverpool’s 1-0 win in the Netherlands six weeks ago.
“I don’t have the players to prioritize,” says the Reds boss. “We played on Saturday and the fittest players for that match were on the pitch and it will be the case in this match because we don’t have the players making these kinds of decisions – and I’ve never made those kinds of decisions as all competitions are very important to we.
“I expect a tight match, Ajax are a very good team and since our match is flying more or less. Great results, clear at the top of the standings, some very talented players coming back “.
One player who will be asked to return is Andy Robertson, who was limited to a 30-minute cameo off the bench in last week’s 2-0 home loss to Atalanta.
And the Scottish national team has joined the growing chorus of governing bodies to help prevent the breakup of more players due to sheer workload.
“The schedule cannot change because we have to include all of these games in different competitions,” says Robertson. “We think about it, but maybe we could have a little more help.
“My manager was probably the most outspoken, but I know a lot of managers ask for five substitutions.
“It seems like every game I watch or every game I’m involved in someone gets injured with something
“I always go 100% of course! Some games you may need to adapt. But you can’t change everything and you can’t change too much. I hope I can stay as fit and healthy as I am now. “
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