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Arne Slot will have breathed a sigh of relief after Sunday’s World Cup qualifiers concluded.
The final whistle in games involving Germany and the Netherlands signalled confirmation that four of his most trusted players had ended the international injury free. Virgil van Dijk, Ryan Gravenberch, Cody Gakpo, and Florian Wirtz should now all be in line to start at Turf Moor when Liverpool faces Burnley.
Ensuring that his players return without any knocks or niggles while away with their nations will be Slot’s overriding thought during the break, although he will be delighted to see Wirtz net a sublime free-kick for Germany, Hugo Ekitike earn a debut for France, and Andy Robertson keep a clean sheet for Scotland in recent days.
But perhaps Conor Bradley’s involvement for Northern Ireland was the biggest boost of all. The right-back’s injury issues are well documented, with some concerned it may ultimately prevent him from taking the mantle of Liverpool’s first-choice right-back following Trent Alexander-Arnold’s summer exit.
That he has managed just over 20 minutes this season due to a preseason injury hasn’t helped Bradley’s cause.
Yet, the 22-year-old managed to start both of Northern Ireland's games over the break against Luxembourg and Germany. He played 90 minutes in Cologne on Sunday, the first time Bradley had completed a full match since June.
He should, therefore, be an option to start against Burnley on Sunday, even if the academy graduate will face competition from Dominik Szoboszlai, who has performed so admirably in that role over the last two games when Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong were both unable to start.
The latter was the only player missing for the fixture against Arsenal at the end of August, a fact underlined when Alexander Isak strolled around a quiet AXA Training Centre on transfer deadline day
Only those undergoing rehab were present from the first-team squad; the record-breaking arrival was greeted by just Stefan Bacjcetic and Frimpong as he signed for the Reds.
But given Slot said he expects Frimpong to be back after the international break, the ex-Bayer Leverkusen star could also potentially be an option at Turf Moor.
That would leave the Liverpool head coach blessed with options at an important stage of the season; he’ll need as many players as possible for a run of seven games in 21 days.
Given Bradley started pre-season as first-choice right-back and Frimpong played in his absence during the first two matches of the season, the prospect of deploying Szoboszlai elsewhere may seem obvious.
Yet, where exactly Liverpool’s No. 8 fits into Slot’s system following the arrival of Wirtz is unclear. A midfield pairing of Alexis Mac Allister and Gravenberch appears to be his preferred choice, so selecting Szoboszlai in a defensive role could suddenly have much more merit.
It’s an issue Slot will be wrestling with ahead of the Burnley game. A welcome problem, admittedly, with Liverpool expected to have three reliable options at right-back over the coming weeks.
After that, Slot’s long-term plans for Liverpool without Alexander-Arnold will become clearer.
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