After Jürgen Klopp sent shock waves on Friday morning, by afternoon it was back to business as Liverpool prepare to face Norwich in the FA Cup.
As he begins his final run as Liverpool manager, Klopp has players returning from injury and, with a bit of luck, will be able to bring them on against Norwich.
This would give Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dominik Szoboszlai more of a chance of being back to their best for next week’s fixtures, against Chelsea and Arsenal.
Here is who could miss out for Liverpool vs. Norwich:
Andy Robertson (shoulder) – available but not match fit
Dominik Szoboszlai (hamstring) – doubt but back in training
Trent Alexander-Arnold (knee) – doubt but back in training
Mohamed Salah (AFCON/hamstring) – unavailable
Wataru Endo (Asian Cup) – unavailable
Kostas Tsimikas (collarbone) – unavailable
Thiago (hip) – unavailable but light training
Stefan Bajcetic (growing pains) – unavailable
Ben Doak (MCL) – unavailable
Joel Matip (ACL) – unavailable
Since dislocating his shoulder, while on international duty in early October, Robertson has missed 22 Liverpool matches.
He made a surprise return to the squad, when he made the bench against Fulham on Wednesday.
He is likely to start as a substitute at Anfield, and will hopefully be able to get some game time if the Reds are winning comfortably in the second half.
While they haven’t been absent for anywhere near as long, the same could be said of Szoboszlai and Alexander-Arnold, though the latter is thought to be a couple of days behind the former in his recovery.
Klopp said they both have “a chance” of featuring in the FA Cup fourth round match.
Tsimikas is “actually fit,” Klopp said, but needs to wait for permission to resume contract training. Meanwhile, Thiago made a surprise return to the training pitch but isn’t in contention for Sunday.
Stefan Bajcetic, Joel Matip and Ben Doak all remain sidelined with various longer-term issues, while Mohamed Salah and Wataru Endo are out due to injury and international duty.
Goalkeepers: Alisson, Kelleher, Adrian, Mrozek
Defenders: Van Dijk, Konate, Gomez, Quansah, Bradley, Robertson, Beck, Phillips, Alexander-Arnold
Midfielders: Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, Jones, Elliott, Gravenberch, Clark, Nyoni, McConnell
Forwards: Gakpo, Diaz, Nunez, Gordon, Jota
