Liverpool pair Joe Gomez and Danny Ings will miss the rest of the campaign due to knee injuries
Highly-rated German boss Jurgen Klopp has barely had time to settle into the manager’s chair at Liverpool, yet he has lost two players to season-ending injuries.
Defender Joe Gomez and striker Danny Ings will both miss the rest of the campaign after picking-up anterior cruciate ligament injuries in the last week.
It is not the news that Klopp would have hoped for going into his first game as Reds boss against Tottenham on Saturday.
Promising
Gomez and Ings are both regarded as promising young players for the Reds. Gomez had started the Reds first five Premier League games this season at left-back, before former-boss Brendan Rodgers decided to change his tactics and his starting line-up.
The former-Charlton youngster showed that even at 18-years of age he does have the attributes to make it in the English top-flight.
Danny Ings has only recently got into the Reds starting line-up after the aforementioned change of tactics by Rodgers. However he was starting to look the part in the Reds attack. Ings had scored twice in his last three Premier League appearances for Liverpool.
However it was his work-rate and sheer energy that had impressed Reds fans. It obviously impressed England boss Roy Hodgson, who decided to hand Ings his first cap earlier this week.
The injury is a massive blow to the striker, as it seemed he was just winning round Liverpool fans, especially after scoring in the Merseyside derby against Everton.
Injuries
Klopp has arrived on Merseyside when Liverpool has a number of key players on the sidelines. Midfielder and captain Jordan Henderson is currently sidelined, along with Brazilian playmaker Roberto Firmino and Belgian striker Christian Benteke, although the former-Villa striker is expected to return in the near future.
All three of the players mentioned would likely be in Klopp’s starting eleven if they were fit. Henderson has proven a vital player over the past couple of seasons for the Reds and that is why he was handed the captaincy on Steven Gerrard’s departure.
Benteke has the ability to frighten the life out of most defenders in the Premier League. If Klopp can get the best out of the Belgian striker he could be a very good signing for the Reds.
Firmino did not have much time to prove himself for the Reds before picking-up an injury. The Brazilian looked like a top player in the Bundesliga with Hoffenheim. Klopp has already stated his admiration for the Brazilian and will no doubt attempt to integrate the playmaker into the starting eleven.
Injuries to key or expensive player’s means that Klopp is not starting his reign as Reds boss with his strongest possible squad. He may have to wait a while before being able to call on his strongest starting eleven, which is not ideal for the new Liverpool regime.
Objectives
The main objective for Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp this season has to be to look at challenging for the top four and the Champions League berths. The Reds may currently be tenth in the table, but they are just three points off fourth spot.
There is time for Klopp to recover the campaign, if he can get his ideas across quickly. It is very early in the campaign for the season to be written-off.
Foundation
When Liverpool does have all their players fit and healthy the Reds boss has a decent foundation from which to building a winning squad. Liverpool has not got a plethora of world-class players, but there are players that Klopp can no doubt attempt to get more out of.
The team seemed to have gone stale under Brendan Rodgers after a number of key departures from Anfield. The likes of Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge (when fit) are players who would arguably grace most sides in the Premier League.
Challenge
Jurgen Klopp has a major challenge on his hands reviving Liverpool’s flagging fortunes in the next couple of years. The fact that the German has started his Reds career with a squad full of injury problems is not ideal, but the former-Dortmund is unlikely to let that get in the way of resurrecting Liverpool.
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