Arne Slot will have his fingers crossed for the best part of a fortnight now as his Liverpool players are whisked off for international duty and into the care of their respective nations. September’s break coincided with a foot fracture for Harvey Elliott while on duty with England’s Under-21s and players picking up issues while turning out for their countries is not an entirely new problem at Anfield.
So some trepidation will be understandable for Slot and his backroom staff, particularly given the huge games that await the Premier League leaders later this month.
Looking at what sort of team Slot may field on the other side of the break, at home to Chelsea on October 20, is a difficult one just now, but it is safe to assume Alisson Becker will miss out after a hamstring issue at Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Caoimhin Kelleher missed the game at Palace through illness but will return to deputise once more for Alisson, meaning Vitezslav Jaros will keep his place on the substitutes’ bench after his Premier League debut at the weekend. Kelleher is widely regarded as one of the finest back-ups in the top flight, so the Ireland international is the obvious candidate while Alisson recovers.