The euphoric moments in Madrid last season are still fresh in the minds of the fans but European Champions Liverpool have already started their pre-season for the upcoming campaign.
Jurgen Klopp is a manager who wants every player in his squad to have a proper pre-season under their belt but this season, a few of their first-team stars could miss, not only a bit of the pre-season but also a couple of games at the start of the league campaign.
Liverpool have decided to give at least a three-week break to every player from their last international outing. They play their first pre-season friendly against Tranmere Rovers on the 11th of this month and Klopp might already be planning for life without his superstars, early next season.
Roberto Firmino and Alisson Becker are both fresh from winning the Copa America and might not be available at the start of the campaign while Mohamed Salah might also struggle to return in time. Xherdan Shaqiri, Naby Keita and Caoimhin Kelleher are currently struggling with injuries and might not be trusted even if they are fully fit in time.
Sadio Mane, whose dream of winning the AFCON is still achievable, is also expected to miss the start of the season. So how will Liverpool line up in their first few league games in the absence of stars busy on international duty?
Defence
With Alisson doubtful, Liverpool have Simon Mignolet as the only other option in goal. The Belgian may yet quit the club before the start of the campaign, leaving Liverpool with Kamil Grabara (Caoimhin Kelleher is injured) as the only other name between the sticks.
Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez are both back in training and deserve to start the campaign as a pair at the heart of the defence for the Reds. Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold will both look to pick up from where they left off last season, giving Klopp a chance to field his strongest backline.
Midfield
Fabinho Tavares was not a part of the Brazil squad that lifted the Copa America trophy earlier this week. The former AS Monaco man is expected to be one of the first names on the team sheet for Klopp next season. He should start in the deepest of the midfield roles for most of those games.
Skipper Jordan Henderson, who did not have the greatest of times at the Nations League, will be a part of the midfield. He should be partnered with Georginio Wijnaldum, who should also be back in time for a proper pre-season.
Attack
With Mane not expected to feature, Klopp might be tempted to use Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain on the wing. The English midfielder will have a full pre-season under his belt to work with and could be useful in that role.
On the other wing should be Adam Lallana, who is back in training already. The English ace will have a great chance to make a name for himself early on and could be a huge asset for Klopp, for the upcoming campaign.
Roberto Firmino’s absence should give Liverpool’s unsung hero Divock Origi a chance to lead the attack right from the first game. Origi was also linked with an exit recently, which will leave Rhian Brewster as the only other striker in the squad for Klopp but we expect the Belgian to stay with the Reds for the next season at the very least.
The likes of Joel Matip, Dejan Lovren and James Milner should also be ready to step up if needed. Youngsters like Rhian Brewster and Harry Wilson may yet make this team if they are impressive enough in the pre-season games.
Here is how they might lineup:
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