Arne Slott was given his first consistent playing time for Liverpool before the October international break, but he will be looking to play the same amount of games with just one day left to play upon his return.
Between the first and second international breaks of the season, the Reds played seven games in 22 days, winning six and losing one.
The Liverpool manager had to embrace rotation, which ultimately led him to make an average of 4.2 changes between matches. But a win over West Ham in the League Cup inflated those figures.
Excluding cup matches, he averaged 2.2 XI changes and 4.2 substitutions during a match.
Enzo Maresca’s side return to action against Chelsea on Sunday when they travel to Anfield for a late afternoon kick-off. This begins the decisive match.
Chelsea are currently in fourth place and have beaten their opponents 10-2 in each of their three away games. They will believe they can win at L4.
A win here would go a long way to boosting momentum and set the tone before the squad leaves Anfield. Slot has put his team in a good position, so there’s no reason for this game not to be exciting.
3 times in a row at home
The Chelsea game, which starts on Sunday, gives Slot some extra time to help the national team get back into shape before three away games in a week.
Liverpool will then travel to Leipzig, London and Brighton. This amounts to 1,698 kilometers of air travel back-to-back as the team competes in three different competitions.
That makes 4 games in just 11 days!
If Slot’s side are still fit and healthy, the rotation will surely be in play in a League Cup tie. And we’ll soon find out if a trophy is off the cards or if a Wembley match is even possible.
So this is undoubtedly a deciding game for the Reds. A win at Leipzig would take them a step closer to avoiding a two-game play-off in the Champions League, while picking up a point against Arsenal in the league would be a huge boost.
They will have to do so without Alisson, who is not expected to return until after the November international break. At least Liverpool have a class 2 to fall back on in his absence!
The away trip to the Emirates is what gives us the strongest evidence yet of Liverpool’s credentials, it will shape our expectations and we say bring it on! It couldn’t get any worse than last season, right?
Arsenal that Consistency will be key in this particular match and circulation will play a big part in what the scoreboard reads at the end of each 90 minutes.
And three bounced at Anfield.
After a whirlwind week of travel, Liverpool can at least put down roots at Anfield before the third and final international break of 2024. Yes, sadly it can be. one more.
Liverpool will be very familiar by the time they come to Brighton and you would at least think that their priority should be three points in the league rather than progressing to the League Cup.
But we won’t mind either!
Xabi Alonso will then return as manager for the first time and will require his team to give Liverpool their best and be full of energy. This may be declining at this stage.
Aston Villa will do the same just a few days later, but at least they also have the promise of a midweek trip to Brugge, giving the slot team one day less time to prepare.
Whether it’s 12 league points, cup progression or a chance to secure a place in the top eight of the Champions League, every game counts.
Slot has made it clear at every opportunity that his team has yet to sustain testing. But this is about to change. We’ll know more about what’s possible in the coming weeks.
Some compromises may be necessary, but Liverpool have given us strong signs that they can bounce back together from setbacks and back-to-back results despite having little downtime.
Three weeks of Premier League, Champions League and League Cup matches. You know what to do, Liverpool!
