Liverpool FC Thread #158:- We are Liverpool. This means more.

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Adam Lallana will miss Liverpool's trip to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday due to injury, but Simon Mignolet is fit to take his place in the matchday squad.

Lallana was forced to withdraw from international duty due to a groin strain and while the issue is not serious, it will keep him out of the Premier League encounter at Wembley.

Mignolet also came back early from the Belgium squad because of a hand injury, but has returned to full training at Melwood this week.

Jürgen Klopp told his pre-match press conference on Friday morning: “Simon is OK, he trained completely normally. We gave him the rest he needed with the finger issue. It is fine, he has trained normally, catching balls all fine.

“Goalies are pretty hard in that; they’re used to a little pain in their hands and fingers. He’s trained good.

“Adam is on a good way. It’s obviously not too serious but he is not available for the weekend and maybe not for the next week [and] then I hope he can be back.”

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Jürgen Klopp explained why only circumstances have prevented Fabinho from making his Liverpool debut as he insisted the plan is for the Brazilian to make the team better.

The summer signing has yet to feature for the Reds since the season started as the manager kept faith with a settled side in winning four successive games before the international break.

But at his preview for Saturday’s clash with Tottenham Hotspur, Klopp opened up on the factors involved in the situation and stressed his belief in Fabinho’s potential.

“I don’t like to compare players but, to be honest, we had similar questions and similar things to talk about around Robbo and about Ox,” said the boss.

“The thing is, it’s absolutely no problem. I don’t like the situation; it’s not that I like to say to Fabinho, who is full of energy and desire and wants to be involved, ‘you are not involved this weekend’. That’s not nice, it’s only the job to do sometimes.

“We have players that worked together now for much longer; he comes from another league, a completely different system which Monaco played, to us. We have a good team together so that takes time.

“But the plan was, and is still, that he will make us better. That’s what we are working on. That sometimes needs more time, sometimes a bit less.

“From my point of view, it’s all fine. I know the situation is not like maybe a few people would have expected but sorry, I cannot change that.”

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As Liverpool prepare to begin a run of seven games in just 23 days, Jürgen Klopp has acknowledged he'll be required to utilise the depth of his squad to navigate the upcoming period.

The Reds fielded the same line-up for the first three games of 2018-19 before making just one change last time out at Leicester City.

However, with a forthcoming streak of games that begins with a trip to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday and is followed by Champions League encounters with Paris Saint-Germain and Napoli, the start of the Carabao Cup and Premier League clashes with Southampton, Chelsea and Manchester City, Klopp admits he’ll need to carefully monitor the condition of his players and make alterations to his starting XI along the way.

Asked whether Liverpool are likely to rotate their line-ups over the coming weeks, the boss told his pre-match press conference: “Of course, we have to. We will see exactly how we can do it.

“It is a big misunderstanding that we will plan for the game tomorrow and [also] think about the game after and the game after. That’s too complicated; you have to go into the next game and see who you can choose. That’s it – you always try to have your best team.

“It is clear, with numbers [from] games and all that stuff – we get so much information after a game, which you [the media] don’t have – you see how players react in different situations. We have to do that, we have to rotate – [but] I don’t know if we’d call it ‘rotation’.

“The first three games were the same line-up and then we changed one position. It is to gain the points, have a good start, to create the basis and all that stuff, it is not about looking at how is he and how he is. We used the players who had the longest pre-season pretty much; apart from Bobby, who came pretty late, they all had at least three weeks. The two up front, plus Bobby, and then all the others had a normal break pretty much.

“That’s good, they had a normal break and then started pre-season with us, so they were the most stable players in the squad and that’s why we used them. After four weeks, when the fitness levels looked quite OK – it got better and better for one player or another – then we had to send them away [on international duty].

“Now they have come back – the last ones came back yesterday – and today we train, then we make a line-up for tomorrow. Mauricio Pochettino has the same issue to get ready for the game tomorrow, that’s how it is. We all have to make constantly the best of what we’ve got.”

Upcoming fixtures...

Sept 15: Tottenham (a)
Sept 18: PSG (h)
Sept 22: Southampton (h)
Sept 26: Chelsea (h)
Sept 29: Chelsea (a)
Oct 3: Napoli (a)
Oct 7: Man City (h)

One area that may be subject to changes over the coming week is Liverpool’s defence.

So far, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson have started all four games, but with Dejan Lovren on the comeback trail after injury and Nathaniel Clyne, Joel Matip and Alberto Moreno all vying to come into contention, Klopp may have some decisions to make.

Quizzed specifically about Lovren’s potential comeback, the manager replied: “It feels like we have 500 games in the next seven weeks, so I hope I can make decisions!

“I really hope I have them all fit and I don’t have to make a difficult decision. The most difficult decisions are when you have no players and you have to think, ‘OK, how can we deal with that?’ When you have a lot of players then you can make decisions, good decisions, and that’s rather a luxury problem than anything else.

“I really hope he [Lovren] is back as soon as possible and then when Adam [Lallana] is back as well – Ox takes a little bit longer, of course – then we will have the squad together for the first time and that’s, for us, very, very important for the next few weeks.”

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Jurgen Klopp fires back at Gary Neville's recent Liverpool comments - inviting him to 'come over' to explain

Jurgen Klopp has issued a damning retort to Gary Neville's comments on Liverpool's upcoming Champions League campaign, inviting the former Manchester United man to 'come over' to explain his theory.

The former England international told the Times earlier this week the Reds should seek to kick the Champions League 'into touch' this season to increase their chances of title glory.

Neville said: "The Champions League - if I was Liverpool , I would kick it into touch.

"I know that’s very hard to do but if they could go into February, March, April without it, I think they could have a real chance if they had free weeks.

"Why? I think their method is exhausting for the front three. The drop in quality below them, if there are injuries or playing Wednesday, Saturday, I think it will take its toll."

But Klopp was having little of the suggestion, insisting his club will fight on every front possible this season.



"How should that work? We don't play Champions League, or what?" he said. "Gary should come over and tell me exactly how that works.

"How do you prepare for a game when you don't focus on it? Bring your kids into the Champions League, that would be funny.

"I don't know what he means, to be honest. We have to play football. A lot of people play our games when we play Champions League football and that's our job, that we do the best we can do in all those games.

"That's what we try. We will see."

Liverpool finished runners-up in last season's Champions League final, but managed to win just two of their final seven league games.

Despite that, they finished in the top four to confirm consecutive qualifications in the European Cup.

And though Klopp was reluctant to be too critical, he did fire back at the Sky Sports man.

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Liverpool make one change to their starting line-up for this afternoon’s Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley.

Naby Keita is restored to the team in midfield in place of Jordan Henderson, who is on the bench.

Fabinho is also named among the substitutes.

Liverpool:

Alisson

Alexander-Arnold Gomez Van Dijk Robertson

Milner Wijnaldum Keita

Salah Firmino Mane

Subs: Mignolet, Fabinho, Henderson, Sturridge, Moreno, Shaqiri, Matip.

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Jurgen Klopp responds to Gareth Southgate frustration over Liverpool striker Dominic Solanke

Jurgen Klopp insists that Liverpool striker Dominic Solanke is in the right place to continue his development.

England boss Gareth Southgate has voiced his frustration over the 21-year-old's lack of game time for the Reds.

Solanke, who made his senior international debut against Brazil last November, has yet to feature in a matchday squad for Liverpool so far this season with Roberto Firmino and Daniel Sturridge ahead of him in the pecking order.

However, Klopp says Solanke's time will come with Saturday's trip to Tottenham kicking off a gruelling run of seven games in the space of 22 days.

"It's not a perfect situation, that is clear," Klopp said.

"He is a young striker and young strikers generally need longer in a big club. If you're a young striker at another club and you don't perform and you don't score then it can be career-threatening because no-one in this world is patient enough.



"But it is all fine for Dom. He didn't play as often as he wished, I can imagine that, but he is still developing and still improving. He had good games last season, not enough minutes that is true, but he is still young and will have enough minutes in his career.

"When we cannot use him as a striker, we still work with him to try and fulfil his potential. I think we are really on a good way with that. We don't have a problem with young English players not being involved often enough."

Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez are currently regulars for Liverpool and Klopp doesn't see any reason why fellow England youngster Solanke, who made 27 appearances for the Reds last season, needs to consider his future.

"There is no pressure," Klopp added. "I don't like to talk about what other people said, but Dom Solanke is a fantastic young player.

"Our situation here is that we have four players in Bobby, Daniel, Divock (Origi) and Dom. We have this squad and we need it.

"If Dom works hard – and that is all what he needs to do to secure the rest of his career – then everything will be fine because of his talent and his skills.

"I don't know exactly where Harry Kane was at the same stage of his career but it was all over the country playing and not playing. I remember a picture of Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy sitting on the bench for Leicester. They obviously didn't start that day but they made their way.

"It is really difficult for strikers to get the one spot or one of the two. We are still 100% sure everything will be fine for Dom."

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Attacking approach from Klopp

I thought Klopp might have gone for the experience and solidity of Henderson, Milner and Wijnaldum but he’s gone more attacking with Keita back in for Henderson. It’s a bold move. Keita started the season so well but wasn’t great against Brighton and then lost his place. This is a big day for the young Guinea international.