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

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Nineteen members of the Liverpool first-team squad will be in action for their countries during the September international break.

Three Reds are on England duty, with Joe Gomez recalled by Gareth Southgate alongside Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jordan Henderson.

Adam Lallana was initially included in the squad but withdrew on Tuesday after sustaining a groin injury in training and returning to the club.

The Three Lions face Spain at Wembley in a UEFA Nations League tie on Saturday September 8 before meeting Switzerland in a friendly at the King Power Stadium three days later.

Xherdan Shaqiri is part of the Swiss team for that game at the home of Leicester City and the Nations League encounter with Iceland which precedes it.



Reds striker Dominic Solanke has been called up by England U21s for European Championship qualifiers with the Netherlands (Thursday September 6) and Latvia (Tuesday September 11).

Curtis Jones, meanwhile, will be part of the England U18s group that faces the Dutch, Russia and France in the Limoges Tournament from Wednesday September 5 to Sunday September 9.

New Scotland captain Andy Robertson is set to lead his country in their friendly against Belgium on Friday September 7 before the Nations League opener at home to Albania three days later.



Goalkeeper Simon Mignolet is part of the Belgium squad for the match against the Scots and the Nations League fixture at Iceland on September 11.

In 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying, Naby Keita (Guinea), Sadio Mane (Senegal) and Mohamed Salah (Egypt) will feature for their countries against Central African Republic, Madagascar and Niger respectively.

Virgil van Dijk and Georginio Wijnaldum will represent the Netherlands as they play Peru in Amsterdam on September 6 and then take on World Cup winners France in the Nations League three days later.

Dejan Lovren, who has been sidelined since the start of the season with a pelvis issue, was included in the Croatia squad for games against Portugal (September 6) and Spain (September 11).

Alisson Becker, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino are with Brazil in the United States as Tite’s team begin their build-up to the 2019 Copa America by facing the Americans and then El Salvador on September 7 and 11 respectively.



Kamil Grabara has been called up to the Poland U21 squad for their European Championship qualifiers against Faroe Islands, on September 7, and Finland, four days later.

Portugal U19 international Rafael Camacho will link up with his country’s youth team again for a pair of friendlies with their Italian counterparts on September 7 and 10.

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Adam Lallana has withdrawn from the England squad and returned to Liverpool after sustaining a groin strain in training.

The Reds midfielder had been recalled to Three Lions duty by Gareth Southgate for games against Spain and Switzerland in the coming week.

However, England confirmed on Tuesday afternoon that Lallana requires further assessment on the groin issue and will not be involved in those matches.

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Simon Mignolet has withdrawn from the Belgium squad due to injury.

The Liverpool goalkeeper had been called up by Roberto Martinez for the friendly with Scotland and subsequent UEFA Nations League tie against Iceland.

But the injury has ruled Mignolet out of the fixtures with his country. The 30-year-old is expected to be available when the Reds return to action at Tottenham Hotspur next weekend, however.

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Mohamed Salah has claimed the first LFC Goal of the Month award of 2018-19 after you voted his effort against Brighton and Hove Albion as August's best.

The Egyptian settled a tight encounter with the Seagulls at Anfield by netting a precise curler from the right corner of the area midway through the first half.

That strike received the most votes in our online poll, ahead of Salah’s clinical finish and Alberto Moreno’s powerful drive in the friendly win over Napoli.

The top five was completed by the No.11’s close-range tap-in after a flowing team move against West Ham United and Sadio Mane’s breakaway goal at Crystal Palace.

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Jürgen Klopp insists Liverpool are still short of their top level despite opening the season with four consecutive wins in the Premier League.

An emphatic home victory over West Ham United on the first weekend was followed by gritty successes against Crystal Palace, Brighton and Hove Albion and Leicester City.

With 12 points gained, nine goals scored and only one conceded, the Reds paused for the international break at the summit of the table.

But Klopp warned his team won’t reach the peak of their powers until they have built up maximum fitness before the three-games-a-week cycle kicks off.

“The players are not at their top level yet. That is because we are in the early part of the season. It is normal,” said the Liverpool manager.

“Everybody should know we have a lot of work to do still, but if they don’t then I have told them. When you win four times it sounds really crazy to say this, but it is still part of the pre-season for a very long time after the summer.

“From mid-September, we play every three days. So we do the work now, and this is how it is – it is normal that you are not quite at 100 per cent in the games.”

The Reds return to action with a Premier League clash against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley on Saturday September 15 and begin their Champions League campaign by hosting Paris Saint-Germain three days later.

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Zidane on Reds

Zinedine Zidane praised Liverpool as a team that ‘never give up’ in an exclusive UEFA interview this afternoon.

Zidane managed Real Madrid to three successive Champions League titles - the last of which came against the Reds in Kiev in May - before resigning during the summer.

“They’re a counterattacking team that do a lot of pressing and are very quick to get the ball up to their three forwards when they win possession,” Zidane said. “They’re also a team that never give up.”

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Adam Lallana will be available to play again this month after a scan revealed the groin strain he sustained in England training on Tuesday to be minor.

The Liverpool midfielder withdrew from the Three Lions squad as a result of the issue, which is expected to sideline the 30-year-old only for the short-term.

Lallana should therefore come back into contention for the Reds before the end of September as they start their campaigns in the Champions League and Carabao Cup and resume action in the Premier League.

“It’s a minor setback, which isn’t ideal, as I’ve been in great shape until now, but it’s positive news that it’s only a brief lay-off,” the No.20 told Liverpoolfc.com.

“I’m pleased I’ll be back available for Liverpool, both domestically and in the Champions League during September, and then England again for the next break.

“I know I can make a significant contribution over the course of a long season and that’s where my focus will remain – with so much to play for.

“Doing my best and giving everything for my teammates, management and supporters of club and country is all that matters.”

Lallana also wished Gareth Southgate and England the best of luck as they prepare to host Spain in the UEFA Nations League at Wembley on Saturday and Switzerland in a friendly at the King Power Stadium next week.

“I’m back at Melwood now making sure my time off the pitch is as short as possible, so I’ll be supporting Gareth and the boys from up here,” he added.

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The prospect of raising money for charity while playing at Celtic Park excites James Milner.

Liverpool’s No.7 will captain a team managed by Jürgen Klopp in Saturday’s ‘Match for Cancer’, with the opposition being skippered by Stiliyan Petrov and led by Brendan Rodgers.

All proceeds from the game will go towards tackling cancer through three equal-beneficiary charities - the James Milner Foundation, Celtic FC Foundation and the Stiliyan Petrov Foundation.

And Milner, whose side is set to include the likes of Dirk Kuyt, Emile Heskey and Jamie Redknapp, is looking forward to playing his part in contributing to such a worthy cause.

“I appreciate the boys turning out, it’s going to be great fun hopefully and obviously it’s for a great cause. I’m sure it’ll be fun, we’ve got some great players there,” said the Reds midfielder.

“Stiliyan has had a charity game there before and there’s obviously some great names for the Celtic fans as well. Henrik Larsson is returning, among others.

“My team’s more of a Liverpool theme but there are some other names in there as well who I’ve played with from other clubs. So it should be a good game and hopefully good fun with plenty of quality players on show.

“It’s a great place to hold a game and the Celtic fans, we know how good they are and I’m sure they’ll turn out - most of them to see Stan in a Celtic shirt again.”

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Xabi Alonso is the hardest player Naby Keita has faced in his career to date.

The current Liverpool midfielder ranks the former Reds pass-master as his toughest previous opponent, with the pair having competed on two occasions while at Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig simultaneously.

For his part, Alonso described the Guinea international as ‘a big personality… an all-round midfielder’ when discussing his move to Anfield this summer.

The respect is mutual. Indeed, the experience of those head-to-head meetings left a lasting impression on Keita.

“When I used to play against Bayern, Xabi Alonso always used to give me a really hard time,” said the No.8 in a special interview in which he answered questions from Reds fans.

“He was so experienced, he made me suffer. The way he’d keep switching play just meant that you could never stop running. He was very intelligent.”