Liverpool’s pre-season schedule has taken them to Asia, Germany and Austria, with their return to England featuring a double-header in the space of 26 hours. Klopp and co. have tried to squeeze as much as they can out of the packed summer schedule, leaving many to assume that the meeting in Strasbourg would be for those not heavily involved in the Community Shield. With the manager lamenting the time he has with his squad ahead of Fulham’s kick-off, the Strasbourg game seemed, on paper, the perfect opportunity to squeeze minutes into as many players as possible. But injury and illness have forced a change in plans for Liverpool, with nine academy players named in the 16-man squad. “When we planned this game then obviously we thought we had to do it for the first team really, for the first team players because normally today we could play the striker who didn’t start yesterday,” Klopp told the club. official webpage. “Diogo, Oxlade, Naby, Curtis and now on the day of the match Naby was sick and Curtis was feeling a little bit and we couldn’t take any risks and suddenly the team is very young and you play a very strong Strasbourg team” . The Reds’ injury list does not make good reading with Curtis Jones and Ibrahima Konate joining the likes of Costa Chimica, Diogo Jota, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Calvin Ramsey, Alisson, Caoimhin Kelleher and Kade Gordon. Naby Keita missed Sunday’s game through illness and is already ruled out for the trip to Fulham, while Konate was forced off in the second half with a knee complaint. “We don’t know exactly about Ibu,” Klopp said. “But it doesn’t seem too alarming, so hopefully we’ll catch it at the right time.” The list of names on the injury list combined with the players involved in the Community Shield explain the change in plans for Liverpool, taking no risk with the season now just days away.
