‘Couldn’t train’ – Klopp explains absence of key player in Liverpool starting line-up
The fixture between Manchester City and Liverpool on Saturday afternoon has become a modern-day Premier League classic and one in which both sides could do with three points for differing reasons.
Pep Guardiola’s side are hot on the heels of table-topping Arsenal, and any more dropped points would make City’s attempts to overhaul the Gunners more difficult.
The Reds are currently in sixth position and need the win to help their chances of qualifying for next Champions League.
After a season in which they’ve disappointed and will end up without any silverware, missing out on entry to European football’s premier tournament will underscore how poor Jurgen Klopp’s side have been during 2022/23.
Against City, the German would surely have liked to have fielded a full-strength XI, however, Darwin Nunez was only named on the bench.
Klopp’s reasoning for why that was, was detailed by Liverpool ECHO journalist, Paul Gorst:
Jurgen Klopp explains Darwin Nunez's absence today: "Darwin had a little problem. We knew it would be fine after the weekend, but he couldn't train for the first two days. That’s why we switched him out from the start."
— Paul Gorst (@ptgorst) April 1, 2023
Noting that the striker couldn’t train for two days is likely to have been a bit of a worry for the Reds, but with Diogo Jota the only realistic replacement, a player that, whilst injured for a time, hasn’t scored for the club this season per WhoScored, Klopp will have surely wanted to give Nunez every opportunity to make the starting XI.
If the Reds are unable to penetrate the City defence during the opening 45-60 minutes of the match, don’t be surprised to see Nunez on the pitch after the break to help unlock the door.
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