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Former Manchester City star Shaun Wright-Phillips thinks Liverpool can stay in the title race despite their injury troubles. The Reds are having an exceptional season so far as they remain at the top of the Premier League table, albeit by fine margins.
They are leading reigning champions Manchester City by just a point, whereas Arsenal are just two points behind the Merseysiders. However, their season could potentially be derailed by a string of injuries to key players.
At the moment, the Reds have as many as ten players either injured or doubtful, which is incredibly worrying. However, Shaun Wright-Phillips believes that Liverpool have enough quality and depth to get through the difficult period.
The former Manchester City and Chelsea winger insisted that Jurgen Klopp has managed the Reds incredibly well in the past under such circumstances. He insisted that unless the injuries are too lengthy, Liverpool should be able to navigate through.
Speaking on the Kelly & Wrighty show, the 42-year-old said, as quoted by Empire of the Kop:
“They’ve got enough to rotate, I think personally, if you use the team well. You’ll have to taper the way you train, of course, but they’ve done it before with less of a squad, with just the [starting] 11 and maybe two or three [others]."
The former England international added:
“As long as those injuries aren’t six/seven weeks or longer, I think they’ll be fine in terms of squad management.”
At the moment, Jurgen Klopp is without the services of Joel Matip, Diogo Jota, Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dominik Szoboszlai, Thiago Alcantara, Curtis Jones and Stefan Bajcetic. Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez are also not fully fit and are doubtful for the Reds' home game against Luton Town on Wednesday, February 21.
Rafael van der Vaart urges compatriot to stay at current club amid Liverpool interest
Former Netherlands international Rafael van der Vaart has urged compatriot Teun Koopmeiners to remain at Atalanta despite interest from top clubs across Europe. As reported by Inside Futbol, the midfield dynamo has emerged as a target for several top sides in Europe, including Liverpool and Juventus.
However, Rafael van der Vaart has claimed that Koopmeiners would be wise to stay where he is rather than join a bigger club. The former Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid playmaker claimed that the Dutchman will be just another player at a big club, whereas he is a key player for Atalanta. Van der Vaart said on Ziggo Sport’s programme Rondo, as quoted by Inside Futbol:
"I would stay if I were Koopmeiners. As a player, you always want more, but when I look at him and his qualities, and what I think he is, I think he is in the right place now. Of course, he will go and make a step, but I think this is it.
"Atalanta are a beautiful club, so it is certainly not an insult. It is better to be the big man at a slightly smaller club than ‘one of the’ at a bigger club. I think he is doing very well now because he is an important player.”
Koopmeiners has been excellent for Atalanta since joining the Serie A side in 2021 from his boyhood club AZ Alkmaar for a reported €12 million fee. The Liverpool target has so far made 106 appearances for La Dea, contributing with 23 goals and 12 assists.
