How Can Liverpool Combat Their Mounting Injury Problems?

Liverpool bounced back from their poor performance against West Ham United at the weekend to beat Stoke City in the first leg of the League Cup semi-final and take a 1-0 advantage back to Anfield.

Jordon Ibe scored what proved to be the match-winning goal, finishing a good move that saw debate over whether Joe Allen's pass was meant for the youngster.

Ibe was only on the pitch to fill in for the injured Philippe Coutinho, who limped off after just 18 minutes with his second hamstring injury in three months.

Coutinho would be followed down the Britannia Stadium tunnel by another player before Ibe found the net in the 37th minute, as Dejan Lovren became the 11th player on Liverpool's injury list and the 12th hamstring injury suffered since Klopp took over just under three months ago.

It's an injury crisis that Dutch fitness coach and former Wales assistant manager Raymond Verheijen predicted:

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Sad to see the muscle injuries accumulating at Liverpool FC after Jurgen Klopp arrived. Sad but very predictable. pic.twitter.com/YaOrBQ8JeS

— Raymond Verheijen (@raymondverheije) January 5, 2016"

With six players now currently sidelined with hamstring injuries—Coutinho, Lovren, Martin Skrtel, Divock Origi, Jordan Rossiter and Daniel Sturridge—questions may arise over why this has occurred.

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Midfielder Adam Lallana says it's not because of changed training methods under Klopp, telling the Liverpool Echo post-match: 

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Sometimes you are just unlucky with injuries and we've had a lot of bad luck recently.

I know from my time at Liverpool that we've got a world-class medical team here. We certainly can't point the finger at anyone.

We have had a change of manager this season. When that happens lads look to impress more and give more.

But I don't think these injuries have got anything to do with any changes to our training.

We've had so many games recently that we've mainly been doing recovery sessions between games so it's not as if the training has been really intensive. You can't blame that.

"

However, with Klopp having changed the training times—more sessions take place in the afternoon under his management—and having reduced the amount of days off during the week, as reported by Chris Bascombe of the Telegraph, you can certainly ponder whether this has had an effect.

"We need to train for as often and for as long as it is possible," Klopp told Bascombe in October, words that may come back to haunt the German.

Speaking after the defeat to West Ham, Klopp said, "Physical problems come when you get tired in the mind, then the body follows." It's a claim that sports scientists will highly dispute, as tiredness comes when muscles are overworked and not well rested.

“Nobody today was tired," said Klopp—despite the West Ham game being the early kick-off on Saturday after an evening kick-off at Sunderland on Wednesday and nine of those players playing in both games.

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However, three days and three changes later, Liverpool produced a performance that proved Klopp's words correct. At Stoke, the Reds exhibited an energy and work ethic that was missing at Upton Park.

Liverpool pressed better, especially in the first half, and didn't allow Stoke to get into their passing game. Much of this could be attributed to the omission of Christian Benteke. The Belgian isn't suited to the pressing game, and pressing must occur as a collective effort of the team. When one player doesn't do it, the press won't happen.

Plan of Action

On top of those six players with hamstring injuries, Liverpool are also without Mamadou Sakho (knee), Jordan Henderson (foot), plus long-term absentees Danny Ings, Joe Gomez and Jon Flanagan.

Flanagan made his return to the under-21 squad this week, playing 45 minutes on Tuesday. But he is still far from full match fitness after 19 months on the sidelines.

Klopp will be hoping Kolo Toure is able to feature against Exeter City on Friday after he suffered a cramp in the latter stages against Stoke. The 34-year-old was superb alongside Lucas Leiva in a makeshift centre-back pairing after Lovren departed.

Speaking after the match, Klopp admitted that the injury situation could force him into the transfer market, saying: "In this situation with no centre-backs fit I would say [transfers] is something we could look at."

Martin Meissner/Associated Press

Schalke centre-back Joel Matip, who has been linked with a summer move on a free transfer, is one that supporters would like to see arrive early—a move that Sky Sports claimed earlier that Liverpool were interested in making earlier this week.

With Matip not expected to sign a new deal at the German club, Liverpool could acquire him for a small fee now.

There are other options available to Klopp, particularly in defence where cover is desperately short. Earlier this week, the Liverpool Echo reported that Portuguese centre-back Tiago Ilori could have his Aston Villa loan cut short early and return to Liverpool this month.

Ilori is a strange one, having impressed at the UEFA Euro U21s with Germany in the summer he moved to Villa with a view to a permanent deal after this season. But midway into the campaign, he's yet to make his debut for the Midlands club after multiple niggling injuries and a managerial change.

Ilori is a ball-playing centre-back and stands at 6' 3". In theory, he's the perfect centre-back for Klopp.

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Another loaned player Klopp could turn to is Andre Wisdom, who has been in and out of the Norwich City side and deployed at right-back. He has experience from spells with Derby County and West Bromwich Albion, plus the England U21s. He'd certainly be better back at Anfield, where he can at least cover for Nathaniel Clyne at right-back. 

Both those deals involved fees, so some negotiation would need to take place in order to cut them short. But with neither playing regularly, it would seem mutually agreeable to terminate them early.

Unfortunately, none of these potential signings will happen in time for Friday's FA Cup third-round trip to Exeter—meaning Klopp will no doubt have to continue with the Toure-Lucas pairing in defence.

Emre Can is another option there, but the German has made more appearances than any other Liverpool player this season and could certainly benefit from a rest ahead of huge games against Arsenal and Manchester United the following week.

It's with those two games in mind that Klopp must be brave enough to make wholesale changes and field plenty of youngsters against the League Two side—no matter the circumstances.

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Brad Smith can come in at left-back, Connor Randall at right-back, Pedro Chirivella and Cameron Brannagan are options in midfield, Joao Carlos Teixeira should come into contention, while Ryan McLaughlin—back from loan at Aberdeen—could be a surprise inclusion in the attacking quartet.

There are options available to Klopp, even if they aren't great options. But opportunities can arise for players to impress.

Twelve hamstring injuries in three months should set alarm bells ringing somewhere, and a thorough review should take place as to why it has occurred. This is the first time Klopp has had to contend with the festive fixtures and no winter break, perhaps he needs to reassess his approach ahead of his first full season in England.