3 Liverpool Players Who Must Hit Form After International Break

While his national-team counterparts will have been looking for cohesion and quality in their ranks during the recent international sojourn, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was merely hoping for an injury-free break.

"You can see a few games but you can’t see all the games, so you have to get all the information you can get [from the players] and that’s what we want," the German told the club's official website.

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"Hopefully we get [some] very positive information and they come back healthy and we can start the finish of the season."

Despite injuries to Christian Benteke and Divock Origi, Klopp will be largely pleased with the condition of his squad after the international break—now, he must turn his attention towards their form, as he plots a strong finish to 2015/16.

While the Reds have performed to a high standard in recent weeks, there are a number of individuals in Klopp's selection that are struggling to find form in a Liverpool shirt and will need to do so as the Premier League reconvenes.

Here are three players who must hit form for Liverpool after the international break.

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Alberto Moreno

With Jose Enrique exiled in the under-21s setup, Brad Smith's introduction to the first team carefully managed by Klopp and Jon Flanagan spending the majority of the season out with a knee injury, Alberto Moreno has been Liverpool's only regular left-back for much of 2015/16.

After a promising start to the season, fighting his way back into the side following Joe Gomez's season-ending ACL injury, the 23-year-old has experienced a major downturn in form since the turn of the year, marred with lapses in concentration and tussles with his opposing winger, sparking Klopp's touchline ire.

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This could see Klopp add another left-back to his ranks this summer, with the Mirror's David Maddock suggesting Liverpool are exploring the possibility of signing FC Cologne's Jonas Hector in a deal worth £12 million.

The 25-year-old produced a pair of impressive displays for Germany during the international break and is a competent, all-round left-back capable of competing with Moreno to be Klopp's first choice.

The potential addition of Hector is unlikely to condemn Moreno to Merseyside obscurity, as the former Sevilla man certainly has the potential to develop into a strong Premier League left-back—particularly in the attacking third—but he will need to prove this before the summer, or risk dropping down the pecking order.

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James Milner

Bar an impressive display in Liverpool's 3-0 win at home to Manchester City, James Milner endured a disappointing March.

The 30-year-old was sent off in the Reds' 2-1 comeback win away to Crystal Palace, forced to operate out of position at left-back in their UEFA Europa League last-16 second leg against Manchester United and was then suspended for the 3-2 defeat at Southampton.

Compounding this, Milner produced a meagre performance captaining England against the Netherlands on Tuesday night, with his delivery from the flanks particularly poor as the Three Lions sank to a 2-1 defeat at Wembley Stadium.

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Largely deployed on the wing for Liverpool, Milner's best role still remains unclear—as does where he fits into Klopp's first-choice lineup, with the former City man behind Jordan Henderson and Emre Can in the midfield pecking order, and Adam Lallana, Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho further forward.

Reports of another high-profile summer target could see Milner slip further down, with the Express' Paul Joyce relaying the Reds' interest in Bayern Munich's Mario Gotze—with the 23-year-old possibly providing Liverpool with a new, more worthy incumbent for the legendary No. 7 shirt.

Less than a year after leaving City for Liverpool, Milner finds himself in a similar position to that at the Etihad Stadium—deputising at full-back. And with no guaranteed role, he must carve out a place in Klopp's first-choice selection before the summer.

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Jordon Ibe

Viewed as the ideal replacement for the Manchester City-bound Raheem Sterling at the beginning of 2015/16, Jordon Ibe kicked off the campaign in a regular role under Brendan Rodgers and continued his progress in the first months of Klopp's reign.

But now the 20-year-old is spending a spell on the sidelines, with Klopp limiting Ibe to just 47 minutes of league action since the beginning of February—whether that is due to form or a sensitive approach to youth management from the German remains to be seen.

A red card while on duty with the England under-21s saw Ibe receive a warning from manager Gareth Southgate, who told reporters this could harm his chances of a role in the squad in the future, owing to the competition for places on the flanks, as reported by the Mail's Dominic King.

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Ibe finds himself in a similar situation at Liverpool, with 18-year-old academy star Sheyi Ojo now closer to pushing for a first-team role, having made his league debut in the loss at St Mary's Stadium in March.

At the end of the month, the Guardian's Andy Hunter revealed Watford were exploring the possibility of signing Ibe this summer, and while it is unlikely the former Wycombe Wanderers man would leave Merseyside at this stage, having signed a new five-year contract in May, this should be a warning sign.

As with Moreno, time is on Ibe's side, but with Gotze a possible player to arrive this summer, he needs to prove his worth to Klopp—or risk losing his place.

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