Liverpool’s Brazilian Contingent Faces Tight Window To Prepare For Tottenham

The international break once again makes things awkward for top players at Premier League clubs.

The international break has always been an occurrence that elicits mixed feelings from club supporters around the world. On the one hand, selection for international duty is a sort of confirmation that a club’s players are among the best of the best (albeit for a specific country), and it’s an honor that clearly means a great deal to most players, so it’s good to see them happy.

On the other hand, international duty always brings with it the shadow of unexpected injuries and occasionally long travel times, all of which is potentially somewhat disruptive to the club squad. It’s something that Liverpool have always had to deal with, and as the club makes strides in developing and assembling their squad, the number of first team players affected by the break naturally remains significant.

Liverpool’s current Brazilian contingent - Roberto Firmino, Alisson Becker, and Fabinho - have all been selected for duty with the Seleção during the current round of friendlies, which means that they may be involved in some manner in matches against the United States and El Salvador on September 8 and September 12. FedExField in Maryland will host the latter match.

As soon as that match wraps up on the east coast of the United States, those players will have to catch a flight back to the United Kingdom. While it’s not exactly the longest of hauls, it still means that group will likely have limited participation in training sessions once they touch down. All in all, probably not an ideal for Jürgen Klopp as he prepares his squad for a crucial test against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley just days later on September 15.

It’s not something Klopp hasn’t dealt with before, and other clubs have their own international leaving for duty. As always, the best that supporters can hope for is for players not to pick up knocks, and for travels to be smooth sailing. Liverpool have a challenging couple of months ahead, and fortune, for better or for worse, always tends to play a role during these stretches.

Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com