Liverpool is in bad shape right now. The domestic performance has been rocky at best. At the same time, the team may have to battle through many challenges with Luis Diaz suffering a knee injury during his match against Arsenal where Liverpool lost 3-2. Sadly, Trent Alexander-Arnold also was hurt during the same game and will be out for two weeks.
One is much worse than the other
Losing Alexander-Arnold is not a big deal due to multiple reasons. For starters, Trent is a great player, but he occupies a position that can be filled with subs without losing the peak performance of the team. Secondly, a two-week absence is not something that Liverpool cannot manage. The team will be able to play normally by slightly shifting its strategy and focusing more on defensive plays if they are really afraid that the right side won’t hold without the reliability provided by Trent.
On the other hand, losing Luis Diaz is a bigger loss. The Colombian player just recently arrived at Liverpool from Porto and already has shown some great results. With only 21 appearances, the winger already scored 7 times and showed that his presence on the field is not something to scoff at. He is certainly a big improvement for the team that allows Liverpool to stay competitive. Jurgen Klopp believes that the player is out for six-eight weeks.
Colombia did not qualify for the World Cup final meaning that the player will have sufficient time to rest and get in shape. Hopefully, no long-term problems will emerge during the recovery. Klopp mentioned that Diaz had issues with his ankle and that the knee injury could create additional problems.
The team has a very hard schedule
In upcoming weeks, Liverpool will face Manchester City which has been quite dominant and just dealt with Southampton in a 4-0 victory. Leeds United won’t be an easy walk too. In the international arena, Liverpool will meet Ajax and Napoli. Without Luis Diaz, it could be a rough series of matches that Liverpool won’t have enough firepower to win.
