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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Ian Doyle

Jurgen Klopp faces Virgil van Dijk conundrum as Liverpool ponder midfield overhaul

Liverpool maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a lively clash against fellow Premier League title hopefuls Chelsea on Saturday.

Mohamed Salah's penalty cancelled out Kai Havertz's opener as the Reds came from behind to earn a 1-1 draw against the 10-man visitors.

The international break means Liverpool now have to wait almost two weeks until their next game at Leeds United in the Premier League.

And here we look ahead to the changes Jurgen Klopp could make when his team are next in action.

READ MORE: Virgil van Dijk fumes as Anthony Taylor ignores Liverpool claims

Centre-back rotation?

Alisson Becker's impressive start to the season has cemented his position as undisputed number one between the sticks, and he will be among those to stay on Merseyside during the international break due to quarantine issues.

Trent Alexander-Arnold has been similarly outstanding at right-back and will hope to emerge unscathed having been called up by England for their forthcoming trio of World Cup qualifiers.

Elsewhere in defence, though, there are questions to be answered.

Andy Robertson was below his best on his first appearance of the season against Chelsea with Kostas Tsimikas having shone in his two first Premier League starts in the Scot's absence.

The trip to Leeds is the first of seven games in 22 days as the intensity ramps up for Liverpool with the return of the Champions League and League Cup.

And while Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip have established themselves in the heart of the defence, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez can expect minutes in the coming weeks with Elland Road the first potential opportunity.

Van Dijk in particular will have his playing time closely monitored having not long returned from having been sidelined for almost 10 months.

Midfield change awaits

While not exactly spluttering, the engine room didn't function at optimum level against Chelsea.

Fabinho was solid enough on his return to the number six role, but Jordan Henderson struggled to influence matters as usual having been moved to the left to accommodate Harvey Elliott on the opposite side.

Naby Keita can count himself unlucky to have been dropped while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain started the opening game at Norwich City.

Klopp has options, with Thiago Alcantara awaiting a first start of the season and Curtis Jones yet to appear.

James Milner has missed the last two games through injury with the Reds hoping he doesn't face an extended spell on the sidelines.

Firmino wait

Liverpool are similarly waiting on the extent of the hamstring problem that forced Roberto Firmino off early against Chelsea, with the striker having undergone a scan on Sunday.

Like Alisson and Fabinho, he would have in any case not travelled for international duty this week.

Diogo Jota was his replacement, and will be on standby to join Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane in the front three.

It was, though, telling that Takumi Minamino remained on the bench in the second half while Divock Origi failed to make the 20-man matchday squad for the second game in succession.

Of course, whether Origi or a new face is in the squad in a fortnight remains to be seen, with the transfer window closing on Tuesday night.

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