The international break frequently induces a feeling of apprehension among Premier League managers, as players embark on global travels to represent their national teams. The prevailing hope is that they return in good health and prepared for the continuation of domestic football.
This situation is no exception for Arne Slot and Liverpool, who approached the international break with optimism, having secured victories in all three of their initial matches of the season. Their most recent win was a narrow 1-0 victory against Arsenal, with Dominik Szoboszlai’s free kick in the second half proving to be the decisive factor.
Nevertheless, the match did raise concerns regarding injuries, as defender Ibrahima Konate was forced to exit the field in the closing moments. Despite this setback, Konate was called up to the French national team for the World Cup qualifiers against Ukraine and Iceland, and participated in Friday night’s match, which is a positive development for Liverpool.
Another point of concern is full-back Jeremie Frimpong, who has been unavailable for the last two matches due to injury. Slot has confirmed that the full-back is expected to be sidelined for two to three weeks, which means he may be able to return in time for the match against Burnley.
Frimpong opted to remain with Liverpool rather than joining the Netherlands squad. During his time at the club, he was among the first to welcome new signing Alexander Isak upon his arrival on Monday.
The forward completed his £125 million transfer from Newcastle on deadline day, but had limited time to acclimatize to his new surroundings before departing to join the Swedish national team. Amid ongoing speculation regarding his future, Isak has yet to make an appearance this season, and his pre-season was hampered by training separately from the main Newcastle squad.
Consequently, Liverpool will need to manage his integration with care. Isak remained on the bench during Sweden’s 2-2 draw with Slovenia on Friday night.
In justifying his decision, Sweden manager Jon Dahl Tomasson stated to Viaplay: “He had only completed three training sessions with the team.”
No pre-season with the team and of course no playing time. The risk is probably a bit too great to use him today.”
When questioned about whether Isak would play in Monday’s match against Kosovo, Tomasson responded: “Hopefully, hopefully. As a game-changer.”
