Roy Hodgson has been appointed as the new Liverpool manager, but he doesn’t have long to prepare. On July 16, the Reds will discover who they will face in the Europa League third qualifying round two weeks later. And according to the Liverpool Echo, Hodgson will be missing some key players, as six Anfield stars will still be on a break after their involvement in the World Cup.
The article in the Echo states that:
“All players who have been involved in the World Cup are given a mandatory three-week break from the moment their countries are eliminated.”
England’s dismal performances in South Africa at least means that Liverpool will have Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Glen Johnson available for their first competitive game. But they will be without the players from the countries who have reached the quarter-finals until July 26 at the earliest, and it is unlikely that they would be match fit after just three days of training.
As mentioned earlier, six Liverpool players are still involved in the World Cup: Pepe Reina and Fernando Torres of Spain; Javier Mascherano and Maxi Rodriguez of Argentina, and Dirk Kuyt and Ryan Babel of the Netherlands. While it does give a chance for Hodgson to get a good look at the so called ‘fringe’ members of his squad, one of Liverpool’s biggest problems last season was their lack of strength in depth, and the current squad looks a bit thin on the ground.
If any of these players’ countries get to the semi-finals, then they could be missing for even longer. With Reina unavailable, it could mean a rare competitive game for Diego Cavalieri, while Torres’ absence could give fans a first look at Milan Jovanovic. Rodriguez and Kuyt will be missed on the right, and the next option would be the much maligned Nabil El Zhar.
Similarly, Albert Riera could be required in the absence of Babel (who would still be unavailable, despite not having featured yet in the World Cup) on the left. Finally, Albert Aquilani will be able to begin his quest to win over the doubters in place of Mascherano.
Liverpool’s first opponents should not provide too much of an obstacle, but with these key players missing, Hodgson will have to make sure the players he does have available are ready for the challenge.
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This is a terrible article, if you kept up to date you would know Yossi is already away. It has been announced all over the world with only you believing his transfer may be cancelled because of players returning late from the world cup, idiot! In addition we will be playing a sub standard team and young british players like Amoo, Kelly, Spearing, Shelvey and other foreign youngsters from the reserves will be given a chance to shine. Try writing a decent article that gives alternatives rather than the dross above
idiotic article. Guys You seriously need a good update. Are you not writing from siberia by chance