Van Dijk injury scare too scary for Reds: Neil Humphreys
Lucky escape just a reminder of Liverpool's thin squad
It's not often that a non-injury leads the news. But Liverpool's brief obsession with Virgil van Dijk's minor knock underlines the club's precarious position.
The Reds' defensive talisman grimaced as he held his ankle during stoppage time of the Netherlands' 6-1 World Cup qualifying victory over Turkey yesterday morning (Singapore time).
He had gone down following a challenge and Liverpool's media went into meltdown.
The Liverpool Echo news site was providing regular updates of an injured player who wasn't really injured, a marvellous overreaction to rival the glory days of David Beckham's metatarsal.
The 30-year-old then allayed growing concerns, clarifying that he had merely landed awkwardly on his ankle after a rough tackle. He'd be fit to take on Leeds United on Sunday.
The meeting of those two sides seems strangely fitting. Look hard enough and there is a connection between van Dijk's injury scare and events surrounding the last fixture between Leeds and Liverpool.
In late April, the Reds headed to Elland Road under a cloud that was entirely of their owners' making. The American money men behind the Fenway Sports Group had been key proponents of the farcical European Super League.
Their reasons for backing the public relations disaster then are not dissimilar to the reasons for van Dijk's injury concerns now; that is money, or the lack of.
The Reds' owners eagerly anticipated the revenues from the closed shop of elite European competition and while it's interesting to note that the supporters' initial anger over such greed has mostly subsided, the underlying issue remains.
THIN SQUAD
Liverpool's reluctance to spend in the recent transfer window will only ensure that Juergen Klopp's slimline squad are one key injury away from another anti-climactic season and a late dash for the top four.
Van Dijk escaped serious injury this time around. The prospect of losing him for a second time, following his long absence with an anterior cruciate ligament injury, would have been needlessly cruel.
But the ghost of Groundhog Day remains as Liverpool's prudent owners continue to push their luck in the transfer market.
Georginio Wijnaldum and Xherdan Shaqiri were not replaced in pre-season. Shaqiri was arguably a luxury item, but Wijnaldum had grown into an integral squad member and was an unfortunate departure.
Klopp has been keen to emphasise the new contracts given to van Dijk, Alisson, Andy Robertson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Fabinho and Jordan Henderson, essentially hailing them as new signings.
In reality, their signatures reaffirm the club's commitment to the status quo.
That endgame is slowly approaching in attack.
Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino are tiptoeing towards the autumnal stages of their illustrious careers. Firmino, in particular, struggled last season.
Even if the Brazilian enjoys a renaissance, he might have to go it alone in January, if both Mane and Mohamed Salah head off for the African Nations Cup in January.
Diogo Jota has quietly established himself, but the nagging suspicion remains that a single injury in attack will leave Klopp with a crippling sense of deja vu.
He has just enough to challenge. Lose one or two and he'll barely have enough to compete.
Of course, a dose of common sense would suggest that the Reds were unlikely to invest in Anfield's stadium expansion and buy Romelu Lukaku or Erling Haaland, or even a 36-year-old Portuguese legend for that matter.
Oil-rich states and absentee oligarchs do not finance Liverpool's first team. Those guys dominate established markets. Klopp is mostly expected to pick one or two from the nursery.
It's a healthier and sustainable approach for the club's finances in an uncertain climate, but Klopp's heroics and Liverpool's effervescent football in the last few years deserve something more than Moneyball economics and extra seats in a stadium.
Klopp had arguably earned the right to rebuild, rather than stretch a Band-Aid across the dressing room and hold his breath whenever one of his veterans hits the turf.
On this occasion, he got away with it with van Dijk. Next time, he may not be so lucky.
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