Liverpool warned they could ‘fall apart’ as big problem threatens to override Jurgen Klopp impact

A pundit thinks Liverpool are at risk of ‘falling apart’ later on in the season due to the intense fixture list.

The domestic campaign is having to work around the World Cup, which will take place in Qatar between November 20 and December 18. This is to avoid Qatar’s summer season, which usually has incredibly high temperatures.

Due to the international tournament, the Premier League began a week earlier than usual, on August 6. It will also run for an extra week in May. Last season it concluded on May 22, but this time around it will finish on May 28.

Like so many other teams, Liverpool will have to change their plans following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Her funeral will take place on Monday, and the Reds’ match against Chelsea on Sunday afternoon has been postponed as a result.

Jurgen Klopp will not be relishing the busy schedule either side of the World Cup. His squad has already been decimated by injuries this season.

Midfield has been damaged the most. Thiago, Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Curtis Jones and Naby Keita have all had to deal with injury problems.

Thiago, Fabinho and Jones are back in action. And Klopp can also use Brazilian midfielder Arthur following his arrival from Juventus on deadline day.

It remains to be seen if Henderson will return to full training while the international break is on. But Oxlade-Chamberlain and Keita will be out for an extended period.

Major Liverpool concern emerges

Former goalkeeper Paddy Kenny is worried about Liverpool’s ability to keep up with their Premier League rivals as the season goes on, especially if more players pick up injuries along the way. Klopp has a huge impact on his players, but even he would struggle to deal with a plethora of missing players.

“The second half of the season is when the nitty gritty games are played,” Kenny said during an interview with Football Insider.

“You don’t want games racking up at that point because it can have a major effect. I’ve been there. I remember at Sheffield United during the 2002/03 season, we got to the FA Cup and League Cup semi finals.

“At the back end of the season, when it came to playoffs, were were goosed, it took its toll and we ended up losing 3-0.

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“If it’s like that for Liverpool, which it might be because they are a brilliant side, then you fear for them becuase they could fall apart.

“That is what can happen when too many games build up. It’s not going to be nice for them. It depends how well they do in the cups, they might put them on the backburner because they can’t afford to play strong teams in the FA Cup.

“It’s a sacrifice but they need to be challenging for the likes of the Premier League and Champions League.”

Liverpool are in the same boat as most of their top-six Prem rivals. This is because teams such as Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City will feature in European competitions too.

However, Klopp’s intense style of play could make things slightly worse for his players. They press their opponents incredibly hard and this generally works on the pitch. But it is also likely to cause more injuries in comparison with other sides.

Liverpool looked knackered during the recent Champions League defeat to Napoli. They were beaten 4-1 away from home as Napoli ran rings around them.

Liverpool have since got their UCL group campaign up and running with a 2-1 victory over Ajax. Klopp will be hoping those kinds of performances become the norm once again, and that the Napoli display was an outlier.

Meanwhile, Liverpool should keep bringing Darwin Nunez on from the bench instead of allowing him to start games, according to a former goalkeeper.