Fabio Aurelio thinks Liverpool’s non-World Cup stars will be having a hard time watching the tournament.
The Reds only have seven of their players at the tournament in Qatar, with some high-profile names missing out. And writing in his column for liverpoolfc.com, Aurelio thinks four players in particular will be struggling to watch.
“I know how those Liverpool players not in Qatar – the likes of Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz, Roberto Firmino, Andy Robertson and more – will be feeling. The competitors they are, I’d imagine they’ll have found it difficult to watch,” said the former Reds left-back.
“You play for such a big club and then you’re not playing a part in the most important football competition in the world. It’s frustrating to say the least.”
However, the Brazilian expects the players to be even more determined to make it a successful season with Liverpool.
“But you have to deal with that frustration, you have to use it as something to make you stronger,” he explained. “Not being involved, for sure, brings about more motivation – even though it’s hugely painful at the time. Looking at the positives, those players will be rested and desperate to get back on the pitch and compete for other trophies.”
Liverpool XI getting a winter break
The players Aurelio mentions are certainly the most high-profile of the Reds squad to miss the tournament. You can chuck Thiago Alcantara in with that, too.
This season, all five have been part of Liverpool’s strongest XI. That’s almost half of Jurgen Klopp’s best team getting an extended break this winter. You can nit-pick over Firmino, but he’s played a lot of football this campaign.
It’s worth pointing out that Fabinho hasn’t played a single minute for Brazil yet, either. Meanwhile, Trent Alexander-Arnold has only played 33 of them for England.
At the other end of the scale, Virgil van Dijk has played every minute of Holland’s three games so far. Alisson Becker has made it two out of two for Brazil, and Darwin Nunez has played in all-but 18 minutes for Uruguay.
Ibrahima Konate has taken on a larger than expected role for France, playing 195 of their 270 minutes in the Group Stage.
Finally, Jordan Henderson is growing in importance to England. Having failed to get on the pitch for their 6-2 win over Iran, Hendo has featured in both games since, playing the full 90 in Tuesday’s win over Wales.
So, while it’s great to see Liverpool players doing well on the world stage, it’s also nice to know that we’re not killing ourselves out there. Klopp will be delighted with how things are turning out in the tournament so far.
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