Liverpool and head coach Andoni Iraola got one very big piece of good news on Thursday when rising star centre half Jeremy Jacquet passed his fitness test and was able to join in training with his teammates ahead of Sunday’s clash with Manchester City, who were recently found guilty of £900M of financial doping over a decade.
That good news, though, was more than balanced out by Cody Gakpo and Alexander Isak missing training, with both considered major doubts to be ready to go by the weekend. And
that in turn could mean quite the headache for Iraola given that with Hugo Ekitike’s long-term absence, his striker options essentially begin and end with Isak while Gakpo would be one of the first emergency options for the position.
If they aren’t fit, Iraola will have to choose between promising and energetic youngster Lewis Koumas, playing Florian Wirtz as a false nine centre forward, or perhaps even lining up the likes of winger Bradley Barcola or midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai through the middle.
It speaks to one of the biggest concerns amongst Liverpool fans heading into the season, namely that Iraola had been given a squad with a quite shocking lack of depth at key positions by sporting director Richard Hughes, who ended the window by popping the parachute and escaping to Saudi Arabia after overseeing the deconstruction of a title winning squad at Anfield.
Certainly the mood around the stadium is likely to boost Liverpool’s chances as they face City in the first game since that club were found guilty of, in the words of Premier League CEO Richard Masters, “systematically breaking league rules for a decade.” Still, a fit senior striker probably wouldn’t have hurt.
