Liverpool’s Champions League roster, which must be submitted by 24:00 CET on February 2, may undergo up to three alterations
Before announcing their Champions League team for the second half of the season, Liverpool may be poised to give a Luis Diaz injury hint.
Since having to leave the Reds’ loss to Arsenal in early October due to a knee injury, the Colombian hasn’t appeared for them. Even though he resumed training in December while at Liverpool’s mid-season training camp in Dubai, the winger would later experience surgery after complaining of joint pain.
The 26-year-old was allegedly expected to miss all of February. It will be interesting to see whether such an estimate turns out to be correct because the Reds are being cautious about when they hope to see Diaz return, especially in light of his prior setback.
Regardless, he will undoubtedly miss Liverpool’s match against Real Madrid in the Champions League round of 16 on February 21 at Anfield, and he is probably still in question for the return leg on March 15 at the Bernabeu.
Regardless, he will undoubtedly miss Liverpool’s match against Real Madrid in the Champions League round of 16 on February 21 at Anfield, and he is probably still in question for the return leg on March 15 at the Bernabeu.
Injury forced the Reds to withdraw Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita from their Champions League team for the first half of the season, but both players returned to training before the group stages were over. Therefore, depending on how well Diaz’s recovery is doing behind the scenes, it’s possible that Jurgen Klopp will make a similar choice.
At his pre-match press conference before Liverpool’s FA Cup trip to Brighton last week, Klopp gave reporters the most recent injury update: “Diogo (Jota), Bobby (Firmino), and Virgil (van Dijk), a couple of weeks until they can join training and then we have to see how quickly it goes from there.” “I anticipate it will take a few more weeks.
Luis (Diaz) requires more time. Arthur Melo is fairly talented. He is moving quickly. It may take him two to three weeks before he can begin team training. However, it has been looking nice for a while. He requires a proper build-up after a protracted injury. He didn’t participate in team training.
It’s unclear just how long. However, if Diaz is a member of Liverpool’s squad, we can infer that his recuperation is progressing well enough for him to compete in the Champions League once more this year and that he might be on schedule to play for Madrid.
Although clubs are only permitted to name a maximum of three new players in their squads at the mid-season point, the Reds will still need to leave out senior players from their squad from the first half of the season after signing Cody Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven and if they wish to reinstate Oxlade-Chamberlain and Keita.
As a result of Liverpool’s lack of club-trained players to declare a complete 25-man squad for this season’s group stages, up to three players are expected to be left out. Klopp named a 24-man team instead.
We examine who might be left out of their European squad, which must be filed by 24:00 CET on February 2.
Although he “drops out,” Stefan Bajcetic is still accessible.
Priorities come first. In order to create room for Gakpo in Liverpool’s 24-man squad, Stefan Bajcetic is quite likely to be dropped. The midfielder, who made three appearances in the group stages, has recently cemented his position as the first choice in midfield.
Even though he will withdraw, he will still be able to play for the Reds in Europe in 2023. Bajcetic, who is 18 years old, is still considered a “List B” player, which allows him to be chosen even if his team only has a 25-man roster. He was the correct age, but in the summer he wasn’t allowed on the list.
“A player may be registered on List B if he is born on, or after, 1 January 2001 and has been eligible to play for the club concerned for any uninterrupted period of two years since his 15th birthday by the time he is registered with UEFA – or for a total of three consecutive years with a maximum of one loan period to a club from the same association for a period not longer than one year,” according to UEFA rules. If a player has been registered with the club for the past two years continuously and is 16 years old, they may be submitted.
In December 2020, Bajcetic moved from Celta Vigo to Liverpool. He has now worked at Anfield continuously for two years, which is required to be listed on List B.
Kaide Gordon, who joined from Derby County in February 2021, might possibly be added to the list for the first time. Teenagers Ben Doak and Bobby Clark, for example, have not yet spent enough time on the club’s books to be included on List B.
They cannot participate in the Champions League until they are picked for Klopp’s 25-man roster. Due to this, although both being under 21, summer additions Fabio Carvalho and Calvin Ramsay are now listed as members of the squad.
Included are three new players?
Gakpo has therefore replaced Bajcetic. Liverpool has their full 24-man team, everyone is content, and the task is going well. But is it?
After being sidelined for the first half of the season due to injury, Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlain will either be sidelined once more or reinstated at the expense of two other players next month. A few seasoned players will be disappointed if both are added.
Who else is excluded?
Bajcetic will therefore be a player who leaves the game easily, as we already know. Gakpo will take his place, leaving Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlain as the two senior players who will miss out.
There are, however, other options. Ramsay has only played twice for Liverpool due to injuries, and Joe Gomez and James Milner are also capable of playing right-back, so Klopp may decide to leave him out.
a backup center back Nat Phillips can also be left out, although due to homegrown regulations, Oxlade-Chamberlain would have to take his position if he did so. If the Reds didn’t sign a qualifying player, their roster would be reduced to 23 men. Recent injuries to Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, however, might prevent such a choice from being made.
Arthur Melo, a loanee from Juventus who has played just one 13-minute game for Liverpool due to injury, may also be overlooked despite getting closer to returning to training. Alternately, if the Reds decide to take a calculated, short-term risk, Diaz might be benched due to his knee ailment.
Goalkeepin
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However, Klopp should take into account a potential weakness. Adrian, his third-choice goalkeeper, might be benched to create room for all of his senior outfield players.
There must be at least two goalkeepers on List A and at least three overall (List A and List B combined) for clubs, so it’s feasible that the German might leave out the Spaniard and turn to youngster Harvey Davies to fill Alisson’s spot.
Although making such a choice would be a gamble, it would be worthwhile if Liverpool later regretted leaving Adrian out because UEFA regulations might actually allow for a temporary substitution. Because a club has the option to temporarily replace a goalie at any point throughout the season if it cannot rely on the services of at least two goalkeepers listed on List A due to a long-term injury or illness (defined as one that lasts 30 days).
Since Adrian was not included in the Reds’ squad at the end of January, it is conceivable that they could call him up if Alisson or Kelleher were absent due to illness or suspension.
Localized players
The Champions League allows teams to name a 25-man roster, although eight of those spots are allocated only for “locally trained players.” The maximum number of players on List A is adjusted to reflect this if a club has fewer than eight locally trained players in its roster, as was previously stated.
Club-trained players and association-trained players are the two types of “locally trained players.”
Players who were on a club’s books for three years between the ages of 15 and 21 are considered club-trained, whereas players who were on the books of another club in the same association for three years between the ages of 15 and 21 are considered association-trained. However, each club’s eight “local” nominees for List A cannot include more than four players who have received association training.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, and Caoimhin Kelleher are the only club-trained players that Liverpool presently has on their roster. James Milner, Jordan Henderson, Fabio Carvalho, and Nat Phillips are their current four players that have had association training.
Oxlade-Chamberlain would be the Reds’ ninth homegrown player, but they still lacked the fourth club-trained player needed to select a full 25-man roster. Liverpool might select the midfielder in place of one of the aforementioned quartet or list him with such players without using up all of their 24 player allocation for “local” nominees.
Players on List B
For the first half of the season, List B included Harvey Davies, Isaac Mabaya, Luke Chambers, Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott, Dominic Corness, and Melkamu Frauendorf. Gordon may also be added to the list, in addition to the addition of Bajcetic.
As the season progresses, Liverpool may add more young players to List B, but only if “he is born on, or after, 1 January 2001 and has been eligible to play for the club concerned for any uninterrupted
Liverpool’s potential Champions League team
Alisson Becker, Adrian, and Caoimhin Kelleher are the goalkeepers (club-trained).
Defenders: Nat Phillips (association-trained), Joe Gomez (club-trained), Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Kostas Tsimikas, Andy Robertson, Joel Matip, Trent Alexander-Arnold (club-trained).
Fabinho, Thiago Alcantara, Naby Keita, James Milner (association-trained), Jordan Henderson (association-trained), and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are all midfielders (association-trained).
Forwards: Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota, and Fabio Carvalho (association-trained).
Players on the list B include Melkamu Frauendorf, Harvey Davies, Isaac Mabaya, Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott, Stefan Bajcetic, Dominic Corness, and Kaide Gordon.
period of two years since his 15th birthday by the time he is registered with UEFA”—or “for a total of three consecutive years with a maximum of one loan period to a club from the same association for a period not longer than one year.”
When must Liverpool announce their roster?
Clubs can sign up a maximum of three new players before the round of 16 on February 2 by 24:00 CET.
Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Cody Gakpo have been listed as players to List A.
Players Calvin Ramsay, Arthur Melo, and Stefan Bajcetic may be taken off of List A.
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