Joy of winning the FA Cup Final tempered by injuries to 3 key Liverpool players. Klopp will be sweating.
Jurgen Klopp will leave Wembley an FA Cup Winner, but his thoughts will soon turn to the effect the game has taken on his squad, with potentially serious injuries to 3 of Liverpool's best players.
Mohamad Salah was the first Liverpool player to leave the field, sitting down in the centre circle with no players around him in the 32nd minute. A distraught Salah was unable to continue and left the field after a brief examination by the clubs physio. Liverpool later confirmed that Salah felt a tightness in his groin and was replaced as a precaution. Salah should be rested on Tuesday, with Origi or Firmino filling in for Salah against Southampton.
Van Dijk was the next player to be replaced by Klopp as the teams prepared to start extra-time. Although the TV cameras did not pick up any problems before he left the field, Van Dijk cut a disappointed figure as he took his place on the bench. Sources close to the club have suggested that Van Dijk felt something at the top of his knee and was replaced before any more damage was caused. Any injury involving Van Dijk's knee will be a huge concern to all connected with Liverpool and it is unlikely that Van Dijk will be risked in the remaining Premier League games to give him the best chance of making the Champions League Final.
Finally, towards the end of extra-time Robertson was seen limping and struggling to run, prompting Klopp to replace the Scotsman with Tsimikas. It turned out to be an inspired substitution as Tsimikas went on to score the winning penalty during the shoot-out. After the game Robertson was seen walking around with the rest of the squad, laughing and joking as the Liverpool players paraded the cup in front of the Liverpool fans. Most likely suffering from cramp, Robertson should be fine after a deserved rest, but Tuesday's game might come to quickly for him to return.
It's not surprising that Liverpool's players are suffering as we near the end of the season. Today's Final at Wembley was their 60th game this season and comes at the end of a particularly hectic period where every game feels like a up final.
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