Liverpool’s head coach Andoni Iraola just got a serious gut punch with star forwards Cody Gakpo and Alexander Isak missing training on Thursday. Both guys are major doubts for Sunday’s massive clash against Manchester City, and that’s a huge problem. This hit comes right after the team did get some good news with rising star centre half Jeremy Jacquet passing his fitness test and joining practice, but man, losing two key strikers like that? Ouch.
Striker Options Are Looking Scrappy Against City
Look, with Hugo Ekitike already out long term, Isak is basically the only senior striker Iraola has, and Gakpo is the emergency option right behind him. If those two can’t go this weekend, Iraola’s stuck between a rock and a hard place. We’re talking about maybe throwing promising youngster Lewis Koumas out there, or trying Florian Wirtz as a false nine. He might even have to get creative and play a winger like Bradley Barcola or midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai through the middle. That’s a huge gamble against City, who are always tough. This is exactly what fans have been worried about all season, this shocking lack of depth in crucial positions.
The “Deconstruction” and a Sporting Director’s Escape
Honestly, the squad depth issue is a massive concern for the fans, and it goes right back to sporting director Richard Hughes. He’s the guy who oversaw what sounds like the total deconstruction of a title winning squad, and then he just *popped the parachute* and bounced to Saudi Arabia at the end of the transfer window. No wonder the mood’s been a bit sour around the club when you’ve got key guys missing and no real backup plan. A fit senior striker would seriously not have hurt here, no matter how much Jacquet being back helps the defense.
All this goes down on Sunday when Liverpool faces Manchester City. And let’s not forget the absolute bombshell that just dropped: City was found guilty of “systematically breaking league rules for a decade” with a mind-boggling £900M of financial doping. Premier League CEO Richard Masters said it himself. So, while Liverpool is scrambling with injuries, the atmosphere around the stadium for this game is going to be electric. Maybe that defiant mood helps Liverpool, because they’re gonna need every boost they can get against a team that just got called out for a decade of cheating. Bring on Sunday, this one’s gonna be a wild one.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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