With 10 days between playing Fulham and Bournemouth, Liverpool are now on their winter break, and the players will be using it in a variety of ways.
Jurgen Klopp didn’t give much away in his press conference about the winter break, but his happiness did show when asked how much he is looking forward to it.
“My English is not good enough to put that in words,” he said, while laughing.
We’ve put together what we know about what the squad will be getting up to over the next 10 days, as fans wait patiently for the Bournemouth game to come around on January 21.
No doubt to the boss’ exasperation, the Reds have actually lost some of their winter break due to the League Cup semi-final first leg being played on Wednesday, part of the supposed two-week period.
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Ahead of the Fulham match, Klopp wrote in his programme notes: “The fact that I am even able to mention a winter break is super-positive.
“Everyone knows my views on this topic by now, so I will not add to what I have said so many times before, but I will repeat that the potential benefits to the players are clear so now we have to make the most of it.”
With the prospect of a very long season, similar to the 2021/22 campaign in which Liverpool played 63 matches, Klopp will be keen to make sure every player gets their rest so they are ready to attack the second half of the season.
Those players who are recovering from injuries, such as Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dominik Szoboszlai, will feel fortunate to have a break, minimising the number of games missed.
They are expected to stay at the AXA Training Centre to continue their rehabilitation. However, one injured player who won’t be staying on Merseyside is Andy Robertson.
Earlier this week, Pep Lijnders explained: “Robbo, he’s almost at the three-month mark, so he will get checked by the surgeon.
“And if he does that scan and we see everything [so] that we can really progress him, he will go to Dubai for a week to do proper volume sessions, proper sessions, so that will be good for him.”
Everton will also be in Dubai for a warm-weather training camp, but Liverpool won’t be taking part in such activities.
For those who aren’t suffering from injury issues, they are likely to take short breaks in the sun, as are Klopp and his staff.
Post-Fulham, the manager told Sky Sports: “After the press conference I will not think for a second for a while of all of things (upcoming games).”
Of the 20 teams in the Premier League, half of them are not getting their full two-week break. This is due to seven teams being involved in FA Cup replays or Carabao Cup semi-finals.
Unlike in many other European countries, where the leagues completely stop over Christmas, there will still be football to watch for supporters.
To allow for this, matchweek 21 of the Premier League is split over two weekends, with five matches taking place on each.
Liverpool U21s also have no fixture between January 13 and January 28, as the PL2 also takes a break.
