Jurgen Klopp has a message for his fringe players: “be ready to step up”.
So far, the Reds have taken 30 points from a possible 36 in the Premier League, but with a mammoth six weeks of fixtures to come, including two Champions League games, rotation will be necessary.
Klopp said, according to the Liverpool Echo: “We had a good start but we knew it was only the start. If we come through [the next couple of months] similar to how we started then it could be a really good season.“
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With so many matches, keeping players fresh will be a challenge, but the squad is much deeper than it has been in a long time.
Klopp added: “We have to use the squad. If you play Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday that is difficult but now we play Saturday, Wednesday (PSG away), Sunday (Everton home) so that is still okay with recovery.
“It is then about having different options for different opponents. It’s good to have different players to close different spaces; hopefully, it stays like this.”
Adam Lallana is injured for the Watford game, but the issue is nothing long-term, while Dom Solanke scored an excellent goal for England U21s over the international break.
Both of those players – as well as the likes of Naby Keita and Fabinho, who have not featured as often as some might have expected so far – will be expected to come in and make an impact, if only for a couple of sporadic matches to give first-choice players a break.