Jurgen Klopp named the same starting 11 for three consecutive games for the first time in over three years in Liverpool’s 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest on Saturday. The Reds came away victorious from a hectic second half which saw five goals in the space of 23 minutes, with two goals from Diogo Jota and a winner from Mohamed Salah enough to secure all three points. Despite the return to fitness of Thiago and Luis Diaz, Klopp opted to go again with the side that cruised to a 6-1 victory at Elland Road and came from two goals behind to earn a draw at home to Arsenal.
It is not a statistic that Klopp would have hoped to stand for such a lengthy period of time, but injuries and form have forced his hand and continued to cause alterations on a weekly basis. Liverpool’s inconsistency has not been helped by the lack of continuity in the side and the seemingly endless fitness issues, with the Reds having sustained comfortably more injuries than any other Premier League side (162) compared to Arsenal (79) and Man City (49).
However, the last three fixtures in which Liverpool have fielded the same side it has prompted a significant upturn in performance levels. Klopp explained prior to kick-off against Forest that he saw rhythm, and the Reds have since picked up seven points from a possible nine and have looked twice the team that were humbled at the Etihad just weeks prior.
Klopp’s side now face a sprint to the finish with seven games in the space of five weeks, where it is likely rotation will be needed in order to keep legs fresh and finish the campaign strongly. Injuries have certainly been a burden to Liverpool in recent months, but the improved performances with an unchanged side gives fans reason to be optimistic heading into the closing stages of 2022/23.