The extended autumn international break has concluded, and Liverpool are set to return to Premier League action against Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday. The fixture has gained added intrigue after City were found guilty of all charges relating to breaches of the Premier League's financial regulations.
Ahead of that showdown, the first international break of the season has been a mixed one for Andoni Iraola's side. While Jeremy Jacquet impressed for France on his introduction to senior level and Rio Ngumoha made history by becoming England's third-youngest competitive debutant, both Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo were forced to withdraw from the Sweden and Netherlands squads because of injury.
In addition, Jacquet missed Les Bleus' final Nations League game because of a hamstring issue, meaning Iraola is sweating on the fitness of three key players ahead of welcoming the Premier League leaders to Anfield.
Winners from the international break
Florian Wirtz has endured a slow start to the season in a Liverpool shirt, with his final appearance before the international break against Bournemouth widely described as “one of his worst performances” by Jamie Carragher. To the former Liverpool defender's credit, he did suggest the three-week break came at the perfect time for Wirtz.
Initially selected in Germany's second squad by Reds legend Jurgen Klopp, the attacking midfielder was supposed to play in the third and fourth Nations League games but injuries to Kai Havertz and Jamal Musiala prompted a U-turn. As such, Wirtz ended up featuring in both games against Greece, captaining Germany in the return meeting, and the win over Serbia in which he scored and looked to have rediscovered some confidence.
Virgil van Dijk made four appearances and completed 90 minutes in every single one of them during the international break, doing so at the age of 35. Iraola may have preferred his captain to have been rested for a game or two, but the Dutchman does not seem to break a sweat when he steps on a football pitch. Van Dijk scored for the Netherlands in their 2-2 draw with Greece and had a goal disallowed against Germany following a VAR check in his reunion with Klopp. The highlight of his international window was leading out the Netherlands team with his son on the occasion of his 100th cap in the 2-1 win over Serbia.
As Liverpool's back-up goalkeeper to Alisson Becker, Giorgi Mamardashvili has only featured once under Iraola this season, against Tottenham in the Carabao Cup, and proved he is ready whenever called upon. Another reminder came during the international break in a strange Nations League campaign for Georgia. Despite boasting Paris Saint-Germain star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in their ranks, Georgia failed to score a single goal across their four matches, but have Mamardashvili to thank for still being in with an outside chance of promotion from League B. Upon keeping two clean sheets, he was outstanding in the goalless draw against Northern Ireland, saving a penalty from Isaac Price and making several big stops.
Losers from the international break
As Jacquet impressed for France during the international break, earning praise from Zinedine Zidane in the process, the same cannot quite be said of his compatriot Bradley Barcola. Barcola is yet to score or register an assist for Liverpool since his £123million summer transfer from Paris Saint-Germain and was not able to get off the mark for Les Bleus in four Nations League outings. A starter in both games against Belgium, it was pointed out that his replacements in those games, Michael Olise and Desire Doue, went on to score while he came in for some criticism from the French media. As per Foot Mercato, Barcola was handed the lowest player rating against Belgium, scoring a 4/10 with Get French Football News, L'Equipe and Le JDD.
Jeremie Frimpong was somewhat of a surprise inclusion in Xavi Hernandez's first Netherlands squad, with the right-back losing his place in the Liverpool team to loan summer signing Ronald Araujo. Ultimately, Frimpong may have been better off staying behind as he did not play a single minute during the break. He failed to make the squad for the Serbia away game and was an unused substitute against Germany, Greece and the home match with Serbia. The defender now faces a fight to reclaim his spot for Liverpool and remain in Xavi's thoughts before the November break.
