A total of 15 members of Jurgen Klopp‘s regular senior contingent were involved in international action throughout the March break, amassing a total 2,041 minutes between them across the globe.
The last remaining international break of the current season – and the first of the year – is now behind us, with domestic action soon to be dominating the schedule once more.
For Liverpool, the break came following a run of one defeat in the last 19 games with one trophy secured and the hunt for the remaining three still very much ongoing.
Thankfully, there were no injuries to report throughout the last fortnight as 15 senior figures from Klopp’s squad jetted off around the world to partake in qualifiers and friendlies.
Some saw their minutes carefully managed, others played every minute for the country in a break that will also have taken an emotional and mental toll in addition to the physical exploits.
With Watford‘s visit now just around the corner, Klopp will have plenty to weigh up regarding his lineup and that could include the fatigue recently accumulated.
So here’s the rundown on the total minutes clocked by each senior play while on international duty from least to most.
Divock Origi – 12 mins
Another international call up, but it amounted to just 12 minutes from the bench with Belgium having already created a 3-0 lead over Burkina Faso.
Andy Robertson – 58 mins
After missing out on Scotland’s first game due to COVID-19, the left-back was given the chance to blow off the cobwebs in Austria and was key in the second goal in the 2-2 draw.
Jordan Henderson – 90 mins
It was one start for the captain as he was an unused substitute in England’s second game of the month, much to the Reds’ delight no doubt.
Harvey Elliott – 90 mins
A debut for England’s under-21s ended in a 4-1 victory for the teenager, with a full 90 minutes against Andorra proving to be his first and last outing during the break.
Fabinho – 98 mins
After coming off the bench for the final eight minutes in the first game against Chile, there was a start for one of Liverpool’s first names on the team sheet against Bolivia – Klopp will be happy to see he was not needed for both.
Takumi Minamino – 113 mins
It was a memorable time as Japan secured their place at the World Cup and Minamino was unlucky not to register a goal after having a number of chances in Australia.
Curtis Jones – 118 mins
It was a much involved period for Jones with England U21s as they took an important step closer to qualifying for the U21s European Championships with wins over Andorra and Albania – the second of which saw the midfielder get on the scoresheet.
Diogo Jota – 148 mins
There was a goal and an assist for Liverpool’s No. 20 as Portugal secured their place in the World Cup later this year, and, thankfully, he was not asked to play two full games.
Luis Diaz – 174 mins
Two wins for Colombia saw Diaz both score and create a goal against Bolivia, but it was not enough to get a second World Cup chance with the dream of Qatar now over.
Kostas Tsimikas – 180 mins
Another player with a full complement of minutes to his name, keeping one clean sheet in a 1-0 win before then succumbing to a 1-0 defeat against Romania and Montenegro respectively.
Virgil van Dijk – 180 mins
Unsurprisingly, the Netherlands captain played every minute for his country which included a win over Denmark and a draw against Germany.
Caoimhin Kelleher – 180 mins
Another two caps, and a clean sheet, added to the tally takes Kelleher’s international appearances to four, earning the top job after illness to Ireland’s known No. 1 Gavin Bazunu.
Alisson – 180 mins
It was two clean sheets for the Brazilian against both Chile and Bolivia, with Tite keeping Liverpool’s No. 1 in goal for qualifiers that acted only as preparation for the World Cup.
Mohamed Salah – 210 mins
A taxing break indeed for the winger. Created the opener in the first game against Senegal before going through extra time and missing a penalty in the second game to fail to qualify for Qatar.
Sadio Mane – 210 mins
Like Salah, played the entirety of the two-legged playoff final only to be responsible for the winning penalty and celebrate another international success with Senegal.
