OPINION
In what could prove to be a title race of fine margins, one key area where Liverpool are proving to be ahead of Manchester City is in injury prevention.
The Merseyside giants have managed to keep all their main players fit and available for selection and it could prove decisive over the winter months if that trend continues.
By contrast, Man City are digesting the news today that Benjamin Mendy has undergone knee surgery. The Daily Telegraph anticipate the first choice left-back will be sidelined until the new year in a fresh blow after losing playmaker Kevin De Bruyne at the start of this month for five to six weeks.
Other knee was jealous but the operation went well and its all good now ? be back soon guys u just have to found another FPL captain for some games ??? https://t.co/RD5ZGGkhMS
— Benjamin Mendy (@benmendy23) November 14, 2018
At Liverpool, this will be interpreted as a major boost to their own title challenge, given Mendy’s value as a rampaging left-back who creates goals and is a huge threat on the overlap.
Keeping key players fit and on the park is integral to any title challenge and Guardiola has already lamented this season how he pushed De Bruyne back into action too quickly after his World Cup exertions over the summer.
Schedules and individual programmes must be tailor-made. Each player is different, and their loads must be adapted to fit their playing position and what is required from them.
City are a brilliant team but they’re only two points above Liverpool and the gap will continue to narrow in the title race if Guardiola keeps losing key men, as Mendy and De Bruyne, second only to Mohamed Salah in last season’s player-of-the-year race, undoubtedly are.
Jurgen Klopp appears to have learned the lessons of his first few seasons at Anfield, when Liverpool players were frequently breaking down with muscle injuries.
In the area of injury prevention, he appears to have surged ahead of rival Pep.
Naturally, some Liverpool first teamers in this campaign have had niggling injuries – Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita and Dejan Lovren among them – but none are long-term absentees.
Virtually all the key men have been available to play almost every match so far. Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Alisson have started all 12 Premier League matches, while Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, Andrew Robertson and Georginio Wijnaldum have started 11. Joe Gomez, Trent Alexander-Arnold have started 10 apiece.
That bodes well for Liverpool ahead of the winter programme.