A total of 16 first team players were called up to the national team during the October international break, 5 players were called up to the main squad but 1 Red Devil did not play a single minute.
The second of three international breaks to start the season has brought an unwanted pause to Liverpool’s campaign, with 16 senior players flying to various parts of the world.
The only hope we had at this stage was that all the players returned to Merseyside fit and healthy, but that didn’t happen.
Andy Robertson left the Scotland camp early with a serious shoulder injury, Ben Doak missed the second of the Under-21s’ two games with a problem and Luke Chambers’ twisted his ankle.
That left a sour taste in this fortnight, but there were also some positives as five different Reds scored a goal – Luis Diaz could have scored six from the penalty spot – and four recorded at least one assist.
Here’s a quick overview of what happened during the October break.
Minutes played
In total, eight Red Devils played every minute for their country, but surprisingly, Alisson remained unused in Brazil for the second consecutive international break:
Alexis Mac Allister – 180
Darwin Nunez – 180
Dominik Szoboszlai – 180
Harvey Elliott – 180
Kostas Tsimikas – 180
Luis Diaz – 180
Mohamed Salah – 180
Virgil van Dijk – 180
Ibrahima Konate – 177
Wataru Endo – 151
Trent Alexander-Arnold – 90
Ben Doak – 62
Andy Robertson – 44 years old
Diogo Jota – 28
Jarell Quansah – 14
Alisson – 0
Goals
Elliott certainly enjoyed his break with England Under-21s after scoring a brace, while Nunez also continued his early season form with Uruguay:
Elliott – 2
Nunez – 2
Doak – 1
Szoboszlai – 1
Van Dijk – 1
Support
There were also two assists for the in-form Elliott, while Nunez and Szoboszlai also scored by assisting teammates:
Elliott – 2
Nunez – 1
Szoboszlai – 1
Tsimikas – 1
