How Did the Reds Perform During the International Break?

October 20, 2023

The international break was a busy one for the Reds, with 16 players called up to represent their national sides in a series of qualifiers for the 2024 EUROS, 2026 World Cup or international friendlies.

But how did they get on and how will it impact Liverpool FC ahead of a return to action in Saturday’s Merseyside Derby?

Trent Alexander-Arnold – England

England played two matches over the international break with the first being a friendly against Australia. Trent started the match at right-back and had a great game, remaining heavily involved in the attacking play whilst keeping a clean sheet. The second match for the Three Lions saw Italy return to Wembley for the first time since the EURO 2020 final in a EURO 2024 qualifier however, whilst on the bench, Trent did not feature in the game.

Harvey Elliott and Jarell Quansah – U21 England

Liverpool players also featured for the England Under 21s, with both Harvey Elliott and Jarell Quansah called up for the Young Lions.

Elliott had an incredible international break as he scored in each half of the conclusive 9-1 win over Serbia U21 and was named captain for the 2nd match against Ukraine U21.

Quansah – who was called up to the Lions for the first time – did not feature heavily during this international break, as he was only given 14 minutes against Serbia and remained on the bench against Ukraine.

Andrew Robertson – Scotland

It was devastation and elation for Andrew Robertson during this international break. Whilst Scotland qualified for the 2024 Euros with a draw in their first match against Spain, the skipper went off injured just before half-time. With the injury looking serious, Robertson will likely be out for months, with the defender potentially being sidelined for the Reds until 2024.

Ben Doak – U21 Scotland

Unfortunately, it looks like it could be a similar situation for Liverpool’s U21 Scottish superstar Ben Doak. Doak impressed against Hungary in their first game, scoring a penalty in the 3-1 victory. However, he was forced to withdraw from Scotland U21’s second fixture against Malta due to injury. Although he failed to train ahead of this weekend’s match against Everton, it is not believed that Doak’s injury is as serious as his fellow countryman’s.

Darwin Núñez – Uruguay

Our number nine had a great international break scoring in both of Uruguay’s World Cup qualifiers against Colombia and Brazil. Against Luis Diaz’s Colombia, it was a composed injury-time penalty which earned Uruguay a point in a 2-2 draw. In the Brazil match, he scored with an incredible header past Ederson to put Uruguay in front and assisted the goal that doubled their lead.

Ibrahima Konaté– France

Konaté continued to fight for his place as a starting centre-back for his national team over the break. In the first of the matches, he faced off against Liverpool centre-back partner Virgil Van Dijk where he was unlucky to concede in the final 10 minutes of a 2-1 victory against The Netherlands. Once again against Scotland, Konaté managed to limit the damage after the Scots took an early lead in a 4-1 victory for the French.

Virgil Van Dijk – The Netherlands

Our captain faced off against two Liverpool teammates in each of his EURO qualifiers. In the first match against France, it was a disappointment for Van Dijk who lost the match. However, in the second match against Greece and Kostas Tsimikas, it was pure elation as the skipper scored a 93rd-minute winning penalty despite Greek fans flashing laser pointers in his eyes.

Kostas Tsimikas – Greece

One convincing win and one hard-fought loss for the Greek scouser over the international break. Tsimikas managed to maintain a clean sheet whilst assisting the opening goal in Greece’s 2-0 win over Ireland in the first of the two EURO qualifiers. However, Van Dijk’s last-minute penalty winner denied Tsimikas a 2nd win against the Netherlands.

Dominik Szoboszlai – Hungary

Szoboszlai continued this season’s form during Hungary’s qualifiers, winning the first match against Serbia and scoring and assisting the two goals that rescued a point for Hungary.

Alexis Mac Allister – Argentina

Mac Allister played the full 90 minutes in each of Argentina’s comprehensive victories in their World Cup Qualifying matches. The first, against Paraguay, ended 1-0 with the Argentinians dominating possession throughout the match. The second, against Peru, ended 2-0, with Lionel Messi scoring a brace to seal the victory. Mac Allister was not involved in any of the goals but impressed from midfield in both games.

Wataru Endō – Japan

Japan cruised to two comprehensive victories over Canada and Tunisia in friendlies over the international break. Endō commanded his national side as captain in the midfield and played 150 minutes across the two matches.

Mohammed Salah – Egypt

Salah was uncharacteristically quiet when representing Egypt in a pair of friendlies against Zambia and Algeria. Egypt won the match against Zambia 1-0 and drew 1-1 with Algeria however, Salah did not feature in either of the goals.

Luis Diaz – Colombia

Like his teammate on the opposite wing, Diaz had a quiet international period as Colombia failed to win either of their World Cup Qualifier matches. A last-minute Núñez penalty meant that Colombia and Uruguay drew 2-2 and a 0-0 scoreline against Ecuador marked the end of a disappointing break for Diaz.