Cody Gakpo celebrates scoring for Liverpool against Man City.
Cody Gakpo celebrates scoring for Liverpool against Man City.
We will never know about the result of the postponed Merseyside derby but it might just have come at a time to give the Liverpool squad some respite. It allows Arne Slot the chance to get a couple of players back for when the game is eventually played at Goodison Park and hopefully the injury situation won't be too bad whenever the rearrangement comes for the final meeting on the other side of Stanley Park.
It might be ideal for players like Diogo Jota and Federico Chiesa in particular, because neither have been able to play for the last couple of months. Jota has been sidelined now for an awfully long time and it's close to two months since the Portugal striker featured in the 2-1 win over Chelsea.
It looked like Jota might have been involved against Girona after featuring in training on Monday before the flight over to Spain but he hasn't been included in the squad, meaning the No.20's wait for a return goes on.
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We also know Chiesa has found it tough to adapt since his move from Juventus but he did at least play some minutes for the Under-21s last week. Illness has ruled him out of Tuesday's game but hopefully he is more generally on the comeback trail because there are a lot of games between now and the end of the year, so Slot could do with having all hands on deck.
Look, Liverpool might still have won the derby against Everton because they have been generally flying but you certainly take the opportunity to give the lads a bit of a break now during this time of the season, when it is so busy. They should be fully rested for this week's two games and the Carabao Cup trip to Southampton gives them the chance to rest the key men a bit more too.
Every week we are talking about Liverpool being consistent with their performances and their results but the postponement has come at a good time. There are a number of players who could do with a rest and none more so than Ryan Gravenberch.
The former Bayern Munich man has been a revelation this season in midfield but I thought he looked way off the pace against Newcastle last week and he was getting his pocket picked a few times during the first half in particular.
It is difficult to single him out because Liverpool were awful all over the pitch in the opening 45 minutes in St James' Park, but Gravenberch will benefit most from a rare break in play before the Reds return to action against Girona.