Image Credits: Imago Images
Liverpool head into the September and October international break unbeaten after five Premier League matches, with three consecutive clean sheets under Andoni Iraola providing an encouraging foundation.
The Reds entered the break with a 1-0 victory away at Bournemouth and will return to action on October 11 against Manchester City, following a 21-day absence.
According to the Manchester Evening News, Man City boss Enzo Maresca will not use the international break to spend extra time with players who remain at the club.
As has been the case in recent years, those players will be free to spend the break as they wish, provided they return to training in good condition.
Phil Foden and Rico Lewis are among those not involved with England, while Matheus Nunes was left out of Portugal’s squad. Allan has not been selected by Brazil, while Jeremy Doku is also absent from Belgium’s squad due to injury.
The players are expected to have time off, although Doku could continue his rehabilitation at the City Football Academy. There will be no group training during the break.
Maresca is expected to begin working with the players again in the week before the Liverpool clash, with those on international duty returning as their schedules allow. Everyone is expected to be back by Thursday ahead of the trip to Anfield.
Manchester City are seven games into the season under Maresca and remain unbeaten, with five Premier League victories alongside promising starts in the Champions League and Carabao Cup.
Andoni Iraola will, however, continue working with his remaining Liverpool players during the international break, marking a departure from the previous regime.
With a three-week break ahead, Iraola will give his non-internationals a short holiday before they return to work at the AXA Training Centre.
“We will still train,” the former Bournemouth boss last weekend. “But it’s true we are training with four, five players because most of the team is playing with their national teams.
“The players will now have some days off and then we will keep working with the ones that will stay. We’ll prepare well for when the others come and you have no more than three days probably to prepare the City game. And not just for that game, but the run of games that we have. That’s going to be demanding.”
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