A hamstring scare at the worst possible moment

Liverpool were already watching the fitness bulletins with one eye closed before the international break ended. Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo had both withdrawn from their respective squads through injury, leaving Andoni Iraola short in attack ahead of the meeting with the Premier League leaders. Then came the news from France: Jeremy Jacquet had been left out of Zinedine Zidane's matchday squad for Les Bleus' final fixture of the expanded international window, the French Football Federation citing a strain to his left hamstring.

Zidane was quick to play the severity down, describing Jacquet as only 'slightly injured', and there is reason to be cautiously optimistic about that framing. But cautious optimism only gets you so far when you look at the full picture. Jacquet has already accumulated 732 minutes across nine matches for club and country this season, a significant load for a 21-year-old who spent six months on the sidelines after dislocating his shoulder in his first outing following confirmation of his £55m move from Stade Rennes. The Reds managed him carefully through pre-season, and he only made his first appearance in Liverpool's final pre-season friendly against Como, scoring before being replaced at the break. To now be loading him with this kind of mileage, on a hamstring, with nine matches in 28 days looming before the November international break, the concern is obvious even if the injury itself turns out to be minor.

What Iraola can do if Jacquet misses out

If Jacquet is unavailable against Man City, the most natural solution would be to shift Ronald Araujo from right-back into the centre alongside Virgil van Dijk. It is not a like-for-like switch, but it is a trusted one: Araujo has kept a clean sheet in all three of his Premier League starts this season, even if those appearances have come at full-back rather than in his more familiar central role. He has settled quickly at Anfield and there is a case that moving him infield would actually suit him more naturally.

The complication, of course, is what that does to the right-back position. With Conor Bradley still sidelined, the only senior natural option there is Jeremie Frimpong, and the Dutchman's form has been shaky enough that Araujo displaced him in the first place. His international break offered little reassurance either: Xavi left him unused on the bench for three of the Netherlands' first four Nations League fixtures and dropped him from the matchday squad entirely for another. Reports of a possible January exit to Barcelona have since followed. He would have every motivation to impress against his former club Man City, but the jury is still very much out on whether he is ready to be trusted in a fixture of that magnitude.

The Gomez question

Should Iraola prefer to keep Araujo at right-back and maintain what has clearly been a working formula, Joe Gomez is the alternative at centre-back. The England international made his return from injury in the League Cup victory over Tottenham Hotspur last month and has had the international break to rest, having not been called up by the Three Lions. That timing could work in Liverpool's favour, if Iraola judges him ready.

There is no shortage of caveats with Gomez, though, and none of them are unfair. His injury record across 11 years at Anfield is well known, and his most recent setback arrived within minutes of Liverpool's opening pre-season friendly against Sunderland. He only made it back to a Premier League matchday squad against Bournemouth just before the break. Asking him to step in from the cold against the Premier League leaders would be a considerable ask. Gomez is out of contract at the end of the season and, despite being named as one of three vice-captains, a free departure in the summer would surprise nobody. For now, though, he remains available and he remains an option, two things Liverpool may well need him to be in the weeks ahead.