Jurgen Klopp must make a difficult choice when selecting his Europa League team because he cannot leave out one of his veteran players.
By Monday at 11:59 p.m. BST, clubs must submit their final rosters for the Europa League group stage of this season.
Then, on September 21, games will start, with Liverpool being paired in Group E with LASK, Union SG, and Toulouse.
Officials from the club will confirm the Reds’ senior squad to UEFA prior to their away first match against Austrian team LASK.
Contrary to the Premier League, where the criteria allow for any player now available to Klopp to be selected regardless of age, UEFA regulations make it more challenging.
The manager needs to make cuts before Liverpool’s roster is revealed.
This is because Ryan Gravenberch and Ben Doak, who are both eligible for the Premier League as under-21 players, must both be listed on List A.
The two lists that make up a roster for the Europa League are: List A, which includes all players, and List B, which excludes players owing to age or length of club service.
Although Gravenberch and Doak are over the legal age limit for List B, neither player has been on the Liverpool roster for a continuous two-year period.
In order to participate in the Europa League group stage, they must be named on List A, where there are 17 “foreign” and 8 “locally trained” berths available.
Doak cannot be considered locally trained because, before moving to Merseyside in 2022, he went through the Scottish FA system.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Curtis Jones, and Caoimhin Kelleher are local-trained Liverpool players who are ineligible for List B.
Sadly, with only 17 available spots, Klopp’s roster this season includes 18 players who are classified as “foreign.”
It is unclear who will be dropped, while many would argue that Adrian, a third-choice goalkeeper, should not be included.
Doak may theoretically be left out, but it was hoped that opportunities would be given to the winger. While Thiago’s injury issues may necessitate a choice, his value to the team when healthy necessitates inclusion.
Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s dismissals in the past have ‘helped’ Klopp’s team, but Liverpool now have a more efficient and reliable group of players.
Even though it’s rare, it’s possible that a major player will be rested for the Europa League.
