5 things must happen for Liverpool and FSG before next international break

The international break is finally over! Don’t get too excited though Liverpool fans, as there’s another one on the way in less than four weeks.

The breaks at this early stage of the season will no doubt be as frustrating to Arne Slot as it is to supporters, with the Dutchman enjoying a fine start to his time in charge of the Reds. Starting with Chelsea on Sunday, he’ll be aiming to add to his tally of nine wins out of 10, with seven games across three competitions to navigate before the next international fixtures in November.

There will be plenty of work to do both on and off the pitch for Slot and FSG though, and Liverpool’s owners will be coming under more pressure over the next few weeks.

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Liverpool.com has taken a look at five things that must happen at Anfield before the next international break, starting with the biggest priority at the moment…

Contract progress

Let’s start off with the obvious. Every man and their dog knows about the contract situations of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, but rather frustratingly, we still don’t seem to be any closer to a resolution.

All three players will be free to negotiate pre-contract agreements with foreign clubs in just over two months’ time, so if Liverpool is to keep hold of arguably their three most important players, they need to get a move on – especially with Real Madrid sniffing around Alexander-Arnold.

You certainly wouldn’t expect all three to put pen to paper before the next break rolls around, but FSG certainly needs to make some kind of progress with the trio. By the time the players return to face Southampton on November 24, we’ll be just over five weeks away from the start of January – all three cannot be allowed to enter the new year with their futures decided.

Injury returns

There isn’t too much time until the next international break, so the chances of Alisson Becker returning to fitness by then are slim to say the least.

Hopefully though, Harvey Elliott should have made his return to action. Having fractured his foot on England U21 duty last month, his recovery seems to be on course after he was pictured continuing his rehabilitation at the club’s training ground this week.

The Carabao Cup tie against Brighton at the end of this month seems like a reasonable target for him to make his return, if not earlier, and he will have a big part to play with some huge fixtures to come before the next break.

And hopefully Federico Chiesa will be able to play a part as well. Having missed the last two games against Bologna and Crystal Palace, concerns have understandably been raised considering the Italian’s injury history in recent years – fingers crossed he can make a quick return this month.

More minutes for Quansah

Ibrahima Konate has barely put a foot wrong this season, and he is rightfully the first-choice to partner Van Dijk at the heart of the defense at the moment. There’s always a nagging doubt with the Frenchman though.

He’s another player with a patchy injury record, and given the amount of football he has played so far this season, it does feel a little like playing with fire. No matter how well he’s playing, Slot will need to find ways to give him a rest if he can.

Jarell Quansah should get the chance to deputize for Konate in that Carabao Cup tie at Brighton, but if possible, the 21-year-old should get more opportunities. That might be easier said than done, considering the caliber of opponents Liverpool will be facing in the league and in Europe.

For the sake of his development though, and Konate’s fitness, Slot could do with finding ways to give Quansah more minutes over the next few weeks.

Szoboszlai goals

Slot has made no secret of what he wants out of Dominik Szoboszlai. Playing the 23-year-old in the No.10 role now, the Liverpool boss has asked for more goals, having seen him score just once for his club so far this season.

Szoboszlai has certainly had the chances to add to his tally, and he should have taken at least some of them, especially his golden chance against Wolves. With new dad Curtis Jones having got the nod at Crystal Palace before the most recent break, the pressure is on for Szoboszlai to keep his place in the side.

He certainly sent the perfect message to Slot though while on duty with Hungary this week, scoring both goals to help his nation to a 2-0 win over Bosnia. He needs to make sure he brings that form back with him to Anfield, especially as the fixtures get tougher and tougher.

Just keep winning

The simplest of messages, but arguably the hardest thing for Liverpool to do on this list. It’s been a brilliant start to the season, but now comes the real test.

Manchester United has been the biggest name the Reds have faced so far in the Premier League, although their toughest examinations have come against Nottingham Forest, Wolves and Palace. They’ll need to step things up again then as they come up against Chelsea, Arsenal, Brighton and Aston Villa before the next international break.

That’s not all – a trip to RB Leipzig and the visit of Xabi Alonso’s record-breaking Bayer Leverkusen represent another step up in the Champions League.

It’s a big ask, but if Liverpool can stay top of the Premier League, and maintain their 100 per cent record in Europe, maybe, just maybe, we could be in for something special this season.