As Liverpool prepare for a potentially season-defining four games in 11 days, the last thing they really needed was an international break. Rarely do they emerge from them with a clean bill of health and this one has been no different, with Joe Gomez and Emre Can reporting back early after suffering injuries while with their national sides.
There was also a minor scare surrounding Andrew Robertson, who was forced off midway through the second half of Scotland's 1-0 win in Hungary on Tuesday. Fortunately Robertson appears to be fine but with such an intense schedule to manage, Jurgen Klopp is going to have to think long and hard about how to best use his squad.
Can, Gomez and Robertson would all likely have featured against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park this Saturday and probably against Manchester City in the Champions League quarterfinal on Wednesday, too. Robertson still might but it would surely make sense for Klopp to bring Alberto Moreno in from the cold for the trip to Palace.
Moreno was doing well until he picked up an injury against Spartak Moscow in December; in his absence, Robertson appears to have made the position his own with a consistent run of outstanding performances. Moreno still has a part to play, though, and Klopp has great faith in him, often commenting on how difficult it has been to leave him out given how well he is training. Robertson surely has to play both City games but having Moreno start against Palace and Everton might not be the worst idea in the world.
On the opposite flank we may also see some chopping and changing. It would be a blow if, as feared, Gomez is ruled out for a month but the silver lining to that cloud is that Nathaniel Clyne has been back in full training for a month and may now be ready to step back in.
It's desperately bad luck for Gomez to pick up an injury at such a vital time but it becomes a big opportunity for Clyne to re-establish himself and perhaps even make a late bid for a spot in England's World Cup squad. It would be asking a lot of Trent Alexander-Arnold to start all four games so Clyne should get an opportunity sooner rather than later.
Can's injury appears to be the most problematic. Not because the German international is irreplaceable -- far from it -- but because it puts added pressure on Jordan Henderson to play twice a week, something he has rarely been able to manage this season.
Henderson and Can have shared duties as the holding midfield player this season but with Can struggling with a back problem, Klopp now has a dilemma. Henderson is vitally important to Liverpool and has been in terrific form of late. Will he be able to get through four games in such a short space of time?
It seems inevitable that Henderson is going to have to be held out of at least one of the two Premier League games to ensure he is fit and fresh for the double-header with City but if Can isn't available, then someone is going to have to play in an unfamiliar role.
Georginio Wijnaldum is an intriguing option in that "No. 6" position and perhaps we'll see him get an opportunity. In the long term, that might actually be his position but other than a couple of impressive preseason displays, we've yet to see much of him in that role.
Liverpool are actually in fairly good health overall but four games in 11 days, all of them vitally important, is enough to put a strain on even the deepest of squads. This is the exact scenario that managers at top clubs have to plan for but much depends on circumstances. Whereas Manchester City are so far ahead at the top of the table that Pep Guardiola could rest every single starter this weekend if he wanted to, it's a luxury Liverpool do not have.
Rotating in the positions where there is genuine competition for places would make sense and shouldn't impact too much on the quality of performance, but the right balance needs to be struck as the Reds don't yet have enough of a lead over Tottenham and Chelsea to be able to relax. Securing a top-four spot is vital so there is very little wiggle room.
Klopp will be able to do a certain amount of rotation but there is unlikely to be too much rest for his front three. Behind them, it's easy enough to mix and match with the midfield and defence but Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane are going to feature heavily because they are so important.
Klopp might be able to get away with resting one of them in the league games but any more than that would be a huge risk. Danny Ings is pushing hard for an opportunity to play and could be in contention for Palace, although the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park a week later might be his best chance of getting a start as it falls between the two games against City.
It's going to be all hands to the pump for the Reds over the next fortnight and who knows: perhaps while everyone is focusing on the likes of Salah and Firmino, an unlikely hero will emerge. It might be Ings or perhaps Adam Lallana. Both are certainly due a change of fortune.