It's been a far from ideal start to the new Premier League season for Liverpool.
Having already lost ground on Manchester City in the title race following the opening-day 2-2 draw at Fulham, there was an added blow when it was revealed midfield metronome Thiago Alcantara would be set for a prolonged spell on the treatment table following the diagnosis of a hamstring injury he suffered at Craven Cottage.
Of course, it goes without saying, there is no need to panic just yet. However, Saturday's game will linger in the minds of Jurgen Klopp and Pep Lijnders until they are able to dust off the cobwebs and pick up their maiden victory of the season - with Monday's visit of Crystal Palace handing the Reds the perfect platform to do just that, ahead of the following's week's trip to the old foes Manchester United at Old Trafford.
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Ahead of the visit of Patrick Viera's Palace side, who too will be looking to bounce back from their opening weekend defeat to Arsenal, there will be decisions aplenty for Liverpool boss Klopp to make after the below-par outing in west London. Those dilemmas will stem around which personnel to pick in midfield, with injuries forcing the German's hand so early in the season.
The absence of Thiago is a cruel, bitter blow for the Reds given just how instrumental he was in last term's quadruple chase. Sadly, it's an absence that has become too familiar during his two years at Anfield thus far, having missed 44 games through injury and illness since his £25m switch from the then-European champions Bayern Munich.
Elsewhere, the chances of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain reviving his Anfield career during the final 12 months of his contract have been hit after falling victim of another untimely injury, this time during the second game of the pre-season tour in the Far East. Starting brightly against Manchester United just days earlier, the former Arsenal man was soon lashing out at the turf in frustration just moments before half-time against Crystal Palace in mid-July as he mourned a hamstring injury his manager later described as "serious". Early indications suggest it could be as late as October before Oxlade-Chamberlain is ready to return to Premier League action.
With Curtis Jones, too, once again, missing the start of the Premier League season, Klopp has a huge decision about who to play on Monday night against Palace alongside the all-important Fabinho. Although he seems likely to lead the Reds out for the first Anfield occasion of the season, captain Jordan Henderson endured a tough afternoon in the capital last weekend against Fulham as he finished the 90 minutes with just a 71 per cent pass completion rate.
While there has been plenty of distress from pockets of the club's fanbase in recent days to go out and add another midfielder to the ranks, Naby Keita's return from illness, and that of Jones, which is expected at the end of the month, means an addition to the engine room is not likely to come until next summer.
That means it will be between Henderson, Keita, Fabio Carvalho James Milner and Harvey Elliott for the two remaining midfield places ahead of Fabinho for the game against the Eagles. And, following his promising start to his first full season as a senior member of the Reds' squad, prior to the horrific ankle injury he suffered at Elland Road last September, Elliott is well-positioned to be handed his first start of the campaign after a productive cameo against his former employers Fulham on Saturday.
And Lijnders, Liverpool's assistant manager, has too dropped a hint that the 19-year-old could be thrown into the starting XI for the second game of the campaign when lifting the lid on how he draws up midfield partnerships, alongside Klopp.
"There is nothing as strong as talent that gets opportunities in combination with experience," wrote the 39-year-old in his new book Intensity . "For example, Harvey Elliott and James Milner together, because from both perspectives they will not let each other down.
"That's my experience: the younger one feels stronger and guided by the older players and the older ones feels more responsibility to organise, which raises the standards.
"I love to guide these processes. 'Talents need models, not criticism', is one of my favourite sayings. The young ones always surprise you and they took our game plan over the last year further than we could have ever imagined. For example, Trent (Alexander-Arnold) gave the right full-back position a new meaning but with Hendo (Henderson) as his mentor"
Of course, it was this time last year Elliott was handed his Premier League birth for Liverpool as he earned glowing appraisals for his central-midfield display against Burnley in Anfield's first full-house fixture for nearly 17 months. The youngster created three chances throughout the 90 minutes, which was only bettered by team-mate Alexander-Arnold. Elliott also completed the most passes (19/23) in the attacking third against a resolute, compact Clarets defence.
As Keita plays catch-up for missing a whole week of training through illness, and with Palace typically operating in a 4-2-3-1 set-up under Vieira, Elliott's delicacy in the attacking pockets could help Liverpool unlock what is expected to be a compact off-the-ball system on Merseyside next week.
Additionally, Elliott's willingness to play between the lines will certainly assist Darwin Nunez's acclimatisation to life in the Premier League as he is expected to get the nod over Roberto Firmino for Monday night's match. So far during his time in Liverpool red, the Uruguayan has shown his desire to play off the shoulder of the defender and, with Elliott a keen progressive passer, it could be a match made in heaven as the Reds look to kick-start their season.
Complemented alongside Henderson and Fabinho in a three-man midfield, according to Lijnders, it would hand the former Fulham scholar the fuel to demonstrate exactly why Klopp has been so staunch not to dive into the transfer market following confirmation of Thiago's absence.
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