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As if the absences of Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo weren't enough, Liverpool have been dealt another blow with Dominik Szoboszlai reportedly sidelined due to a hamstring injury.
Legendary former Reds manager Bob Paisley once remarked: "You keep your fingers crossed about injuries. That is in the lap of the gods." Whoever is watching over Andoni Iraola has shown little mercy this weekend.
The Basque manager was already without his top scorer and most creative force, as short-term injuries picked up during international duty ruled out both Isak and Gakpo. Liverpool's reigning Player of the Season now joins that growing list of absentees, with The Athletic's James Pearce first to break the news of a hamstring problem for the midfielder.
Szoboszlai had featured from the start in all six of Liverpool's Premier League and Champions League matches this season, filling various roles in a midfield area that Iraola is still working to get right. Hungary's skipper dutifully played in all four of his nation's Nations League games this autumn and was seen back in Liverpool training earlier this week.
Despite that, he clearly wasn't in sufficient shape to feature in Sunday's squad, let alone the starting lineup.
Liverpool Confirmed Lineup vs. Man City
Starting XI: Alisson; Ronald Araújo, Jérémy Jacquet, Virgil van Dijk, Milos Kerkez, Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch; Víctor Muñoz, Lewis Koumas, Bradley Barcola.
Substitutes: Giorgi Mamardashvili, Joe Gomez, Wataru Endo, Federico Chiesa, Kostas Tsimikas, Jeremie Frimpong, Trey Nyoni, James McConnell, Rio Ngumoha.
With Szoboszlai unavailable, Iraola turned to Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch to form a midfield pairing behind Florian Wirtz. While Liverpool's No. 8 had been a constant presence, his two more defensively oriented teammates were competing for the spot alongside him.
Gravenberch began the season partnering Hungary's captain, but his tendency to advance up the field only highlighted the defensive gaps that can easily emerge in Iraola's attacking system. Mac Allister was introduced to provide more solidity in the center of the pitch and has contributed to Liverpool recording three straight Premier League clean sheets. Now the pair must combine to keep the likes of Erling Haaland at bay.
Andoni Iraola's Youthful Leap of Faith
Somewhat ironically, it was Szoboszlai himself who argued earlier this season that Lewis Koumas, the 21-year-old academy product with minimal senior experience, "deserved to play" ahead of some of Liverpool's high-priced attackers.
Iraola has made no secret of sharing that view, repeatedly praising the work rate, rather than technical flair, of the tireless forward who, heading into Sunday, had accumulated just 22 minutes of Premier League action.
"The energy he shows is contagious for the rest," Iraola enthused last month. "When they see the ones up front doing it, they are forced to go from behind."