Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp had some criticism for the international fixture schedule after his side’s 0-0 draw with Manchester City on the weekend (via Sky Sports). The German claimed that, after a gruelling period of seven games in three weeks, his players needed a break rather than more matches for their countries.

During those seven matches, the Reds have come up against Tottenham, Chelsea twice and Manchester City as well as Paris Saint-Germain and Napoli in the Champions League, meaning their high-tempo approach has been put to the sternest of tests.

Squad depth

There is no doubt that last season, Jurgen Klopp’s side lacked any sort of quality on the bench and this was proven vividly in the Champions League final as Mohamed Salah’s injury left the Reds looking rather clueless against the stars of Real Madrid.

During the summer though the club made a concerted effort to increase the depth of the squad and on matchdays there is now a sense that one of those not starting the game could still have a big impact to make.

One player who joined in the summer that this could be said of is Xherdan Shaqiri, who was recruited from relegated Stoke for just £13m. Against Manchester City though the Swiss international was left to twiddle his thumbs on the sidelines as Klopp failed to use all three of his substitutes.

Klopp was right, his players did look tired in the closing stages against City, but he could have injected some pace and flair into his side by bringing on Shaqiri with around 15 minutes to go – so questions must be asked about why he didn’t. No sane Liverpool fan would have berated the boss for bringing off Sadio Mane, who was non-existent in the second-half, or even Mohamed Salah who has looked completely bereft of confidence so far during this campaign.

We can only speculate, but it would seem that Klopp does not fully trust his summer-signing enough yet to have thrown him on in a game that could have resulted in a massive victory for the Reds.

Missing a creator

Liverpool were crying out for someone who could create something out of nothing on Sunday, and it now seems then that the decision to call off the summer move for Nabil Fekir was a huge mistake.

The Lyon captain, who generally plays just behind a main striker, already had his photos taken in the Liverpool kit and had been interviewed by the in-house media teams, but the Merseyside club then walked away from the reported £53m deal.

The French international then went on to help his country win the World Cup in Russia and has since netted three times and provided three assists in eight appearances in all competitions this season, including a goal at the Etihad Stadium in the French side’s shock 2-1 win in the Champions League

We’ll never know if Klopp would have started or brought on Fekir in that game against City, but Pep Guardiola’s decision to bring on Leroy Sane added some much-needed fresh legs for the visitors and the German winger went on to win the penalty that Riyad Mahrez would blaze into the Anfield Road end.

Shaqiri could have provided that for the Reds, but if Klopp doesn’t yet trust the 26-year-old then he must be hugely regretting the decision to not splash out on Fekir right about now.

So, Liverpool fans, do you now regret not signing Fekir in the summer? Have your say by voting in the poll below.