Van Dijk meeting kicks off busy spell for Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp
Liverpool correspondent Glenn Price grades the Reds' season so far.
If things had worked out differently, Saturday's match at home to Southampton could have been very strange. There was a possibility Liverpool might have faced the South Coast outfit with five ex-Saints in their team.
As it is, there'll probably only be Sadio Mane in a red shirt and even he might not be fit enough after returning from international duty with a hamstring worry again.
Nathaniel Clyne has had a back operation and will be missing for a few months more. Dejan Lovren may still be rested despite helping Croatia into the World Cup this week.
Adam Lallana took part in serious training for the first time in weeks so the visit of his former club may have come slightly too soon for him.
The fifth player? That could have been Virgil van Dijk if Liverpool had handled matters with a bit more diplomacy and decorum during the summer.
The circa £70 million fee being quoted may have proved too rich for Liverpool's palate anyway but there was little doubt the player wanted the move as much as Jurgen Klopp did.
It will be unnerving on Saturday, hoping an opposition player does well -- but not too well, obviously. Based on this season's results a Liverpool win looks the likeliest outcome yet that doesn't take into account how awkward Southampton have been on their six visits to Anfield since promotion in 2012.
The Reds have beaten them twice but by a single goal each time. They've also lost twice, one a League Cup semifinal second leg back in January.
Things get stranger still when you see the names of Southampton's last three league scorers at Anfield; Clyne, Lovren, Mane. Don't be too surprised if gambling odds on Van Dijk scoring go very low for this game.
Managed by Claude Puel, Southampton stifled Liverpool's attacking threat in all four games last season. Although Puel has moved on, such things play on the mind and if there's no early breakthrough the home crowd could become agitated.
Post-international matches have always been tricky for Liverpool over the years in any case and they'll need to be focussed on beating a side full of resistance but -- unlike Huddersfield -- able to pose a threat at the other end.
Saints are managed by Mauricio Pellegrino, who was an exceptional defender for Valencia. He played in two Champions League finals for Hector Cuper and won two La Liga titles with Rafael Benitez.
The Argentinian has mixed memories of Anfield. He won there with Valencia in 2002 but when Benitez later asked him to join Liverpool he was closing the curtain on a great playing career.
Liverpool come face-to-face with Virgil van Dijk, the man they tried to sign last summer.
He ended up featuring in mostly irrelevant Premier League matches while Benitez conserved the energy of his first-choice players for the ultimately triumphant Champions League campaign of season 2004-05.
Benitez later appointed him as coach, part of the set-up that came within four points of a Premier League title in 2009.
Now he is at Southampton, desperate for points. As several British coaches bemoan the lack of opportunities for themselves, any calamity for the likes of Pellegrino will be latched upon with glee. That is sad but can't be of any concern to Liverpool or Klopp, who needs the points for himself to ward off his own critics.
Liverpool are about to begin a series of 13 matches in 45 days. That's far too many and although circumstances are different the year before a World Cup, English football really needs to put its house in order. Just because a natural Liverpool enemy like Jose Mourinho complains, it doesn't mean he isn't right.
It's a good time for Liverpool's squad as it begins to look stronger with players returning from injury. On paper at least; it will be probably be pushed beyond its limits in December.
Philippe Coutinho played for Brazil despite missing some Liverpool games beforehand. That won't please the fans, especially as he's done it before this season. He did look rusty at Wembley against England in fairness but Klopp has others to call upon. He'll also be pleased with the performance of Joe Gomez during the same game.
He will probably return to right-back on Saturday despite his England heroics at centre-half but it was a performance that holds out hope for the future in what's become a problem area for the Reds.
The upcoming busy period will at least be mirrored at all other clubs. It's not as if Liverpool are at a disadvantage. Some clubs even have to play in the Carabao Cup, though the Reds' Champions League fate is far from settled so they'll have to pick their strongest team for that too.
On Saturday they just need the points. Style and substance may suffer in the coming weeks as Liverpool try to prove they can grind out results like any great team has to.
Steven Kelly is one of ESPN FC's Liverpool bloggers. Follow him on Twitter @SteKelly198586.
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