Kostas Tsimikas has already surpassed his Premier League minutes total from last season, but its the next few weeks that will be the first major test of his new status. Jürgen Klopp had little choice but to call on the Greek when Andy Robertson missed the first two games of Liverpools season through injury now, with the Scot back fit, it will become apparent whether the manager views Tsimikas as a genuine rotation option as opposed to just emergency cover.There is no disputing that Robertson is first choice: he has earned that status through a string of consistently excellent performances. Even last season, when he was one of just four professional players to play more than 6000 minutes in the year leading up to the European Championships, his levels barely dropped. His seven league assists represented a drop-off from the 12 he recorded in 2019/20, but this reduction can mostly be attributed to the team-wide slump. Nonetheless, there is an understanding that such relentless selection is not in Robertsons long-term best interests.When Tsimikas was signed from Olympiacos, it was assumed that he would lift some of this burden. However, with the injury-enforced disruption across Liverpools back line last season, Klopp seemingly felt compelled to keep Robertson as a constant. Now, with the returns of Virgil van Dijk, Joël Matip and Joe Gomez, as well as the signing of Ibrahima Konaté, there should be some more room to manoeuvre in terms of rotation.Read MoreRelated ArticlesRead MoreRelated ArticlesIf ever there was a time to shuffle the pack, its in the coming weeks. After a steady run of a game a week since the restart, Liverpool players are returning from a jam-packed international break only to be faced with four games in 12 days. The final match in the sequence is an EFL Cup tie with Norwich City, so this is likely to see some heavy rotation, but the three-game run of Leeds, AC Milan and Crystal Palace requires some careful management.Tsimikas and Robertson featured heavily for Greece and Scotland respectively, but only one of them did so hot on the heels of ankle ligament damage. A slight break before throwing the Scottish captain back into action would arguably be advisable. Particularly if Leeds are unable to call upon Raphinha amid the ongoing Brazil row, it would appear to be an ideal time to entrust Tsimikas with the left flank. Even if the tricky winger does feature, the left-back will hope that his strong pre-season and early season performances have convinced the manager to trust him.Nor is this the only rotation question. Van Dijk also took the armband for his country over the international break he too is only recently back from injury, in this case, an extremely serious one. He picked up a further knock for the Netherlands; he has declared himself entirely fit, but there is no such thing as too much caution, especially with more than able deputies waiting in the wings. It will be a good test of where Klopp views Konatés development: it would be somewhat surprising if the Frenchman did not get handed his Liverpool debut at some point in the next run of games, particularly having been spared the rigours of the international break.Read MoreRelated ArticlesRead MoreRelated ArticlesThe fixture list has not been particularly kind to Klopp, in the sense that both Leeds and Milan would both ideally require full-strength teams. Some rotation is easier against Crystal Palace, but it is also somewhat less necessary when the subsequent domestic cup fixture will allow all the main stars to have a rest.This is where depth comes in: Liverpool need to be able to rotate without fielding an obviously weakened side. Despite many complaints from fans about the squads depth relative to the likes of Manchester City, the manager does have a fair few options. Tsimikas and Konaté remain question marks in this respect for the time being, but in midfield, there are clearly some elite options outside of the starting three. Assuming a notional first choice of Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and Thiago, Klopp can rotate in Naby Keïta, Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones, all of whom have shown they belong at the highest level. Seeing any of the trio against Leeds or Milan would not be a concern.The biggest worries come in the front line, where Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané in particular have precious few natural understudies. Takumi Minamino is another one who will learn more about exactly where he sits in the pecking order throughout the upcoming congested period. He first shone against Liverpool in the Champions League, so perhaps Klopp will be tempted to give him the nod against Milan.Liverpool and Klopp know all too well about the effects injuries can have on a season, so everyone involved will want to be careful as the team embarks upon this intense run. Klopp was again insistent on Friday that the Reds did enough in the summer transfer window as his side enter their first period where rotation will be needed. Kostas Tsimikas leads the line of players knocking on the door to feature, but the queue of players ready to step up is for the most part reassuringly long.Read MoreRelated ArticlesRead MoreRelated Articles