Liverpool weren't able to successfully defend their 2020 Premier League crown last season, but a campaign that had at one point threatened to crumble so badly that they might miss out on European football altogether did end with them booking a Champions League place by virtue of finishing third.There have been a number of fine achievements orchestrated by Reds boss Jurgen Klopp since his 2015 arrival but masterminding a Champions League qualification while having to do contend with a lengthy injury list that included key defensive players as Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip meant that it surely must rank highly in the list.After they secured third place back in May, Klopp said: "From nowhere to the Champions League in five weeks is a massive achievement as I see it and I think thats right.Its great, its absolutely great, its outstanding. That was absolutely incredible, it was so nice to have this experience again together.Must-read Liverpool FC newsThe injuries was a subject that followed us through the whole year and that was really tough to take. But we did it. And that makes the achievement even bigger.The injury woes would be the tale of Liverpool's season, with the Reds forced to rely on the likes of Nathaniel Phillips, Rhys Williams and Neco Williams, while key midfield players such as Fabinho and Jordan Henderson were both deployed on occasion as makeshift central defenders.With so many big players out, including a lengthy spell on the sidelines during last season for summer 2020 acquisition Thiago Alcantara, it meant a lot of money being spent on players who weren't able to pull on the shirt.For the player and club it is an unavoidable risk that constantly exists around football and there can be no guarantees about just how much action players will be able to see. A clean bill of health from a club medical will have little relevance should, as happened with Van Dijk, the player suffer a severe impact injury in a game.And Liverpool's extensive injury crisis last year has been highlighted in just how much was spent on wages to injured players for the time that they were out.According to research from Jacuzzi, hot tub and hydrotherapy specialists, £117m was spent by Premier League clubs on wages to injured players during last season, with Liverpool's the highest by some distance at £22m, the next highest being Everton at £9.5m.Liverpool squad members missed a combined 1,477 days - the equivalent of over four years - due to injuries to 17 members of the squad last season.Sign up for daily Liverpool newsGet all the latest Liverpool breaking news, team news, transfer rumours, injury updates plus analysis of what's next for the Reds.You'll also get the latest transfer talk and analysis every day for FREE! Sign up here - it only takes a few seconds!Dutchman Van Dijk, missed 261 days due to his knee injury and was the single most expensive player, with his wages adding up to £6.7m whilst sidelined. Fellow Liverpool defenders Matip and Gomez also missed over 200 days each, with their wages during these periods totalling £6.3m.It was Sheffield United central defender Jack O'Connell who missed the most time through injury. He was injured for 287 days due to a knee problem that required surgery, costing the Blades over £1m in wages. In terms of new signings, it was Liverpool again that paid the most wages to an injured player, with Thiago missing for 74 days and costing the club over £2.1m.Ben Dinnery, injury analyst at Premier Injuries, said: Perhaps unsurprisingly, we saw a sharp rise in the number of reported injuries, especially at the beginning of the season. "However, this did taper off as the season went on, and the expected glut of injuries around the hectic Christmas and New Year period did not occur, likely due to several match postponements caused by Covid-19."Matip, Van Dijk and Gomez all returned for pre-season, while Thiago was able to feature regularly for the final months of the 2020/21 Premier League campaign.The research used data from Premier Injuries and used basic reported salaries, not accounting for any injury settlements or injury related clauses that may have been written into a players' contract.Read MoreRelated Articles