Liverpool’s season has already been filled with fire, drama, and a sense of destiny, and now fate seems to be whispering again in their direction. The international break is usually a time when clubs hold their breath, praying that their stars return unscathed, but sometimes the news that travels back from faraway lands does not only bring fear, it can also bring opportunity. This week, Liverpool received word from Africa, and it could shape the Premier League title race in ways no one expected. Manchester City striker Omar Marmoush has gone down injured while on international duty with Egypt, and suddenly the balance of power in the title race has tilted ever so slightly towards Anfield.
It happened quickly and dramatically. Egypt were playing Burkina Faso, a qualifier match filled with tension, and just ten minutes into the game Omar Marmoush, one of City’s new attacking hopes, went down after a challenge. At first it looked like he might shake it off. He tried to stand, he tried to continue, but the pain would not go away. His leg had taken a bad knock. The Egyptian medical staff rushed onto the pitch, and soon pictures were flashing across social media of Marmoush being escorted off, a look of frustration and worry on his face. The Egyptian FA later confirmed on X that it was a bruised knee ligament. They said he would undergo an X-ray back in Cairo. Suddenly, Pep Guardiola had another headache, another injury problem, and another reason to pace up and down the training ground wondering what has gone wrong this season.
For Liverpool fans, who were watching the international fixtures with one eye, the news came like a whisper of luck. City are already six points behind Arne Slot’s men, having lost two of their first three matches, something almost unthinkable for Guardiola’s machine in recent years. Liverpool, on the other hand, have started like a team with purpose, like a team determined to defend the Premier League crown they won last season. Any weakness in City’s camp is like a gift. Marmoush may not be Erling Haaland, he may not be Kevin De Bruyne, but he is still a striker Pep was counting on, a man who could give him options, who could ease the burden when the fixtures pile up. Without him, City lose a piece of their puzzle, and in a title race decided by fine margins, even the smallest crack can become a fault line.
Marmoush’s injury also has another layer of drama. He was playing alongside Mohamed Salah, the king of Egypt and the superstar of Liverpool. Just a few days earlier, Salah had shown his class by letting Marmoush take a penalty instead of stepping up himself. Salah, always the leader, always the symbol, wanted to give his younger teammate confidence. Marmoush scored, and it looked like a passing of the torch moment in Egyptian football. But now, with this injury, that moment has turned sour. Salah will return to Liverpool healthy and strong, while Marmoush faces scans and uncertainty. Guardiola must look on and wonder if Salah’s generosity came at a strange cost to his own squad.
International breaks are often the unseen hand in Premier League races. Managers hate them, fans fear them, and players sometimes dread them because the risks are so high. A single injury in a meaningless qualifier can change the destiny of a season. Guardiola has always complained about the calendar, about too many games, about how his players never rest. Now, with Marmoush hobbling, his complaints will grow louder. Liverpool meanwhile have also had concerns. Alexander Isak, their record-breaking signing, has barely played since the end of last season, managing just 20 minutes on the pitch. There were already murmurs of worry among the Anfield faithful. But with City losing another piece in their frontline, the psychological edge shifts again.
This is how title races are often won and lost. Not just on the pitch, not just in the ninety minutes when the whistle blows, but in faraway places, on international duty, in training grounds, in medical rooms, where fate decides who is fit and who is broken. Liverpool know it better than anyone. They have had seasons ruined by injuries, they have had campaigns saved by unexpected returns. Now, as the 2025/26 season stretches ahead, they look across at City and see a rival stumbling early. Six points might not sound like much in September, but for Guardiola it feels heavy. For Slot, it feels like daylight. And every fresh injury report only adds to the sense that this year might belong to Liverpool again.
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Marmoush’s story is still unfolding. The Egyptian FA tried to soften the blow by saying it was “just” a bruised ligament, but bruises in football can be deceiving. A bruise can mean weeks on the sidelines, especially in a knee, especially for a striker who relies on bursts of pace and sharp movements. Guardiola will wait for the scans with a mixture of dread and hope. He needs good news, but in football, good news often feels rare. City have already been forced to battle without their rhythm this season, losing matches they normally dominate, struggling to find the killer edge that defined their treble-winning team of just a few years ago. The pressure is on, and the season has only just begun.
Liverpool, meanwhile, march forward. They have Salah leading with fire in his eyes. They have Isak waiting to explode once his fitness issues clear. They have Arne Slot, a man who has started his reign by building momentum, confidence, and belief in the squad. They can smell weakness in City. They can feel the story shifting in their favour. They know that in football, sometimes you don’t even need to play to gain an advantage. Sometimes the news comes to you, from a stadium in Africa, from the legs of your rival’s striker, and you smile quietly knowing that destiny may just be wearing red again this season.
Egypt will hope Marmoush recovers quickly because they are top of their group with 20 points, and World Cup dreams are on the line. They still need their stars ready for October when qualifiers continue. But for Guardiola, that is the least of his concerns. His empire is wobbling, his rivals are circling, and now one more soldier has fallen. For Liverpool, it is not cruelty, it is simply football. They know what it means. Every injury to City is a reminder that the Premier League race is fragile, unpredictable, and shaped by forces far beyond the tactical boards and training drills.
And so the story rolls on. Liverpool in pole position, City with questions, Marmoush in pain, Salah still shining, and the title race already dripping with drama before autumn has even begun. This is the Premier League. This is destiny unfolding.
