In Jurgen Klopp’s mind, it felt like sorcery. He thought he had a witch in the building. A hoodoo, surely.
The Liverpool boss had a Premier League match at Crystal Palace to prepare for but, every day, another member of his already depleted squad fell away.
Some, of course, he knew about. Ibrahima Konate suffered a knee injury in pre-season. Thiago and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain were all sidelined before the campaign kicked off. Diogo Jota tweaked an old hamstring injury in Thailand.
And then came the others.