By Emma Rhodes
Philippe Coutinho has been out of action for a few weeks now since his ankle injury during the Sunderland game late November, and it is fair to say Liverpool have missed him.
The magician has already scored five times and made five assists, so has made a great contribution to the campaign so far.
Although we beat Sunderland 2-0 the following games have demonstrated a more obvious absent in the squad in Coutinho. The Reds did manage to beat a tough Leeds United in the EFL Cup Quarter-final with the help of Divock Origi and Ben Woodburn, but showed signs of struggle against Bournemouth and West Ham with both games having a much tighter score difference (although this could be thought to be somewhat at the slippery hands of Loris Karius). West Ham have definitely become more like a bogey team over the years but the Reds played well against Bournemouth and just let it slip at the end. We did see a stronger looking Liverpool squad triumph comfortably over Middlesbrough at the Riverside on Wednesday, putting three past them, but there are some big games ahead.
The Brazilian maestro should be back for the New Year’s Eve game at Anfield where we face Manchester City. However, he will still miss the much anticipated Merseyside Derby and Stoke City game before then. These are two much-anticipated games where the Reds would like to be able to depend on Coutinho, but will have to rely on the remaining members of the squad to fill his boots.
Adam Lallana has come back to play with a great energy, scoring twice against Middlesbrough and going from strength to strength under Jurgen Klopp. Lallana has now overtaken Coutinho, scoring six goals this season despite his own injury, while Divock Origi has also scored five goals in consecutive games.
However not all players are having such a great game during Countinho’s absence. Also visiting the physio at Melwood will be Daniel Sturridge and Emre Can who are both out, leaving Klopp to consider even younger players for the bench. Although now a fantastic record holder amongst Liverpool greats, young Woodburn may be considered as too inexperienced for some games, although the Cheshire-born lad will certainly know and understand the importance and magnitude of Monday night’s game.
Meanwhile fellow Brazilian and close friend Roberto Firmino has also had a poor few games, making more headlines based around his barnet than what he has accomplishing on the grass. Firmino has not scored since the epic Watford game where Liverpool managed to place six goals past the Hertfordshire side, showing some of his weaker performances since Countinho was stretchered off the pitch.
Klopp has previously expressed how Coutinho plays a key role in his squad as not only does he put the ball in the back of the net, but he shows great capabilities in a midfield role. With Chelsea sitting at top of the Premier League with three additional wins compared to second-placed Liverpool, the Redmen need to score goals to improve their goal difference if they are to catch up. Chelsea have six additional goals, but Liverpool notoriously have a reoccurring issue with keeping clean sheets so goalscoring is definitely a higher priority than ever now and the sooner the Magician returns the better!
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