Liverpool’s season just cannot seem to get a break, after losing tamely to Manchester United over the weekend, the club have gotten more news regarding the extent of Jordan Henderson’s ankle injury. The Liverpool captain sustained the injury in the 1-0 win over Bournemouth and has not played for the club since.
Henderson is expected to be out for much longer after having received treatment in the United States for the injury and will join Daniel Sturridge as the English pair are on the road to recovery. With the influential captain out for quite a while, it is imperative that Liverpool play better football and more importantly get the right results. Brendan Rodgers will need to have a look at his midfield pairing and to be honest there really is just one pairing which could work for Liverpool in the next run of fixtures.
Can Milner lead the way?
James Milner is a guaranteed starter at the moment for Liverpool, not only for his work rate and ability but also for his experience. Milner was brought in, not as a replacement for Steven Gerrard but to give Liverpool a bit of steel in midfield and to control play. The versatile midfielder can play in a lot of positions but has to play centrally for Liverpool during Henderson’s absence.
The player to hold the midfield would be a tough choice for Rodgers, while Lucas Leiva has looked great every time he has stepped onto the pitch, his time in the team has been greatly reduced. The player who seems to be rising to the challenge is the German international Emre Can, if there was any player who seemed to bring his passion in the match against Manchester United, it was Can.
Emre is another versatile player in the Liverpool ranks and can play in defence as well, he was given a go by the German national team as a right back but Can is at his best when playing in midfield. Can might not be the most creative player in the Liverpool team but he does add some grit and determination which has been missing from the team.
Can is still young and needs to hone his skill, he has the passion and ability to grow into one of the better players in the Liverpool ranks and with Germany calling him and giving him his full international debut recently, he can go a long way. The problem with Liverpool at the moment isn’t just with the players not playing up to their ability, it is with the manager as well and that is something that Liverpool need to rectify first.