Liverpool have been dealt a fresh injury blow with Jordan Henderson sidelined for “three weeks or so” according to Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. The Liverpool captain was forced off with a hamstring injury late on against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.
Henderson has been in excellent form this season. So much so that he’s the bookmakers’ favourite for the PFA Player of the Year award. The league leaders will surely cope in his absence though. The likes of Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner are all fully fit and ready to deputise.
The England international will miss Monday’s clash with West Ham as well as games against Watford and Bournemouth in the Premier League. Although he is expected to be back for the Merseyside Derby at Goodison Park on March 16.
Henderson will also miss the FA cup fifth round tie at Chelsea and potentially the crunch second leg against Atletico Madrid. The Reds skipper often leads by example and his intensity will be sorely missed in those two fixtures.
Though the Premier League title is all but wrapped up, this injury blow comes at a time that could scupper Liverpool fans’ dreams of an unthinkable treble.
Klopp is open to rotation against West Ham.
While Henderson will be missing on Monday night, Klopp says “all the other boys are fit” so he has the option to rotate “but [playing] Tuesday [then] Monday there’s absolutely no need to do it, it’s enough time.”
It’s been little over three weeks since Liverpool moved 19 points clear at the top of the table with a 2-0 win at West Ham’s London Stadium.
A penalty from Mo Salah and a swift counter-attack rounded off by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain secured the three points for Jürgen Klopp’s men in East London at the end of January.
Now they’re preparing to face David Moyes’ side again. A win would restore a 22 point margin to Manchester City following their 1-0 win against Leicester on Saturday.
West Ham’s shocking form combined with Liverpool’s relentlessness this season points to another victory for the home side. The European champions have battered West Ham on the last two occasions they’ve met at Anfield, winning 4-1 and 4-0 .
Will it be second time lucky for Liverpool?
This season, Klopp’s side have shattered many a record and are on course for the earliest title victory ever. A win on Monday night against West Ham would equal the all-time Premier League record of 18 consecutive victories. A record set two seasons ago by Manchester City.
The Reds came close to equalling this record once before, when they were held 1-1 at Old Trafford in October. Their only dropped points so far this season.
They need five wins from their remaining 12 matches to secure their first Premier League title, ending their 30-year wait.
Things are looking bleak for West Ham and David Moyes, on the other hand. The Hammers are languishing in the relegation zone. With no victory in the league since New Year’s Day; a 4-0 win over Bournemouth.
But Klopp doesn’t expect Monday’s game to be easy. He acknowledged that West Ham defended their box well despite watching them fall 2-0 to Man City on Wednesday. The Liverpool boss called on the home fans to create a “really good atmosphere” saying, “I expect a really tough match 100%”.
Liverpool were reminded what it’s like to lose in midweek by Atletico Madrid. So Klopp and his players will be desperate to return to winning ways on Monday night.
Featured image by John Jones under creative commons licence
