Coutinho will be back for the match tomorrow and will have a big impact
I’ve spoken a lot about how important it is for Liverpool to keep their momentum going through this busy period of tough fixtures. From the 2nd leg of the League Cup against Chelsea back in January onwards, we have had a schedule of 10 tough games in just over a month that comes to an end against Manchester City this weekend.
We had been keeping our momentum cruising nicely through all these games: though Chelsea beat us in extra time, we went on to beat West Ham, Bolton, Spurs, Crystal Palace, Besiktas and Southampton as well as drawing 0-0 in the derby at a rate of three games a week.
Unfortunately, that momentum took a significant hit against Besiktas in the 2nd leg of the Europa League on Thursday. While we’re still unbeaten in regular 90-minute games, to have that game go to extra time and then penalties, only to lose on the fifth spot kick is both physically and emotionally gutting.
What makes it tougher is that we have to pick ourselves up now to face the last team in this tough run of games only three days later. Manchester City also lost their Champions League game against Barcelona mid-week, but that was on Tuesday and the game only went on for 90 minutes. Not only do they get an extra 2 days of recovery and planning, they didn’t have to go through the pressure cooker that is extra time and penalties and they have a big enough squad to start quality players who didn’t play the whole game on Tuesday.
Already Liverpool have their work cut out for them, but in a way a big game could be what they need. Ex-pros always tell you that every player gets a massive lift when they’re about to play a big game, no matter what state they’re in or how recently they last played. Hopefully that adrenaline shot can help the players overcome any fitness/tiredness issues they may have. Plus, the game’s at home so the fans will be there making as much noise as possible to help buoy them on through the game.
Also, Liverpool have some players returning fresh for this encounter. Coutinho was rested for Besiktas specifically so he could be at his best when Man City arrive and Markovic was suspended on Thursday. Henderson will also be returning to the side after recovering from a slight knock during the week, so already that’s three players returning after a week’s break and two of those are key.
There’s also a possibility that Sakho could make his return from injury, negating the need to start Kolo Toure or – more importantly – Dejan Lovren. With him rejoining Skrtel and Can in our back three, that will make us much more solid defensively.
Sturridge looked poor against Besiktas, but he’s a big game player. He will have his wits about him and hopefully be that much sharper with more game time and Coutinho behind him again. Man City are easily the second best team in the country but we’ve seen repeatedly this season that they are susceptible to defeats against sides much worse than us. Why should this game be any different?
Liverpool face an uphill battle on Sunday with many challenges to overcome, against a team with strength in depth and incredible resources.
Thankfully we have some secret weapons of our own.
