Jurgen Klopp believes that Liverpool FC have what it takes to handle the absence of injured player Phillipe Coutinho. The Brazilian international player was stretchered off the pitch after Saturday’s win 2-0 against Sunderland last Saturday, and it’s been confirmed that he could be out of action for at least six weeks, potentially ruling him out of any games over the busy festive period. Klopp’s forward line have already been affected by injury, after Danny Ings sustained a knee injury that ended the season for him and Daniel Sturridge’s calf injuries aren’t quite over just yet. Along with that, Adam Lallana, another driving creative force for Liverpool this season, is also out after sustaining a groin injury on England duty. However, despite all of this, Klopp is still convinced that if any team can cope with it, it is the Reds.
Plans for Success
Speaking about Coutinho, Klopp said that he is a ‘really good football player’, going on to say that if the Reds were unable to feature him for the next few days or weeks, every team in the world is likely to feel it. However, Klopp also went on to state that as good as Coutinho is, he does not decide games by himself and therefore his injury should not be an excuse for anything. He said that all of the players who are currently taking time off due to injury are high quality players who will be sorely missed, however, he stressed the importance of not looking for excuses and was adamant that the team will be able to perform just as well without them with the right amount of effort. The bookies seem to agree, with Liverpool FC still the third favourite at freebets.com.
Fans Reactions
Reds fans were quick to comment on Coutinho’s upcoming absence, with a lot of doom and gloom surrounding the situation particularly since the player was carried off the pitch by medical officials on a stretcher after sustaining the injury. However, fans are trying to remain positive about the 24-year-old, who will thankfully not be requiring surgery during his necessary six weeks off to recover. Reds supporters are not looking forward to ‘making do’ without Coutinho for an extended period, describing his performance so far for the Reds as exceptional. However, they do have some faith in Jurgen Klopp to take on the challenge and motivate his team to come out with the winning title, even if they are short of a few of their key players so far. One fan in particular tweeted that it’s times like this where we can see if the Reds can really challenge for the title. Fans are also quite pleased that the injury isn’t quite as bad as it looked at the time.
Ben Woodburn
Liverpool FC hasn’t only had bad news recently, though – Jurgen Klopp has admitted that he ‘can’t hide’ 17-year-old Ben Woodburn any longer after the youngster made his debut for the Premier League high-flyers last weekend. Woodburn, a former Wales Under-17 skipper, became the third youngest player in the history of Liverpool FC to make his senior debut when he was called off the bench during the last twenty minutes of the Reds’ victory against Sunderland where Coutinho sustained the injury. According to Klopp, Woodburn is ‘mentally ready’ to start a game and he is an extremely promising player who the team plans to use as early as possible. He also went on to describe the current work in the Academy as really good and very promising, so there could well be some new young players arriving to take the place of those injured.
Do you think that Liverpool FC have what it takes to win the League with so many players out injured? We’d love to hear from you in the comments.