How Would Liverpool Lineup Without Lallana And Jordan Henderson
Liverpool have been dealt with some major injury blows ahead of their Merseyside derby clash against Everton on Saturday. The Reds will be without captain Jordan Henderson and midfield mainstay Adam Lallana for the crunch tie against their local rivals.
Henderson has missed the last 5 games for Liverpool due to a foot injury, but manager Jurgen Klopp was hoping he would be able to select the captain for the game against Ronald Koeman’s side after the two-week international break. However, the English midfielder missed training on Thursday and as a result, he won’t be playing a part in the derby at Anfield.
On the other hand, Adam Lallana, who has been playing some of his best football in Liverpool colours this term, has been sidelined due to a thigh injury that he picked up when he was on national duty with England. It is believed that Lallana could be unavailable for as long as five games for the Reds, leaving their options in the midfield severely depleted.
There was some good news, though, as Daniel Sturridge was seen training with the rehab team on Thursday after having been out for a month due to a hip problem. The former Manchester City and Chelsea man may well find a place on the bench for the tie against the Toffees.
Ahead of what could prove to be a crunch clash for the Reds in their chase for the Champions league spots, here are three ways in which they can line up without the services of Henderson and Lallana.
Lucas Leiva Comes In
This seems to be the obvious choice as it is a like to like change where we could see Lucas Leiva take the place of Henderson as the deepest midfielder, with the midfield duo of Emre Can and Georgino Wijnaldum take the two midfield spots ahead of him.
Can showed that he can have a serious impact playing in a No. 8 role against Burnley and Manchester City and Wijnaldum has been one of the most consistent performers for the Reds this term. But Lucas could be exposed against the likes of Tom Davies and Ross Barkley, which could be a cause of concern for Liverpool.
Coutinho Drops To Midfield
Another option that Liverpool could look to explore is pulling Philippe Coutinho into the central midfield, in the position of Lallana, alongside Wijnaldum, and drop Can into the defensive midfield position.
That would mean a place for someone like Divock Origi at the top of the attacking line. While Coutinho is more than capable of performing from the central areas where he will be afforded more spaces to run into, Origi could be a point of worry as the Belgian hasn’t had the best of the seasons. The 21-year old hasn’t scored in his last 12 league appearances and his last goal in the top division came against Middlesbrough back in December.
Milner In Midfield, Moreno Starts
This one is the least likely of the options that could happen on Sunday, but Liverpool could look at the avenue of reinstating James Milner into his natural midfield position and bring in Alberto Moreno at left-back.
Milner has been used as a makeshift left-back throughout the course of this season and Moreno has had to warm the bench as a result. While it would present some risk for the Reds, considering that Moreno is a liability at the back, it still remains a possibility that could be considered due to the lack of options in the midfield.