16 Oct 2015

Confirmed: 'Wonderful' LFC midfielder out of Spurs game; Liverpool 'furious' after reckless 3-game rinsing

When it rains, it pours! With Benteke, Firmino, Henderson, Ings, and Gomez already missing for Saturday's trip to White Hart Lane, there's more insult to injury today with the news that Reds youngster Jordan Rossiter is also facing a spell on the sidelines.

Rossiter - hailed as 'excellent' by Reds U21 boss Michael Beale - picked up a hamstring injury this week after playing three 90-minute games in five days for the England U21s.

With such irresponsible treatment of Rossiter, Liverpool have the right to feel aggrieved, and according to the Liverpool Echo today:

"Liverpool are furious with the FA's handling of Jordan Rossiter. The Reds have yet to discover the full extent of the damage to his hamstring but he certainly won’t feature in Saturday’s Premier League clash with Tottenham".

It's a personal setback for Rossiter, as he'll miss the chance to immediately stake his claim in the team.

That aside, though, this new injury shouldn't have any discernible impact on Liverpool's approach to the Spurs game.

It's doubtful that Rossiter would've been in the starting line-up anyway, and even with current injury problems, Liverpool shouldn't be relying on a 19-year old to kickstart the club's season.

Three games in five days is ill-advised, but to be fair to the FA, I doubt Rossiter was complaining. Players want to play, and he was probably happy to represent his country in all three games.

That's no excuse, though. Part of a manager's job is to know when to take a player out of the team (for protection, recovery etc), and in this instance, Aidy Boothroyd failed to manage Rossiter effectively.

In any event, with Can, Milner, Lucas, and Allen all vying for places, Liverpool are well stocked in midfield, so, with the greatest respect, Rossiter's absence won't make a blind bit of difference.

When one door closes, another opens, and with Rossiter out of the picture, the likes of Pedro Chirivella, and Joao Carlos Teixeira should come into the reckoning.

There are obviously spaces in the squad to be filled, and it'll be interesting to see whether Klopp fills them with Academy players.

Author: Jaimie K


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