29 Nov 2015

LFC Legend insists: Forget Sturridge/Hendo. Liverpool missed 'outstanding' £30m star against Swansea. Agree?

Liverpool started today's game without Henderson, Sturridge, and Sakho in the first XI, but according to Anfield legend Ray Houghton, the Reds missed Brazilian maestro Philippe Coutinho more than any other player.

Co-commentating today on Liverpool's 1-0 victory over Swansea, Houghton noted:

"Coutinho has been missed today. He’s been outstanding for Liverpool this season, and his absence in the final third is noticeable".

£30m-rated Coutinho is in a rich vein of form at the moment, and prior to his injury, he contributed 4 goals/1 assist in 3 games, which is an excellent creative return.

As such, it's fair to say that Liverpool missed Coutinho today, but his current form is the exception over the last year, not the rule.

Hopefully Coutinho will be able to continue his goalscoring exploits when he returns from injury, which, according to Klopp, will be this week. In his post-match press conference, Liverpool's manager told reporters:

"Philippe has a chance for Wednesday. He had a very intensive session (training) yesterday. We decided three days ago that we didn't want to risk him for Swansea, but now I think he is fit".

In Coutinho's absence, Firmino and Lallana - Liverpool's senior and most expensive attacking midfielders - needed to step-up and make a difference, but both players abjectly failed to do that.

Clearly, it's a mistake to rely on those two players to score/create goals on a regular basis, and in my view, Klopp needs to prioritise in January the signing of an experienced attacking midfielder.

Author: Jaimie K


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