3 Liverpool Players Who Will Be Vital During Run of Season-Defining Fixtures

As Liverpool head into the a tricky-looking Christmas period in which they will face three of their main rivals for a Champions League spot, there are a select number of players who will be more important to the Reds than ever.

Brendan Rodgers' side face Tottenham, Manchester City and Chelsea all away from home before the year is out, not to mention Cardiff City at home in between.

With both Daniel Sturridge and Steven Gerrard likely to be out injured until the new year (via The Telegraph) and Jordan Henderson reportedly struggling with an ankle problem (via The Independent), Brendan Rodgers' squad is beginning to look a little thin.

Losing any three first-team regulars through injury is always a problem, but in losing the above mentioned trio, Liverpool have lost three real key members of their starting 11.

Daniel Sturridge has been on fire since the off and already has nine goals and two assists to his name in just 12 appearances in the league (via ESPN).

Losing your captain is always going to cause problems, but losing a captain who has as much influence on a team as Gerrard, then coping without him is a tough ask.

Jordan Henderson meanwhile has arguably been the Reds' most improved player of the 2013/14 season.

Often ridiculed, the hard-working midfielder—along with Gerrard—is the only Reds player to start every one of his side's 15 Premier League games (via ESPN).

These injuries do however provide others with an opportunity to stand up and be counted and to prove that the side can cope in the absence of key men.

Read on to discover which three players will be vital to the Reds over the busy festive period.

No. 3: Philippe Coutinho

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The Reds' no. 10 has been nothing short of sensational since swapping Inter Milan and the San Siro for Merseyside and Anfield last January.

Coutinho settled into his new surroundings immediately and was arguably Liverpool's most impressive player during the second half of the 2012/13 season.

Injury has curtailed his 2013/14 season so far but the signs are there that the Brazilian is nearing full fitness and returning to top form.

A goal in the Merseyside derby will have done wonders for his confidence, and against West Ham in his side's last outing, he appeared to be back to his mercurial best.

With Gerrard out for the foreseeable future, the Reds will be relying on Coutinho to be their main source of creativity in midfield and the man they look to to provide that killer pass that Gerrard so frequently delivers.

Sometimes selected by Rodgers to play from the left of a front three, Coutinho will now be pivotal to the Reds as an attacking central-midfielder.

He has already shown his nous to find pockets of space in between opponents' defence and midfield and is one of few players blessed with the ability to create something out of nothing.

The midfielder's eye for goal should too not be ignored as the ability to score spectacular goals, as well as find space in the box to score tap-ins, is also in Coutinho's repertoire. 

An influential Coutinho over the next few weeks could go some way to softening the blow of losing the influential Gerrard.

No. 2: Lucas Leiva

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Lucas has come on leaps and bounds from the player who was ridiculed by fans during the early stages of his Liverpool career and his importance to the side cannot be underestimated.

With the Reds set to face Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester City over the next few weeks, the calibre of midfielder that Lucas—and Liverpool—will come up against is frightening.

The no-nonsense midfielder will potentially cross paths with the likes of Eden Hazard, Juan Mata, David Silva, Yaya Toure, Samir Nasri and fellow Brazilians Oscar and Paulinho as the Reds look to cement their place in the top four.

What Lucas lacks in pace and technical ability, he more than makes up for with his ability to read the game and curtail opposition attacks.

With the responsibility of protecting his back four from the quality of player mentioned above, he will be vital in ensuring Liverpool's fantastic first half to the season isn't undone.

With Joe Allen the only other recognised central-midfielder fit at Anfield at the moment, Lucas's experience will be just as important as his defensive duties.

Breaking up opposition attacks is what Lucas is selected for, doing the "dirty work" while others around him bask in the glory, and in fixtures as important as those that Liverpool are facing, the "dirty work" will be crucial.

Recent glimpses of the form shown during the 2010/11 season in which Lucas was named the Reds' player of the season (via Liverpool Echo) have seen him rewarded with a return to the Brazil national side (via the Mirror).

Further displays of such calibre would not go unnoticed as Liverpool look to prove that they deserve to be where they are in the table and that they are capable of competing with the big boys.

No. 1: Luis Suarez

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Okay, so it was obvious.

How can arguably the most in-form man in world football not be his side's key player heading into a run of season-defining fixtures.

Suarez's performances of late have been breathtaking.

Nine goals in his last five league games (via ESPN) including a quite unbelievable four-goal haul during the 5-1 win over Norwich has seen the Uruguayan top the Barclays Premier League scoring charts.

The in-form striker is almost single-handedly carrying the Reds' goalscoring burden in the absence of strike partner Daniel Sturridge, and Brendan Rodgers will be hoping he carries that form into the festive period.

Suarez does have history against Liverpool's forthcoming opponents.

During his time at Anfield he has found the net against all three of Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester City, and if the Reds are to maintain their position at the top end of the table, it is highly likely he will have to find the net against them again in the coming weeks.

The controversial striker is in the form of his life, and if Cristiano Ronaldo has single-handedly ensured Portugal will be at this summer's World Cup, then Suarez has without doubt done the same for Uruguay.

Suarez's exploits have seen ex-Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher confess to Alex Richards of the Mirror that his former teammate could well go down as the greatest player in the club's history—should he hang around.

He is already the bookies favourite to be crowned PFA Player of the Year, and scoring the goals that keep Liverpool within a shout of a top-four finish will only further enhance his chances of walking away with an award that the likes of Stan Collymore and John Aldridge (via the Mirror and Eurosport respectively) feel he should have won last season.

It is in all probability that Rodgers will look to strengthen his side's forward line in January, but in the meantime the performances and goals of Suarez will be more crucial than anything else in ensuring the Reds head into the new year in good form.

Do you agree that the three players selected will be key for Liverpool over the coming weeks or are there others than deserve a mention?

As always leave your comments below.