Analysing Liverpool's Options After England Injury to Jordan Henderson
For the second time in a week, Liverpool fans' attitude towards the England national team was tested when news broke of Jordan Henderson sustaining an ankle injury during international training .
Dominic Fifield of The Guardian wrote on Sunday night:
"Henderson departed nursing a problem with his right ankle after turning away from a tackle but, having been assessed on the pitch by the team’s medical staff, he did at least hobble off unaided.
"
After Daniel Sturridge's muscle injury in training last week, Henderson's knock will come as a blow to both England and Liverpool over the coming days.
Should the incident force Henderson out of Saturday's Premier League clash against Aston Villa at Anfield, Brendan Rodgers will surely be seething.
Liverpool suffered during Henderson's last absence in 2013-14, through fault of his own—a reckless challenge on Manchester City's Samir Nasri—forcing him to miss three vital games in the Reds' late-season title charge.
His engine-like, intelligent play left a gaping hole in Liverpool's team, as the catalyst between midfield and attack was gone.
But having reinforced his squad in the summer, Rodgers will be hoping he can adequately replace Henderson against Aston Villa, should he need to. Here, we run through the options Rodgers has.
Tactics
1 of 3
Much will depend on the availability of Sturridge and whether Rodgers calls upon Rickie Lambert or Fabio Borini to partner Mario Balotelli up front as to whether Liverpool keep their shape.
The 4-4-2 formation with a diamond midfield of Steven Gerrard, Joe Allen, Henderson and Philippe Coutinho worked effectively in the 3-0 victory over Tottenham, so Rodgers may wish to simply swap like-for-like and maintain the balance.
Alternatively, although rather conservatively giving Saturday's game is at Anfield, Balotelli could play as the lone striker, allowing a shift to a 4-2-3-1 formation.
It would be Raheem Sterling, Coutinho and one of Lazar Markovic or Adam Lallana playing behind the Italian forward, with Gerrard and Allen holding the midfield behind the attacking-midfield trio.
Emre Can
2 of 3
There's been little seen of Emre Can in the Premier League since his move from Bayer Leverkusen this summer—the German Under-21 international playing just 16 minutes in the defeat at Man City and featuring for the last half hour at Tottenham.
Without Henderson, if Rodgers wishes to keep the shape that worked so well at White Hart Lane, Can would be an ideal candidate as a like-for-like replacement.
Another workhorse, Can provided glimpses of versatility in pre-season games, and this home clash against Aston Villa could be the perfect opportunity to show his worth.
Markovic or Lallana
3 of 3
Due to injury, the Liverpool careers of Markovic and Lallana are yet to get going, but with the home crowd behind them, Saturday could be the perfect push-start they need.
Markovic played for half an hour against both Man City and Tottenham, showing signs of a pacey, exciting attack-minded winger, while Lallana is yet to make his Reds debut.
Should Rodgers drop the 4-4-2 diamond formation in favour of a more attack-minded solution, Markovic or Lallana's creativity would work well as part of a three supporting Balotelli up front.
Against Aston Villa in January, Liverpool's midfield was left exposed, with Gerrard the only deep-lying midfielder as the visitors went 2-0 up inside 36 minutes.
It is important Rodgers doesn't make the same mistake again, and Gerrard needs the support of Allen, Can or potentially Lucas to keep control of that area of the pitch.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
