adminLONDON (Mailonline) – Liverpool fear Steven Gerrard could be out for up to six weeks with a hamstring injury. The Liverpool and England captain pulled up sharply after he attempted a shot at goal during Liverpool’s 4-1 win against West Ham and immediately indicated that he needed to be substituted.
Gerrard was expected to have a scan yesterday to discover the extent of the damage but the worst-case scenario is that he will be on the sidelines until the end of next month.
That will be a devastating blow for manager Brendan Rogers, who is already without key striker Daniel Sturridge for the most demanding stage of the season.
Gerrard will miss the key trips to Tottenham, Manchester City and Chelsea and could be absent for as many as seven matches. This is in contrast to an inviting fixture list which has seen Liverpool punish the teams they would expect to beat at Anfield, the latest being this dismissal of the Hammers.
But a question remains: are they flat-track bullies or a team with genuine substance? Before 2013 draws to a close, the answer will become clear.
With Luis Suarez playing as he is, anything is possible.
“They are going to be tough but we will concentrate on the first one at Tottenham,” said Glen Johnson, Liverpool’s right back. “It (a title challenge) is always in the back of your mind but the only thing we can do is get as many three points as we can.
“If we are doing that, everything will take care of itself. But of course we are good enough to be up there, definitely. Any team would miss Stevie. But we have a good squad and if we can start scoring a few more away from home, it will blend in nicely with what we are doing at Anfield.”
After Gerrard went off, Liverpool lost their shape, which let the visitors back into the game through a Martin Skrtel own goal. But Suarez ensured there was no calamity, scoring twice in four minutes.
West Ham’s hopes of salvaging a point disappeared when Kevin Nolan was sent off for a tackle on Jordan Henderson that prompted Sam Allardyce to describe him as “irresponsible”.
As good as Suarez was, another South American really impressed. Philippe Coutinho pulled the strings effortlessly at times and such is Rodgers’s belief in him, he has urged Luiz Felipe Scolari to pick him for the World Cup.
“Felipe has just asked me to keep an eye on the Brazilian boys and any feedback — even from ones at other clubs — as I know him from my time at Chelsea,” Rodgers explained. “Lucas has got into the squad, which was great, so hopefully Philippe can.”
Online Reporter