Goal scorers talk about Burnley
Liverpool ground out an ugly but important win against Burnley, as they came from 1-0 down to run out eventual 2-1 winners. Georginio Wijnaldum equalised with the final kick of the first half before Emre Can secured the three points with a 20-yard strike, midway through the second half.
After the game, Wijnaldum spoke about the importance of snatching a goal just before the break. “It gives you another feeling if you go into the dressing room at 1-1, rather than 1-0 down,” the Dutchman said, “We had something to take confidence from and it was a really important goal for me and especially for the team. And also for the crowd, because it gave them something to support us more in the second half.” Wijnaldum has five goals in the Premier League this season, all of which have come at Anfield.
Emre Can acknowledged his poor form in 2017 and hopes that his contribution to this victory can help get back on track. “I know I had a very tough period, I had not too much confidence in the last few weeks and it was not my best performance. But I had the feeling I would come back, I had the feeling that I was getting strong again, and I know what I am able to do when I am fit, when I’m pain-free.”
The midfielder finished by saying, “Today it was a step forward and I have to keep it up.”
Henderson out of Man City clash, Lovren doubtful
Skipper Jordan Henderson has already been ruled out of next weekend’s trip to Man City. Henderson has been out with a foot injury and Jürgen Klopp has confirmed that there is “no chance” that he will be fit for the fixture. However he remains optimistic that the midfielder could return after the international break.
Elsewhere, it is unclear whether or not Dejan Lovren will make the side. The Croatian wasn’t in the match day squad against Burnley due to a minor back injury, his eighth separate injury of the season. At the time of writing Lovren is in line to feature for the U23 team against Chelsea, so the outcome of that runout should determine his availability at the weekend.
Liverpool “weakest” in the top 6
Gary Neville has branded Liverpool as the weakest team in the race for a top 4 finish. However, the former Manchester United defender believes that the remaining fixtures could help the Reds in securing Champions League qualification.
“You’d have to say, at this moment in time, if every team had the same games towards the end of the season, I think Liverpool could be in trouble,” he said on the Gary Neville Sky Sports podcast. “They could potentially be the weakest in some ways, but the fact they’ve got a really good run does give them an advantage to get in there. But it’s so tight and it changes week by week.”
Liverpool only have two more games against teams in the top 7 whereas Manchester United have five and Arsenal have four.
West Ham look for Carroll replacement
It’s being reported that West Ham could be looking to offload Andy Carroll and replace him with Daniel Sturridge. Carroll, who joined West Ham after a disappointing spell at Anfield, was linked with a move to China during January, but no deal went through.
It is now looking likely as though a move could be made in the summer, for somewhere in the region of £32m. This would fund a £25m bid for Sturridge, a player who has fallen out of favour at Liverpool due to lengthy spells on the sideline. Liverpool could be interested in getting his sizeable wage off of the books and the Englishman could be tempted by the prospect of first team football at the London Stadium.
