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Because news that Daniel Sturridge had re-injured his thigh for the second time wasn't bad enough, today results of the scan he underwent after limping out of training yesterday came in. And they aren't good. After being scheduled to miss four weeks and then four more after re-injuring his thigh the first time, the striker is now set to miss six weeks.
If he recovers to schedule—and if he doesn't pick up another injury along the way—he will now be expected to return to action right around the new year. On the bright side, while the injury is to the same thigh he first hurt while on England duty at the start of September, it's believed to be a slightly different injury to that same thigh. The club are calling it a grade-two strain.
Despite missing two and a half months, Sturridge's one goal, scored against Southampton in the league opener, means he remains the club's top scoring striker after 11 games. And with Liverpool's attack failing to click in his absence, the club now face a further eight to nine league matches without him. He will also miss their final two, potentially decisive, Champions League matches.
For Brendan Rodgers, having failed to make Liverpool's attack look anything like respectable, let alone dangerous, in Sturridge's absence and largely with Mario Balotelli leading the line on his own, it's hard to overstate the importance of the next six weeks. Before, Sturridge offered hope. Now, if Liverpool can't turn it around without him, there season will be over.
It's on the manager, then, to find the answer, and quickly. Liverpool spent quite a lot of money over this past summer on a lot of players that, on paper at least, appeared quite good. So far, though, they haven't come together cohesively under Rodgers, and few if any of his tactical tweaks so far this season have shown a great deal of promise.
If things continue as they have been, Liverpool's season will be over in any meaningful way by the time Sturridge returns. If he returns when he's scheduled this time, which seems an increasingly foolish assumption to make. Liverpool have spent two and a half months treading water, waiting for Sturridge to return. They can't wait on him any longer.
