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As will be the case throughout the year, Liverpool have a number of absences to contend with when their Premier League season opens on Sunday with the visit of Southampton. None of those named by Brendan Rodgers in his pre-match presser on Friday afternoon come as a surprise, but at least two were expected to have an impact as the upcoming campaign gets underway, so from day one--just like last season, but without the ban for biting--Liverpool will have to find a way to cope.
Flanagan, Lallana, Markovic, Agger missing for LFC this weekend.
— James Pearce (@JamesPearceEcho) August 15, 2014
As noted, we've known that this confirmation was more or less coming; Jon Flanagan's had a brace on his knee throughout throughout the preseason tour, Adam Lallana suffered a knee injury in training that ruled him out of the preseason entirely, Lazar Markovic was never going to be tested after suffering a tendon injury between the Olympiacos and Manchester City friendlies, and Daniel Agger headed back to Merseyside early after an unspecified injury and mounting speculation that his Liverpool career was coming to an end.
With Javier Manquillo and Alberto Moreno now in the squad, Flanagan's absence won't be felt as keenly, and the form of the likes of Philippe Coutinho and Raheem Sterling leading into Sunday's opener means that Lallana and Markovic aren't tasked with rushing back into action. And, as we're all well aware, Agger finds himself buried in the depth chart with the arrival of Dejan Lovren, who's widely expected to start alongside Martin Skrtel, with Mamadou Sakho third-choice.
The sheer number of signings this summers means that Rodgers and Liverpool should be able to cope from the outset, but we'll be hoping that all mentioned are back and challenging for a spot in the squad (as long as they're still Liverpool players) as soon as possible.
