Match Report: Liverpool 0 - 1 Southampton

Southampton's match-winner Dejan Lovren had more than one reason to smile as he left Anfield having scored the only goal and escaped with not conceding a penalty.

The Croatia international struck in the 54th minute to end Liverpool's 12-match unbeaten league run spanning this season and last.

However, the Saints - the last team to defeat the Reds in March - may not have won 1-0 had referee Neil Swarbrick had the benefit of television replays which showed the defender had brought down Daniel Sturridge in the first half.

That incident aside, however, Liverpool did not create nearly enough chances for a team who began the day top of the table.

On this evidence the return of the watching Luis Suarez, sitting out the final match of his 10-match ban, has come not a moment too soon.

Rodgers' sprang a surprise in his line-up by experimenting in defence by selecting four centre-halves - arguably the strongest area of his squad - after naming Kolo Toure on the right and Mamadou Sakho on the left either side of the returning Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel.

Neither options at full-back looked a success in the first half, failing to supplement their defensive duties with anything approaching the usual attacking roles expected of that position.

Saints' right-back Nathaniel Clyde got forward more than the pair of them in 45 minutes in which his side did not have the majority of possession but were not afraid to commit men to attack.

Sakho, on only his second appearance after a less-than-convincing outing in central defence in the 2-2 draw at Swansea on Monday, is seen as the long-term option in the middle but being broken in at left-back seemed almost like the Reds boss was accommodating the £16million signing from Paris St Germain for the sake of it.

The watching Jamie Carragher, who patrolled central defence so brilliantly for so many years for Liverpool before his retirement last season, will no doubt have left with plenty of ammunition for his new role as a television analyst.

Sat close to Carragher was Suarez, enduring his last punishment for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic in April.

He looks set to return for the midweek Capital One Cup tie at Manchester United so this was Iago Aspas' last real chance to impress following his summer move from Celta Vigo.

The Spaniard scored 12 goals last season but has yet to score in five league games for his new club and the fact he lasted only 45 minutes told its own tale.

Liverpool created two real chances in the first half in addition to the penalty shout, a paltry return by anyone's standards.

Goalkeeper Artur Boruc's brilliant one-handed save denied Gerrard's curling free-kick after Aspas had been fouled by Jose Fonte before Sturridge, who after scoring in first four league matches had been unusually quiet, thought he had won a spot-kick.

He cut back on the angle of the penalty area Luke Shaw and Lovren, who made contact with the striker but not the ball.

Victor Moses carved out his own chance when he collected Gerrard's throw down the left, cut in past a couple of defenders only to see Boruc turn his shot behind.

Southampton had probed in the first half without properly testing goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, who created his own problems by coming for a ball Skrtel had covered and could only watch as Adam Lallana volleyed over the open goal.

Chances seemed to be a premium for strikers at both ends as Southampton's England international Rickie Lambert had one sight of goal, from Gerrard's miscontrol, but sliced a gentle looping shot into the arms of Mignolet.

Raheem Sterling's introduction for Aspas at half-time should have injected some life into Liverpool's attack but it was the visitors who struck first in the 54th minute.

Lovren beat Agger to Lallana's corner to head down and past Gerrard on the goalline. It was a goal you sensed had been coming for a while.

The boost in confidence that gave Southampton was evident in Shaw's driving run from halfway which saw Mignolet brilliantly stop both his shot, the rebound off Sakho and then get up to prevent substitute Steven Davis poking home.

Lovren then produced a timely intervention at the other end, diverting Sterling's low cross from the byline destined for Henderson.

In the final 20 minutes, Liverpool were back to two regulation centre-backs as Agger and Skrtel were replaced for more attacking options but it did little to change the outcome.

Rodgers Blames Liverpool’s ‘Criminal’ Defending

Brendan Rodgers has slammed Liverpool’s ‘criminal’ defending after they lost their first match of the season against Southampton.

The Reds went into the match yet to lose so far this term, but Dejan Lovren’s second-half header proved to the difference on a difficult afternoon at Anfield.

And manager Rodgers blames his side for switching off at the back as the key reason for the defeat.

‘We were not technically good enough,’ he said.

‘Both the performance and the result were very disappointing – we didn’t play to the usual level that we like to.

‘I thought the goal was criminal, really. That’s the brutal honesty of it.’

Rodgers rotated his backline for the clash and made the surprise decision to play four centre-backs across a back-four, with Kolo Toure, Martin Skrtel, Daniel Agger and Mamadou Sakho all playing.

The system didn’t work, but Rodgers finished by highlighting the positions – which includes Luis Suarez now completing his 10-match ban for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic.

‘That is the positive as he has now served his ban and we can bring someone as good as him back.’

Liverpool’s Barren Midfield Is Causing An Inability To Gel

Liverpool’s 1-0 defeat to the hands of Southampton was more disappointing for the performance, than the result itself.

In fairness to the Saints, they came to Anfield and played a very impressive game of football. They were composed, strong and a great collective group. Considering they finished 20 points behind Liverpool last season, Mauricio Pochettino’s side have come on leaps and bounds over the summer.

There were worries with the Reds’ performance though. I’m not usually critical of Brendan Rodgers, but he got it wrong on Saturday.

Lining up with four natural centre-backs across the back raised a few eyebrows at kick-off, but it’s not something that hasn’t been tried (and worked) before.

Gerard Houllier had a back four of Jamie Carragher, Stephane Henchoz, Sami Hyypia and Markus Babel when Liverpool won the treble in 2001.

However, Mamadou Sakho is not a left-back, nor is Kolo Toure a right-back. Not, at least in the wing-back system Rodgers has been encouraging this year.

Sakho looked panicked on the left-side and then looked a relieved man when Jose Enrqiue came on during the second half to resume his role there.

Toure on the other hand bumbled his way down the right side, but was no substitute for the injured Glen Johnson.

Whilst Enrique and Cissokho, when fit, solve Liverpool’s left sided problems, I’m not too sure Liverpool’s transfers over the summer accounted for losing Johnson for a long period.

But the real problem Liverpool face, in my opinion, is the midfield engine.

When Steven Gerrard and Lucas switch off, there is a gaping hole between defence and midfield. The connection is missing, and therefore Liverpool looked incapable of pushing the ball forward with any sort of threat.

It has happened in second halves of games this season and has been commented upon by pundits. Against Southampton, Liverpool lacked that route between defence and attack throughout.

Iago Aspas is continuing to struggle in the physical Premier League, while the introduction of Raheem Sterling at half-time gave Liverpool some width, but he too was constantly ushered out of the game by the resolute Saints defence.

Southampton was the last team to beat Liverpool before this game and could well turn out to be Rodgers’ bogey team.

All attentions now turn to Wednesday with the League Cup third round trip to Old Trafford and the return of you-know-who.

RVP Could Miss Liverpool Clash

Manchester United manager David Moyes has revealed star striker Robin van Persie could miss the team’s match with Liverpool on Wednesday in the Capital One Cup.

Van Persie missed his first Premier League game since 2011 on Sunday as United slipped to an embarrassing 4-1 defeat away to rivals Manchester City.

It was clear to see United missed that bright spark up front and may be forced to play without him in the cup clash this week.

Danny Welbeck was brought in to partner Wayne Rooney at the Etihad and could be a starter once again on Wednesday.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Moyes revealed that he looked like he would be available up until the day of the game having trained through a groin strain all week.

"He had a groin strain in the week, we thought he might be OK but not quite," said Moyes.

"Up until Sunday morning, we thought he had a good chance. Maybe he'll be OK for Wednesday."

Whilst United may be without van Persie, Liverpool look set to introduce Luis Suarez back into the starting line up for the first time since last season after his ten-game ban for biting Branislav Ivanovic came to an end.

Liverpool Shouldn't Buy Abel Hernandez

Brendan Rodgers received a certain amount of kudos for his work in the recent transfer window.

Though no signing by itself was particularly revolutionizing, key problem areas were addressed.

With Pepe Reina’s recent seasons dampened by glaring errors, sometimes directly responsible for dropping points, it ultimately seemed sensible to replace him.

Similarly, the Reds surged up areas of the squad in which they were thinly stretched, including fullback and centre half positions, and with Iago Aspas, Luis Alberto and Victor Moses added to their attacking options.

Yet, it’s also worth adding they were, reportedly, frustrated in multiple attempts at bringing in some real game changers, players you would expect to be guaranteed first team football: Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Christian Eriksen, Willian and Diego Costa.

Abel Hernandez, on the other hand, is some way off that kind of level, and Liverpool might come to expect a higher calibre of player during the January transfer window, in which the club did some impressive business last year.

This is especially true should Liverpool be in the mix for a fourth place finish, which would enhance their appeal to players tantalized by the prospect of Champions League football next season.

21 goals in 86 appearances over four years is hardly mouth-watering stuff, and although recently Hernandez has notched up four goals in three league appearances, it’s important to remember he’s now operating in Italy’s Serie B.

In last Palermo’s last season in Serie A, however, the Uruguayan forward attained only fourteen appearances, of which Palermo only managed to win two. Among these, Hernandez was unimpressive, providing only one goal and one assist.

On the other hand, Iago Aspas, who might himself be considered a squad player for Liverpool currently, last year produced twelve goals and seven assists.

On paper, his seven goals in ten international appearances, since 2009, amounts to an impressive goals per game ratio.

However, upon closer inspection, all seven were scored across four fixtures and three of these were friendlies. In the remaining fixture, Hernandez effectively found himself partaking in shooting practice against severe underdogs Tahiti in the Confederations cup, in which Uruguay expectedly thrashed their opponents 8 – 0 with Hernandez scoring four.

It’s also been suggested that, due to their shared nationality, Hernandez and Suarez would form something of an exciting partnership.

Unfortunately, in turns out the two haven’t experienced all that much playing time together on the international front. Not once have Suarez and Hernandez been included together in a starting line-up, and the total minutes both on spent on the pitch together amounts only to something like 60 minutes.

Basically, there’s very little to suggest Hernandez and Suarez would become an effective force up front. Nor is there much to indicate Hernandez would improve the squad, should Liverpool choose to pursue to Palermo man. Perhaps, come January, Liverpool should aim a little higher.

Perez Says Real Madrid Won't Bid For Suarez In January

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has told Liverpool fans he will not bid for Luis Suarez when the transfer window opens at the end of the year.

The news will come as a further boost to Liverpool supporters who eagerly await the return of their star man after serving a 10-match ban.

'We will not be signing anyone in January,' he said to the club’s members at the Real Madrid annual general meeting on Sunday.

Suarez is set for a fiery return in the Capital One Cup at Manchester United on Wednesday night.

Real sold Gonzalo Higuain this summer without bringing in a replacement.

But Perez made assurances to the club’s young centre-forward Alvaro Morata at the start of the season that no-one would be brought in to block his path to the first team.

He has now reaffirmed that promise and closed the door on any Suarez interest at least until the end of the season. Perez also used the annual meeting to relish in the capture of Gareth Bale.

He said: 'He has come to form part of our spectacular team. He was the image, the face, of the Premier League now he is here with us to help us win titles. We want to win our tenth European Cup and many more trophies.'

Madrid confirmed a record £440million income from last season and members were shown images of Bale signing as the meeting began.

Winger Angel Di Maria has meanwhile criticized the signing. The Argentine said: 'This is a club that always signs players and sometimes they forget just how good the players they already have are.'

Sakho Hints At PSG Return

Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho has hinted at a return to former club Paris St-Germain during an emotional speech.

The French international centre back joined Brendan Rodgers’ side in a £15million switch in the summer, making his debut in the 2-2 draw at Swansea last week.

But the 23-year-old told PSG supporters he believes he has unfinished business at the Parc des Princes.

During a goodbye speech ahead of the Ligue 1 home game against Monaco, he told the crowd: ‘I’m very proud to come here. I remember when I was young, I was up there, there in the stands and watched PSG play. My story with PSG isn’t over yet.’

Sakho was at PSG for 11 years, making more than 150 appearances for the current French champions after coming through the youth ranks.

Suso Bags Stunning Goal For Almeria

Liverpool talent Suso scored his first senior goal as Almeria surrendered a two-goal lead in the second half to share the spoils with Levante in La Liga.

The hosts went ahead through a penalty from Jose Antonio Rabasco 'Verza' in the 45th minute with Suso doubling the advantage early in the second half.

Christian Fernandez was sent off for the hosts shortly after the goal and Nabil El Zhar - another ex-Liverpool kid - put Levante back in contention with a penalty before Pape Diop completed Joaquin Caparros's side's comeback.

It was the fourth game this season in which Almeria have dropped points from a winning position and they are still yet to win in the top flight.

Levante meanwhile extended their unbeaten run to four games and have taken six points so far this season.

Youngster Reveals Gerrard Advice

Ross Barkley has revealed Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard told him to stay with Everton to help further his career.

Barkley has been handed opportunities to shine by Roberto Martinez this season and he opened his account on the first day of the season with a goal against Norwich.

The youngster's performances have not gone unnoticed by England boss Roy Hodgson, who handed the 19-year-old a call up to the squad for the recent fixtures.

The Liverpool-born midfielder linked up with Gerrard while on duty with the Three Lions and he was handed some words of wisdom from the veteran.

Barkley said: "He [Gerrard] said the big hitters are going to be looking at me but the main thing for me is to stay with the club I'm at, the team I support and love.

"I was a bit star-struck when I first joined up [with the England squad] but Steven was good to me when I was away. I sat next to him on the coach and he gave me loads of advice.

"He [Gerrard] told me I'm from Liverpool, a local lad playing for the team I support, and there is nothing better. He’s done that throughout his career."

Match Preview: Liverpool vs Southampton

Liverpool welcomes Southampton to Anfield aiming to cement their place at the top of the Premier League.

Liverpool saw their 100% start to the season ended after being held to a 2-2 draw at Swansea on Monday and they will be keen to return to winning ways against Southampton.

The home side will again look to the in-form Daniel Sturridge for goals after becoming the first player in Liverpool's Premier League history to score in the team's opening four games of the season.

Southampton have endured an inconsistent start to the campaign, winning one game, drawing two and losing the other in their opening four games.

Mauricio Pochettino's men have struggled for goals having scored two goals so far in the Premier League and they have yet to score in open play.

Liverpool defender Daniel Agger is expected to return to face Southampton after missing Monday's draw at Swansea with a side strain.

Playmaker Philippe Coutinho is out for several weeks after undergoing a shoulder operation so the likes of Iago Aspas and Raheem Sterling will be pushing for a recall.

The match marks the completion of striker Luis Suarez's 10-game ban, which was carried over from last season.

Southampton left-back Luke Shaw is fit for the Premier League trip to Anfield.

The teenager limped off in last weekend's 0-0 draw with West Ham, but Mauricio Pochettino has revealed he has overcome that knock.

Fellow left-back Danny Fox remains a doubt with an ankle complaint and Tadanari Lee may also miss out.

Pochettino Hopes Southampton Can Keep Sturridge Quiet

Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino is hopeful his side can keep an 'awesome' Daniel Sturridge quiet and secure three points against Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday.

The unbeaten Reds currently sit top of the Premier League table after three wins from their opening four matches, including a victory over old rivals Manchester United.

Sturridge has scored in each of those matches and Pochettino is aware his players must nullify the attacking threat posed by the striker and his team-mate's to get what would be a surprise three points.

"We're very much aware that Sturridge is an awesome threat," he said.

"He started off the season quite well, can change the game on his own, but our main concern is blocking the connections from Steven Gerrard and other midfield players.

"We know Coutinho will probably be out of this game, but we need to take care of that midfield to make sure the balls don't go through to Sturridge.

"It's clear that they are a very powerful side and Anfield is a great stadium to play in.

"It will be a great place to perform, to do well in and actually try to get the three points."

The Saints have fired blanks in their past two matches, with talisman Rickie Lambert still looking to add to his opening day strike at West Brom.

Despite record signing Dani Osvaldo impressing, he is yet to hit the back of net and was denied on more than one occasion during the goalless draw with West Ham last weekend at St Mary's.

Rodgers Dismisses Title Talk

Brendan Rodgers will only assess Liverpool’s title prospects when the season is further advanced as he is only concentrating on the next game for now.

The Reds have enjoyed an unbeaten start to the season to leave them top of the table, one point clear of Arsenal and Tottenham, and their early form has raised questions about their ability to challenge for the title.

Rodgers is delighted with the start to the season but he knows there are tougher challenges ahead and feels now is not the time to be talking about their title aspirations.

“I haven’t even considered that at all – the only focus is the next game,” said Rodgers.

“We’ll assess it after 10 games, see where we sit there, then the halfway point and we’ll probably have a more realistic idea of where we can be.

“At this moment, we’ve played four – won three and drawn one – and we’re in a good moment.

“There’s a lot more to come. We’ve made a good start. People will talk that it’s early stages, as will I, but these are hurdles you have to get over.

“We’re on 10 points already; at the end of last season we finished on 61 points and we talked about those extra 10 points that might have taken us into the Champions League – at this early stage we’ve got them.

“I believe the team has still got a lot of improvements to make because of the nature of what I’ve seen in the games and the potential we have in the players.

“We’ve got to sustain that but I’m really happy that in these early stages we’ve shown at least potential.

“I think that potential can grow even more.”

Liverpool Return For Agger

Liverpool has been boosted by the news that Daniel Agger is set to return from injury to face Southampton tomorrow, according to the Daily Mirror.

Agger suffered a freak injury in training this week which forced him to miss The Reds 2-2 with Swansea on Monday night.

The defender supposedly hurt himself whilst trying to evade a dumbbell that he dropped during gym-work.

However, the Danish centre-back may be in line for a return to action at Anfield as Brendan Rodgers' side host the Saints.

Agger has established himself as key player for Liverpool since his move from Danish club Bronby back in 2006.

The tall defender has featured 158 times in the Premier League scoring seven goals and has 58 caps for Denmark.

The retirement of Reds legend Jamie Carragher at the end of last season prompted Rodgers to install Agger as the clubs new vice-captain.

Liverpool will be hoping to continue their good start to the season, which has put them top of the table after four games, against a mid-table Southampton side who have struggled for goals in recent weeks.

Liverpool Lining Up Move For Hernandez

Liverpool is set to make a £4 million move for Palermo and Uruguay striker, Abel Hernandez during the January transfer window.

According to the Metro, the highly touted striker is unhappy with life in Italy and is looking to move as soon as he can.

A proposed deadline-day switch to Arsenal fell apart at the last minute and it's put the rest of Europe on notice, especially Liverpool, who're looking to find ways to appease Luis Suarez and keep him at Anfield.

The bargain move would see Hernandez line-up next to Suarez, just like they do for Uruguay.

Brendan Rodgers has previously said that he hadn't conducted all the business he wanted to and that having another striker would've been ideal.

The addition of Hernandez would make for an exciting partnership with Suarez but he may find it a struggle to get ahead of in-form Daniel Sturridge, if he can keep up his fantastic start to the year.

Hernandez has scored 21 times in 86 games for Palermo, who're currently in Serie B, another factor in his wish to move. He's also scored seven times in 10 games for Uruguay and will be a key player at next year's World Cup - should they qualify.

Enrique Looking Forward To Fighting For His Spot

Among the early storylines crowded out in the early season by Daniel Sturridge's goalscoring form and the confident, assured performances by Simon Mignolet has been the relative improvement by Jose Enrique at left-back. The Spaniard started his Liverpool career with talk of a call-up to the Spanish national team; he was inserted into the starting eleven almost immediately under Kenny Dalglish and didn't look back, cementing himself as one of the top left-backs in the country.

As was the case with much of the squad that season, his form started to fade, however, and the first few months under Brendan Rodgers saw Enrique slip further down the pecking order through injury and poor form, with a sale mentioned as a possibility despite the club not really having another left-sided fullback in the senior squad. As fitness and form improved, though, Enrique gradually worked himself back to a serviceable level, and even through a shaky preseason, he's managed to perform well in each his of four starts in the Premier League.

And while we can't quite attribute it to actual competition just yet, there's at least the idea of it looming just around the corner--Aly Cissokho's injury in his first ten minutes as a Liverpool player ruled him out until early October, but Enrique's managed to pick up on the fact that his spot is anything but secure if he suffers another lapse in form:

For a player who so often--even when he's seemingly on a run of good form--seems to go on a mental walkabout in the middle of matches, competition would appear to be the right tonic. Enrique can, at times, be absolutely devastating for the opposition at both ends of the pitch, using his frame and speed to get up and down the left flank, showing good awareness in the defensive third and solid distribution at the attacking end. Or, he can completely lose track of himself and his surroundings, showing a complete lack of awareness anywhere and distribution that either ends up at the opposition's feet or in Row Z.

Those forehead-slapping moments haven't been as frequent early this season, and while he hasn't yet returned to the heights of his early Liverpool career, he's done all that's been asked of him with little fuss. And if right now it's just the idea of competition pushing him to improve, let's hope Aly Cissokho's return to the squad helps Jose Enrique improve even further.

Sterling Cleared Of Assault On Former Girlfriend

The assault case against the Liverpool footballer Raheem Sterling collapsed on Friday when his former girlfriend failed to support the prosecution's case by giving "disappointing" evidence.

Sterling was alleged to have attacked the 19-year-old model Shana Ann Rose Halliday following a row about a text message, Liverpool magistrates court heard.

But Sterling, from Southport, was formally found not guilty when the Crown Prosecution Service withdrew its case after magistrates refused to treat Miss Halliday as a hostile witness.

Sara Drysdale, prosecuting, made an application to the bench asking for the complainant to be "treated as a hostile witness".

She said: "The crown would say that Miss Halliday has demonstrated an unwillingness to tell the truth about what has happened."

She said Miss Halliday, who gave evidence to the court behind a screen, had given "conflicting accounts" to her previous statements to the police and which also differed from her original 999 call to the police on the night in question.

But Stuart Driver QC, defending, said the prosecution was engaging in a "straw-clutching exercise" and just because the witness had given "disappointing evidence" did not mean she was a hostile witness.

He said: "A hostile witness is just that; and it requires a lot more than a witness who disappoints the prosecution by saying things happened in a way that doesn't amount to a criminal offence. That's just what we have here."

At times Miss Halliday failed to answer prosecution questions and was often so quiet she was inaudible.

She told the court: "We just had a heated argument because I seen a text on his phone and asked who it was. We were pushing and shoving, both of us, and I started it because I was trying to get his phone."

Mr. Driver added: "She has given evidence, slowly but in detail, and it's unfavourable to the prosecution case. She is far from being a hostile witness."

Anthony Leo, chairman of the bench, told the court: "Although she is an unfavourable witness for the prosecution, she is not hostile."

After the bench made its decision, Miss Drysdale said there was "no longer a realistic prospect of conviction".

Sterling, wearing a black suit, white shirt and blue tie, was called back into the dock and formally found not guilty to the charges.

Sakho Broke Fitness Machine During Reds Medical

Brendan Rodgers calls him “a monster” - and Liverpool new boy Mamadou Sakho has already proved he packs a punch.

Sakho, 23, broke one of the cardiovascular machines in the Reds' gym during his medical for the £15million switch from Paris Saint-Germain he made at the start of the month.

The 6ft 2in man-mountain of a centre-half, who made his debut in the draw at Swansea on Monday, said: “How do you know this? Yes, it’s true!

“It’s true that one of the machines did break. Something went wrong with it, so they had to fix it, not reinforce it.

“Strength is one of my attributes and I want to continue developing my strength as it is a key part of my game.

“I’m a defender and I need to use that, but I need to fill out more and bulk up to progress.”

Premier League opponents will not relish facing the French international.

Sakho has been a fighter since his childhood in the tough Paris suburb of Goutte d’Or, or ‘Little Africa’.

“I grew up in an area of Paris that isn’t all sweet and nice,” he said. “At that age, you have to put yourself about a bit and earn some respect.

“When I was 14 or 15, I tried to impose myself on the other players at PSG, but it was soon made clear to me that I needed to focus and concentrate, that I needed to go to bed early and work hard. That’s what I’ve been doing ever since.

“I think I will be suited to the English style of play. I felt I had done it all with Paris and that it was time for me to turn a new page in my career.”

Rodgers: Williams’ Challenge On Coutinho Was Clumsy

Brendan Rodgers has described Ashley Williams’ challenge on Philippe Coutinho as “clumsy” after the Brazilian was sidelined for six weeks.

The 21-year-old had to be substituted in the 55th minute of Liverpool’s 2-2 draw at the Liberty Stadium after clashing with Swansea City captain Williams.

The South American requires surgery on a shoulder injury and the Reds expect to be without the former Inter Milan playmaker for at least a month-and-a-half.

“He’s only just having it [surgery] today so the timescale from the medics is obviously up to six weeks,” Rodgers to a pre-match news conference on Thursday.

“We wouldn’t anticipate any sooner than that. It’s unfortunate for him because he’s been in great form since he came here in January.

“Hopefully we’ll get him back sooner rather than later and then he can come into the group again.

“It was one where it was more the fall than the challenge. The challenge was probably a bit clumsy but it was actually more the fall that did the damage.

“In those scenarios the bone may be bruised but unfortunately for Philippe the bone came through the muscle. That’s what the pain was and why the operation was needed.

“It’s unfortunate because he was a really pivotal player for us in the game. When he went, we lost that connection between our midfield and the front line; it disrupted our balance a bit.

“These things happen in football. Hopefully he’ll recover quickly and come back to us in good shape.

“We want to have all the best players available here that we possibly can. You want the problem, as the manager, of who to choose and especially how we’ve started.”

Dalglish: My Liverpool Overachieved In 2012

Kenny Dalglish has defended his record during his second spell as Liverpool boss, claiming the team’s achievements were “beyond any expectations”.

Dalglish was sacked by Liverpool’s American owners Fenway Sports Group in May 2012 because the Reds finished eighth in the Premier League.

The Anfield legend insists winning the Carling Cup, which remains their only trophy since 2006, and reaching the FA Cup Final that season were more memorable than finishing fourth.

“Liverpool Football Club is massive and the support it gets is fantastic,” he said. “They had not won anything for six years when I got there, but we won something in our first season.

“What those boys achieved in 2012 was fantastic. To win the Carling Cup and to get to an FA Cup Final was beyond any expectations.

“People will turn around and say we finished eighth in the league, but how many points would you swap for three Wembley trips?

“Because of the cup runs, it was probably a reason why the league results were not what we had hoped for, but the lads were fantastic and that can only stand them in good stead.

“That League Cup was a trophy for Liverpool Football Club. I don’t see that as anything but a positive. It’s always pleasant to get a winner’s medal.

“For Dirk Kuyt, to have won his first medal at Liverpool Football Club after so long must have meant so much to him and to win a trophy at Wembley again clearly meant a lot to the fans.

“Nowadays it’s also a success to finish in the top four and get into the Champions League.

“It might be more rewarding to qualify in Europe after finishing fourth, but who remembers that game when you finished fourth to get there?

“Winning a cup final against Cardiff at Wembley and walking away with the Carling Cup was a day to remember.

“Yes, I would have loved to have finished fourth and I would have loved to have won the Champions League and won the Premier League, but it was never going to be achieved overnight.

“If you take short steps, you’ve got a chance and what we achieved was a positive move.”

Dalglish spent £60million the previous summer on the likes of Jordan Henderson, Stewart Downing and Charlie Adam and says they needed more than just one season to settle at Anfield.

“We signed seven new players and for Liverpool Football Club to try and assimilate so many in one season was a huge ask for the players,” he said.

“Some of those young lads at Liverpool are going to be really good footballers, but the club had never brought seven new players in before, who would all start at the same time.”

Despite his hurt at leaving Liverpool, Dalglish, who was a club ambassador before succeeding Roy Hodgson as manager in January 2011, says he would jump at the chance to return again in any capacity.

“I’ve always said that I’m happy to help Liverpool Football Club in whatever way I can and that hasn’t changed in any way, shape or form,” he said.

Rodgers Expects Smooth Suarez Transition

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers doesn’t expect Luis Suarez to be rusty when he returns to club action against Manchester United on Wednesday in the Capital One Cup.

The Uruguayan striker’s ten-game ban for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic comes to an end following this weekend’s Premier League fixture against Southampton.

Suarez has managed to play several times for Uruguay since the ban, helping his nation to the semi-final of the Confederations Cup in the summer as well as scoring in games with Japan and twice against Peru earlier this month.

Rodgers believes Suarez will be right up to speed when Liverpool takes on United next week, revealing the striker has been playing full speed in training matches, the Daily Star reports.

"We tried to map something out over the period he’s been out,” said Rodgers.

"He’s played some games in pre-season but when the league got started we organised some 11 v 11 matches behind closed doors, both among ourselves and bringing teams in.

"He’s had international games as well that have kept him ticking over.

"He’s been doing a lot of specific work to replicate what he would do in a game, high-intensity work. It’s never quite the same as a game but at least he’s getting the work.”

Rodgers is looking forward to having the controversial striker back in his squad to partner in-form Daniel Sturridge up front, particularly with the loss of Philippe Coutinho to injury.

"The idea is that when we bring him back, it will be very smooth,” he added.

"There’ll be a transitional period. I’m really looking forward to having him back. He’s working his socks off.