Skrtel: Hendo and Phil's return will boost us
It wasn't just Liverpool fans who were delighted to see Jordan Henderson and Philippe Coutinho notch up crucial minutes on their roads to full fitness against FC Sion on Thursday night – their joy was shared inside the dressing room as well, admits Martin Skrtel.
Henderson played for 77 minutes on his first start since August 17 following a heel injury as Liverpool played out a goalless draw in Switzerland.
Coutinho also returned to action having missed four matches due to a hamstring complaint, and Skrtel believes the duo’s comebacks will provide the Reds with a boost as they continue their hectic December schedule.
He told Liverpoolfc.com: “It’s good news for us because both of them are very important players for us.
“Hendo was out of the team for such a long time, so it’s good to have him back. The same for Philippe; he was in good form before the injury. We’re happy they’re back and they’ll definitely help us.
“They’ve shown their quality so many times. I hope they can put their injuries behind them, stay fit and we see more of them on the pitch.”
Liverpool will be out to bounce back to winning ways when West Bromwich Albion visit Anfield this afternoon.
That Europa League stalemate with Sion was preceded by a 2-0 defeat against Newcastle United on a disappointing afternoon at St. James’ Park last Sunday.
After analysing their performance, Skrtel insists the Reds have now put to bed any thoughts of that loss in the north east.
“After the game we played against Newcastle last weekend, we need to get going again because obviously it was disappointing for us,” he said.
“Now this is another game, a new day, and we have to be ready and get the three points.
“It’s football. There are ups and downs and on the day for the Newcastle game, it was unlucky for us, but we know the performance wasn’t as it should have been.
“We know we can do better and we need to show that on the pitch. I hope we can do it [against West Brom].”
Standing in the way of Liverpool and three points this afternoon will be a West Brom side unbeaten in their last three outings in the Barclays Premier League – a sequence that includes a victory over Arsenal and a 1-1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur.
“It’ll be a difficult game,” Skrtel predicted. “As we know, he [Tony Pulis] loves his teams to play from the back, be defensively strong and solid, and try to play on the counter-attack.
“I remember the games from last season when we played them when they were defending deep and trying not to concede. I think we can expect a similar kind of game and we’ll have to try to break it down, try to play our own game, move the ball quickly, pass it quickly and try to score as soon as we can because that’ll open up the game.”
Skrtel could be required to attempt to thwart a familiar face at Anfield.
Rickie Lambert left Liverpool to join the Baggies in the summer, and his former teammate is well aware of the threat he and his fellow frontmen can cause.
Skrtel said: “If he plays, we know what type of player he is. He’s a physical player and loves a challenge, so we’ll have to be ready for that – but not only for him, they also have Rondon and Berahino, so we’ll have to be ready for the fight.
“But I think the most important thing will be our performance and we have to be focused on it.”