The blow of going out by such a thin margin in the League Cup on Tuesday may be starting to abate somewhat, but there could be some longer term ramifications to come out of the match with defender Mamadou Sakho facing a fitness test ahead of the meeting with West Ham on Saturday.
The Frenchman, who was withdrawn in the 57th minute after picking up a back injury, has enjoyed a resurgence in the Reds defence since boss Brendan Rodgers switched up the formation. The former Paris St. Germain captain has become an integral part of the three-man back line that the Northern Irishman has favoured as of late alongside Emre Can and Martin Skrtel with results improving markedly. Although the 24-year old has said he’s OK, there’s still a degree of worry out there that he won’t be fit enough to face the Hammers at Anfield this weekend.
Sakho took to his Twitter account earlier today to let everyone know he’s alright by tweeting “Nothing alarming, I will be able to join the group tomorrow!” before following up with a clarifying statement on his official website. “It has been few days that I have felt a tension in my back, the pain got bigger and more intense during the last match” explained the defender. “I’m currently receiving treatments but nothing alarming, I will be able to join the group tomorrow.”
What the defender thinks and what the club thinks has been at odds in the past, though they’ll hopefully be on the same page when Sam Allardyce’s side roll into town on Saturday. “Sakho we’ll assess tomorrow,” said Rodgers in his pre-match press conference. “He’s still recovering.” If he’s not quite fit enough to make the starting eleven, Dejan Lovren — who has been on the sidelines for an extended spell following a poor start to life on Merseyside — could earn himself a recall with Kolo Toure still on International duty at the Africa Cup of Nations.
