No one has ever accused Reds legend Dietmar Hamann of not knowing what he’s talking about and ahead of Sunday’s showdown with bitter rivals Manchester United, the former midfield enforcer has expressed concerns over the fitness of two of Liverpool’s most important players — starting with the Captain.
Gerrard was a second half substitute when the Anfield outfit ran out narrow winners against Swansea City on Monday night leading Hamann to suggest that he may not be fit enough for a starting spot at the weekend. “They won the last five or six games without him [Gerrard] so if he’s not 100 per cent then I definitely wouldn’t start him” he said in the build-up of the match before continuing, “if he is 100 per cent then you’ve got to think long and hard about it because in these games you want your talisman and most experienced players.”
With stand-in skipper Jordan Henderson bagging the winning goal and midfield mate Joe Allen keeping his former side at bay, one could very well make a case for Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers to stay the course with his current arrangement in the middle of the park, but there may be an eyebrow or two raised with Hamann also questioning whether or not Daniel Sturridge should be involved from the get-go.
“The other question is whether to start Sturridge, because I don’t think he is 100 per cent. It might make sense to bring Markovic in and bring Sturridge off the bench, because he can have a huge impact off the bench and play Sterling up top” he explained. “Yeah he’s [Sturridge] had an effect, but I don’t think he’s in the form he’s been before and whether this is due to the lack of games or whether he’s still got a slight problem with his muscle, I do not know.”
