|
Blackburn manager Gary Bowyer has said it is "ridiculous" that his Liverpool counterpart Brendan Rodgers is facing questions about a possible crisis at Anfield ahead of their FA Cup quarterfinal replay. Liverpool head to Ewood Park on Wednesday looking to salvage their season after their 13-game Premier League unbeaten streak was ended by successive defeats that have virtually scuppered their top-four hopes. On Monday, Rodgers denied rumours of dressing-room unrest in the wake of Saturday's 4-1 loss to Arsenal, while the lingering contract saga surrounding forward Raheem Sterling has added to the gloom around the club. However, Bowyer said a Liverpool side he considered to be the best in the country only a few weeks ago had not gone into meltdown overnight. "I think it's ridiculous that, after losing two games, the team that was hailed prior to those two games as being the best in the Premier League -- which they were at the time with the football they were playing -- then comes in for that," he said. "Brendan Rodgers has done an unbelievable job. He doesn't need me telling him, but that's just the world we live in now. It's crazy." The Rovers boss could be forgiven for bemoaning a crisis himself after seeing his numbers seriously depleted by injuries and competition regulations. As many as 14 players could be missing for the Championship team, with four ineligible to play and 10 having injury concerns. Bowyer is unhappy that former John O'Sullivan is barred from featuring because he was away on loan with League One Barnsley when Blackburn drew 0-0 with Liverpool at Anfield in their first clash. Although O'Sullivan is now back in Blackburn's squad and featured in Saturday's 3-0 victory over Leeds as a substitute, Bowyer cannot pick him because he was not registered with his parent club when the initial fixture with Liverpool took place. Bowyer's hands have been tied by the Football League-imposed transfer embargo the club have been under since December, and he stressed that knocking out Liverpool would be even more impressive given how stretched his resources are. "We haven't been able to bring in enough players to help us through the time that we had prior to the international break where we played 13 games in 43 days," he said. "We can't even play one of our own players that we sent out on loan before the game, who has now come back with us and who played for us on Saturday in the league -- yet he can't play for us tomorrow night. "For me, that doesn't make sense. It's another challenge, another player less. It would be a massive achievement for us to pull it off. But we're aware of what lies ahead and the quality that's in front of us." Of the 10 players carrying injuries, goalkeeper Simon Eastwood (knock) should be fine but Jason Lowe (foot), Shane Duffy (knee) and Chris Taylor (groin) have definitely been ruled out. Captain Grant Hanley and David Dunn (both calf), plus Josh King, Craig Conway, Rudy Gestede and Chris Brown (all hamstring), are doubtful.
|
