Reds to battle 14th placed Sunderland, next…
We next travel to Sunderland in the Premier League on Saturday lunchtime, and have the chance to go level on points with West Ham in 7th if we win – for the time being at least.
Here’s the side we think Brendan Rodgers should select for the clash with Gus Poyet’s men.
GK) Simon Mignolet
The Belgian is guaranteed to start in goal because of Brad Jones’ injury, unless we make a quick-fire signing before the weekend… It’s unlikely, but after Mignolet’s FA Cup mistake, it would be met with open arms by supporters.
DRC) Emre Can
Kolo Toure will be away at the African Nations, and although Can was shaky versus Bournemouth, the young German did superbly against Swansea at Anfield at the end of December. The 20-year-old should get another go.
DC) Martin Skrtel
Barring his inability to deal with set-pieces, Skrtel’s done well in the middle of the back-three – and with no better alternative, he’ll remain there against the Black Cats.
DLC) Mamadou Sakho
Should be the first defender on the team-sheet right now. Sakho’s not done much wrong since winning his place back in the side following injury, and even though Dejan Lovren will be back, the Croatian should remain on the bench.
MR) Jordan Henderson
To accommodate Steven Gerrard in a central role, we’d use Henderson on the right versus Sunderland. He’s by no means comfortable here, but he’ll still be able to provide offensive and defensive work-rate – like he does in the middle.
ML) Alberto Moreno
We’d go for Moreno above Lazar Markovic here, because it’s an away fixture, and the young Spaniard provides better defensive cover. He can also bomb forward though, and has all the characteristics a modern wing-back needs.
MC) Steven Gerrard
The captain proved against Wimbledon that despite announcing his departure, he’s by no means willing to let his Liverpool career peter out. Gerrard was used further forward then – and bagged twice – but to utilise a pacier front-three, we’d drop him into a deeper role alongside natural anchorman Lucas.
MC) Lucas
It looked very much like the Brazilian’s Liverpool career was coming to an end early on this term, but with the side needing a defensive platform in the middle, Lucas was recalled – and he’s provided just that. A guaranteed starter, right now.
AMRLC) Coutinho
Coutinho is thriving in the 3-4-3, perhaps more than any other player. It enables him to find pockets of space in which he can tear sides apart. His final ball is occasionally misjudged, but if he’s on-song, Sunderland will be doubling up on him. His attacking relationship with Raheem Sterling is something to particularly watch out for.
AMRLC) Lazar Markovic
In a hopefully dynamic and exciting front-three, Markovic could replace the injured Adam Lallana, and dovetail a central Raheem Sterling with Coutinho. Hopefully he’ll relish the opportunity to play in a more natural, attacking midfield role – having been deployed at left wing-back often recently.
FC) Raheem Sterling
Rested against AFC Wimbledon, Sterling will be fresh and ready to go – and hopefully – firing on all cylinders. He definitely should start, as Rickie Lambert’s attributes don’t suit our style, and Mario Balotelli’s largely don’t either. Although if we’re struggling to break them down – it’s the Italian who should be used from the bench.
