We have the opportunity to respond quickly with our next game just a couple of days away…
Liverpool will be looking to get their season back on track on Wednesday, when we travel to Blackburn Rovers for our FA Cup quarter-final replay – a match with Aston Villa at Wembley the prize for the winner.
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Rovers held us to a frustrating 0-0 draw at Anfield last month, but this time the Reds will be coming out to avenge the back-to-back Premier League defeats that are threatening to derail our season.
The 3-4-3 formation, which has served us so well since December, has been undone in recent games. We believe that we need to make some changes if we’re going to emerge with the desired result.
With that in mind, here’s the team we’d pick:
GK) Simon Mignolet
Has arguably been our best player during the defeats to Manchester United and Arsenal. Brad Jones is now back and waiting in the wings but there’s no reason to drop the Belgian for such a big game.
RB) Glen Johnson
We’ve gone with a return to the more generic full-back positions, rather than continuing to use wing-backs. Johnson is a senior member of the squad and should be able to step-in for this one, still getting forward as well.
CB) Dejan Lovren
The Croatian was unlucky to miss out against Arsenal, with Rodgers going for Kolo Toure instead. However, the Ivorian was poor at the Emirates Stadium and that should mean Lovren gets his chance in this one.
CB) Mamadou Sakho
With Martin Skrtel and Emre Can suspended, Rodgers has little in the way of options at the back. The Frenchman was perhaps the pick of our back-line against Arsenal and should therefore continue against Blackburn.
LB) Alberto Moreno
The Spaniard was poor against both United and Arsenal. However, he’s still young, he’s going to make mistakes, and he needs a chance to re-build his confidence with a good performance. There will be no better opportunity.
DM) Joe Allen
Lucas played 90 minutes on his return from injury yesterday, but it’s hard to see him featuring twice within five days. Allen didn’t have the best game against Arsenal and will want to set thinks straight with a good game here.
RCM) Jordan Henderson
If we learned anything from the Arsenal game, it’s that Henderson is far more effective in a central role. The captain was another that looked uninspired against the Gunners and will be eager to quickly redeem himself.
LCM) Philippe Coutinho
Quiet against Arsenal, mainly due to a lack of service. We’ve dropped him slightly deeper to play in the creative hub of the midfield alongside Henderson. He’ll have to track back a bit more than usual as well.
AM) Raheem Sterling
He’s played on the right, he’s played on the left and he’s played up front. Sterling’s best position however remains at the head of a midfield diamond. That’s just where we’ve put him, so he needs to prove what he can do here.
ST) Daniel Sturridge
Looked lively after coming off the bench against Arsenal, despite being on the way back from yet another injury. If he’s fit enough to start, then he should, he just needs more support that he got against the Gunners.
ST) Mario Balotelli
A surprise absentee from Saturday’s squad, reportedly the result of a slight injury. This is very much the last chance saloon for the Italian – we want to see him play with Sturridge – and he needs to grab the opportunity.
