The Reds have it all to do this weekend, as we host Queens Park Rangers at Anfield. Brendan Rodgers will be looking to put a difficult month of results behind him and inspire his team to produce the sort of performance we all know they’re capable of.
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Our visitors are unlikely to make things easy for us, especially with their own Premier League survival at stake, so we must ensure that we’re at the top of our game in order to take all three points in the fight for fifth place.
Here are five key talking points ahead of Saturday’s match-up:
5) How are we going to handle Charlie Austin and co?
Austin arguably hasn’t got the recognition he deserves this season. The Rangers striker has scored 17 Premier League goals – that’s ten more than the highest ranking Liverpool player – and that in a team that is struggling to perform or win games on a regular basis. QPR’s entire team has only scored 38 goals this season, which means Austin has netted almost half of them. Martin Skrtel and Dejan Lovren need to be at their best to keep him quiet.
4) Do we want the win more than they do?
Whatever your thoughts on the Reds’ lack of top quality performances so far this season, something that has rarely been questioned is our passion. The pain on the face of each and every Liverpool player at the KC Stadium on Tuesday represented clear evidence of what our recent run of results means to the squad as a whole.
However, this weekend will put that desire for victory to the test against a team scrapping for their lives at the bottom. While Saturday afternoon can be described as ‘make or break’ for Rangers, we have very little too play for, with fourth place all but beyond us. Nonetheless, Liverpool fans will expect a response and Rodgers must deliver.
3) Can we take advantage of QPR’s lack of pace at the back?
On paper, this should be the ideal game for Raheem Sterling, who really needs a big performance after a couple of difficult outings. Rangers have the worst defensive record in the Premier League this season – with 59 goals conceded – and have only kept one clean sheet in their last nine matches. The likes of Richard Dunne and Clint Hill – both respectable veterans – should hold little fear for even our miss-firing strikeforce, who need to get moving.
2) Can we make the most of Steven Gerrard’s media spotlight?
The time has come already for Steven Gerrard’s penultimate home game as a Liverpool player… At the moment, the No. 8 can’t cough without it being reported in the press, as the anticipation of his final swan song continues to build. On Saturday, there is a prime opportunity for him to hit the headlines for all the right reasons. Let’s not forget that even Jamie Carragher almost scored against QPR, during his final appearance for Liverpool back in 2013!
1) How is Brendan Rodgers going to address our striker crisis?
Daniel Sturridge is out; Mario Balotelli is out; what have we got left? Reports in the Liverpool Echo on Friday suggested that Rickie Lambert could be handed a rare start, while Fabio Borini is no doubt sizing up an opportunity of his own.
Raheem Sterling and Philippe Coutinho have both led the line at times this season, while a number of our academy prospects must also be sticking their hands up for a go. Jerome Sinclair is back with the Reds following the completion of his loan spell with Wigan, while Samed Yesil scored twice against Spurs last week.
