Jordan Chamberlain – Editor – @Jordan_AC90
Liverpool’s pre-season ended yesterday with a 2-1 victory over Swindon, one day after a 2-0 win in Finland versus HJK.
Before then the team had won three of four matches on the pre-season tour of Far East and Australia.
The opposition was rarely testing, and in truth we should have strolled to wins all six of the fixtures, but we still managed to gauge much about Brendan Rodgers’ mindset from the games.
Here’s five things we’ve learnt from the friendlies ahead of the upcoming Premier League opener.
James Milner’s position
The versatile wide-man was utilised as a hardworking winger for Manchester City for most of the past five seasons, but when he completed his Liverpool transfer early in the summer, there were rumours that he’d be moved to a natural central midfield role. Brendan Rodgers’ team-sheets throughout pre-season have confirmed as much. Milner’s predominantly played on the right of the central midfield three, alongside Jordan Henderson and ahead of the anchorman. He also played in an orthodox two with Henderson against HJK in his game at the weekend, with Coutinho deployed slightly more advanced. Milner being used in the middle, as well as Emre Can’s demand for a central midfield spot, have meant the club haven’t moved to directly replace Steven Gerrard.
Our possible formation
Last season, Rodgers used a wing-back formation for much of the campaign after the 4-3-3 turned static. It worked in parts, before the boss switched back to variations of the 4-3-3. With a number of centre-backs on the books, and summer signing Nathaniel Clyne a perfect choice for right wing-back, fans thought we could be preparing to use it again, but pre-season has dismissed that notion. Not once has Rodgers tried the back three. Mostly he’s played 4-3-3 with two wingers given licence to cut in centrally, but as soon as Coutinho and Roberto Firmino became available, he switched it up. Versus HJK and Swindon, he used a 4-2-3-1, with a natural no.10 playmaker (Coutinho and Roberto Firmino respectively) used behind the striker. Accommodating the Brazilians (arguably our two best players) will be key to our chances of success this year, so it seems Rodgers is forging a plan to get one of them behind a centre-forward – meaning the other can start in a wide area. While the 4-2-3-1 enables this, away from home or in harder matches an anchoring midfielder might be used – making the 4-3-3 the natural choice.
Joe Gomez’s role this season
When Gomez signed from Charlton many assumed the 18-year-old would be loaned straight back to the Championship for experience. So good has he been though, the teenage defender is staying – and might even be starting the season in Rodgers’ first-choice XI. He was largely used as a right-back for Charlton, but is naturally a centre-back. Despite this, we’ve deployed him at left-back, and he’s got more minutes in this position than Alberto Moreno so far. The two of them will be battling for the position early on this campaign – with the younger Englishman likely to push Moreno hard.
Which players are surplus to requirements
Mario Balotelli, Fabio Borini and Jose Enrique. The three were not taken on pre-season tour, and have been made to train alone at Melwood and told to find new clubs (via Guardian). The club also decided it was Rickie Lambert’s time to depart, and the ageing forward completed his move to West Brom at the weekend. That means we’re going to start the season with a strike-force of Christian Benteke, Danny Ings, Divock Origi and an eventually fit Daniel Sturridge. Getting the most money we can for the unwanted trio will be Ian Ayre’s job until the window closes.
First-choice centre-back pairing
Rodgers has claimed he’s still deciding on who will start versus Stoke in central defence (via the Echo) but his team selections very much indicate that it’ll be Dejan Lovren and not Mamadou Sakho alongside Martin Skrtel at the back. For nearly all of pre-season Rodgers has gone with the Croat next to first-choice Skrtel, and we can’t see why he’d spend time honing their relationship if he were to then pick Sakho instead. If we’re right, it’ll leave many Liverpool fans who believe Sakho is actually our best centre-back dumbfounded.
