3) A midfield partnership that we can rely upon
One of the biggest problems against Stoke was a congested midfield. Henderson, Lucas, Allen and Gerrard all featured and the result was a team which was painfully predictable. This time around, with James Milner likely to start alongside our new captain, the emphasis will be on them to provide an engine room from which the forward players can feed off. Stoke pride themselves on being a domineering opposition, and our pair will have to work hard to resist that.
