Five things we learned during 1-0 win v Stoke City – Lallana, Benteke and more

Posted by

Philippe Coutinho’s brilliant late goal secured all three points for Liverpool today, giving us the perfect start to the new Premier League season at the Britannia Stadium.

For Brendan Rodgers’ side, it was redemption after the 6-1 thrashing we received at the hands of Stoke on the final day of last season, and a much-needed statement about the qualities of our new-look squad.

SEE MORE:
Liverpool player ratings vs Stoke City – Coutinho grabs memorable late winner
Liverpool’s 39-man academy squad rated out of 10 in terms of potential – Dhanda & Pedro shine
Liverpool’s ultimate Premier League opponent guide – how to beat them, danger men, weaknesses & more

Here are five things we learned from the game:

5) We lack another natural wide-player

At the risk of starting things off on a sour note, one thing that disappointed us today was the performance of Adam Lallana. This wasn’t necessarily his fault either, it was more of a positional thing, something which has to change.

Out on right hand-side, Jordon Ibe was hugging the touchline and occasionally cutting in, causing plenty of problems until Stoke began to leave a couple of men on him. In contrast, Lallana was too often found playing in a central position, with him and Coutinho falling over each other in the number ten role. Considering that we had Glen Johnson up against us at Stoke’s right-back, it’s astonishing that we did not test him more down that side.

Next Page
Page 1 of 5
Prev Page
More Stories Adam Lallana Brendan Rodgers Christian Benteke Emre Can James Milner Joe Gomez Nathaniel Clyne