It’s hard to be overly critical with our performance against Stoke City last weekend. It was one of those day’s where it really was all about the result, as we banished memories of last season’s 6-1 humbling on the same ground.
However, as we look forward to our next game – when we’ll be welcoming newly promoted Bournemouth to Anfield – there’s plenty for Brendan Rodgers and his coaching staff to think about.
The most pressing decision will likely be regarding which formation to employ. We started at the Britannia with a 4-2-3-1 formation, but were at our best after switching to a 4-3-3, with Emre Can playing in front of the back four. Another possibility on Monday would be a 4-4-2 diamond, with a second striker up alongside Christian Benteke.
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With all this in mind, here are five personnel battles that Rodgers will be overseeing in training this weekend:
5) Christian Benteke vs Danny Ings
Benteke was quiet on the opening day of the Premier League season, as Stoke did a decent job of restricting the amount of service the big man received. In all likelihood, the former Villa man will get another chance to shine against Bournemouth. What will be interesting to see is how hard Ings, who scored in a mid-week friendly, pushes him for his place. It’s also possible that Rodgers could go with two up front against what should, on paper, be weaker opposition – giving Benteke more support and giving Ings the ideal man to feed off for his chances.
4) Joe Gomez vs Alberto Moreno
Young Gomez was excellent against Stoke, but Rodgers will be all too aware of the need to ease the teenager – with only 25 games of senior football under his belt – into his role as a Liverpool regular. He’ll also want to keep Moreno, likely frustrated after sitting out the game on Sunday, happy with his role in the squad. Considering the fact that there might be a lot more opportunities for our full-backs to get forward in this game, this could be a good one for play the Spaniard in – let him play his natural game and get his confidence back up to where it should be.
3) Dejan Lovren vs Mamadou Sakho
The Croat played very well against Stoke and that’s given Rodgers a real problem as he debates what to do with Mamadou Sakho – whose wife gave birth to their second child last week, likely resulting in him missing out on selection for the match. Defensive stability, something we’ve really lacked in recent years, must be a priority this season – although it will come as a real blow if we can’t find a spot for the Frenchman, who is a much better player than his two injury-plagued years at Anfield suggest. He should at least be back on the bench in place of Toure.
2) Adam Lallana vs Emre Can
Liverpool were so, so much better after Can came on against Stoke. So much so, that Rodgers will be tempted to stick with the 4-3-3 formation which finished that game, with the German the deepest lying of the midfielders and Henderson pushing forward. It’s a shame for Lallana, who had a strong pre-season, but was not quite at the races at the Britannia Stadium. He’s not a left-sided player and needs to be used in combination with Coutinho in the middle, if he is to be at his best. Can’s selection is very much formation dependent, but he’s proved he can be a good impact player if he is on the bench again.
1) Jordon Ibe vs Roberto Firmino
This is undoubtedly going to be the toughest decision for Rodgers. Ibe was our stand-out player in pre-season and caused Stoke some early problems on Sunday before their defenders began to gang up on him. However, the Brazilian was equally excellent during his brief cameo – with his fine work-rate and presence on the ball already made clear within twenty minutes. Firmino, who has now put in a solid amount of training since returning from the Copa America, will surely get his first competitive start, with Ibe then introduced in a similar way later on.
