Liverpool take on Bournemouth this coming Monday, in what will be the second game of our new Premier League campaign. After the Reds made the perfect start against Stoke last weekend, Brendan Rodgers’ side will no doubt be desperate to continue that momentum at Anfield.
The newly promoted Cherries, who won the Championship last season, will provide an entirely different kind of threat to Stoke, and it’s vitally important that we don’t underestimate them – despite their 1-0 opening day defeat to Aston Villa.
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With that in mind, here are five key battles that could decide the game:
5) Matt Ritchie vs Joe Gomez
Gomez dealt wonderfully well with Jonathan Walters on his Premier League debut last weekend. However, it will be crucial for his long-term prospects this season that he backs it up here. He’ll be expected to get forward a little more than he did against Stoke, when the Reds were more under pressure and he could be forgiven for holding his ground, while he’ll still need to nullify the threat of Matt Ritchie. The 25-year-old, back in the Premier League for the first time since cutting his teeth with Portsmouth in 2010, scored 15 Championship goals last season.
4) Yann Kermorgant vs Emre Can
If Brendan Rodgers sticks with the team that finished, rather than started against Stoke on Sunday, we could well see Emre Can deployed as the deepest lying member of a three-man midfield. This would see the German line-up against Bournemouth’s attacking midfielder Yann Kermorgant, who will be looking to link up the play between striker Callum Wilson and those behind them. The 33-year-old Frenchman has scored an impressive 26 goals since joining the Cherries in January last year and Can must stop him if he’s to prove that he can play that anchor man role.
3) Dan Gosling vs Jordan Henderson
With Can behind him, it will be a chance for Henderson to rove further forward. The man likely to be tasked with stopping him will be a familiar name to most Liverpool fans. Dan Gosling used to play his football just across the Mersey, spending two years with Everton between 2008 and 2010. His most memorable moment came in February 2009 when he scored deep into extra time in an FA Cup fourth round replay against Liverpool – the goal that ITV missed because they accidentally cut to adverts. Let’s hope there’s no repeat at Anfield on Monday night.
2) Tyrone Mings vs Roberto Firmino
Bournemouth’s record signing was an unused substitute against Aston Villa but is surely due a start this time out. It could be a baptism of fire for the 22-year-old, with Firmino also in line for a first start for his new club. The Brazilian looked excellent during his brief cameo against Stoke City last time out and there will likely be a heightened sense of expectation this time around. Mings, who signed from Ipswich Town during the summer window, will come in a left-back, while Firmino will replace Jordon Ibe on the right of our attacking front three.
1) Callum Wilson vs Dejan Lovren
He was good against Stoke. Can he back it up against Bournemouth? That’s the big question in terms of Liverpool’s defence, with all the eyes like to be on the Croat once again. With Mamadou Sakho waiting in the wings, and no doubt anxious to get back into the starting line-up, it’s vitally important for both Lovren and Liverpool that he maintains his early season form here. He’ll have his hands full with Wilson, who scored 23 goals for Bournemouth last season, and will surely be eager to get up and running in the top flight.
