Centre Midfield
1) Jordan Henderson 2) James Milner 3) Emre Can 4) Joe Allen 5) Jordan Rossiter
James Milner has come in to help fill the void left by Steven Gerrard’s summer departure and has immediately begun to look at home alongside captain Jordan Henderson – whose absence through injury won’t have helped us against West Ham. Can looks set to be used as a midfielder, rather than a defender this season, while Allen should also be due back from injury in the coming weeks.
Right Wing
1) Jordon Ibe 2) Jordan Henderson 3) Ryan Kent
There’s a distinctive lack of width in this Liverpool squad. Jordon Ibe is the only out-and-out wide man who’s going to hug the touchline, cut inside when the opportunity arises and cause real problems with pace and power. Rodgers is very much reliant on his full-backs to get forward if Ibe isn’t playing, with Henderson and Milner the only two central midfield players who are likely to be capable of drifting on to the flank if the need arises. Perhaps it would be worth taking a closer look at academy starlet Ryan Kent, who’s not yet agreed a loan move elsewhere. In terms of depth though, having an out of form teenager as the only right-winger is pretty average.
Left Wing
1) Adam Lallana 2) Philippe Coutinho 3) Alberto Moreno
The problem is arguably worse on the left-hand side, where we lack any natural options. Too often we’ve seen the likes of Adam Lallana and Philippe Coutinho dragged out of position to occupy a role on the flank and we’re simply not going to see the best of such players if we continue to do this. Using Moreno further forward is perhaps something that’s worth investigating further.
