2 Mar 2013

Confirmed LFC XI vs. Wigan: Bad news for the Reds as top striker misses out...

After failing a late fitness test, in-form striker Daniel Sturridge will miss Liverpool's game with face Wigan this evening.

Sturridge is suffering from a niggling thigh strain, which means the Luis Suarez will return to the central striker's role for today's game. The XI is:

FULL LINE-UP: Reina, Johnson, Carragher, Agger, Enrique, Allen, Lucas, Gerrard, Downing, Suarez, Coutinho.

SUBS: Gulacsi, Wisdom, Shelvey, Assaidi, Henderson, Coates, Suso.

Leaving Henderson out is a little harsh, but Joe Allen did score in the last game, so it would be a little unfair to stick him back on the bench as a reward.

Predicting a 1-1 draw, Liverpool legend Mark Lawrenson told the BBC:

"The Reds have had a break after having last weekend off, which should help, but this is not a happy hunting ground for them.

"Liverpool have not won at the DW Stadium since September 2007 and I remember going to a game there in 2010 when they were very poor and Hugo Rodallega scored the winner for Wigan. Brendan Rodgers' side will have to be on their game this time"


Jan Molby believes Wigan's style 'suits Liverpool perfectly', and predicts the Reds will get lots of chances. He told the Chester Chronicle:

"The way they play means Liverpool will get chances. Wigan are fighting for their lives and always come on strong in the closing months of the season, and they have decent firepower these days with Arouna Kone and Franco Di Santo.

"In recent years we’ve come away from Wigan disappointed, having expected more, but on this occasion we should have too much quality for them"




NOTE: Please stick to the Comment Policy (Click to read)


133 comments:

  1. what a joke Allen in for hendo..... that must suck for the kid as allen has been dire...it doesnt bode well for us as a club when the manager picks players regardless of form

    ReplyDelete
  2. liverpool4life5654:39 pm, March 02, 2013

    Gutted Sturridge isn't playing, also Henderson.... But happy countinho gets another start :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. A comfortable win or yet another epic failure, flip a coin.

    ReplyDelete
  4. liverpool4life5654:42 pm, March 02, 2013

    Can't really say that when Allen has been on the bench for along time, last game Allen played he scored so I see Rodgers point of view as well......

    ReplyDelete
  5. Lucas and Allen in the midfield, why oh why?
    Allen contributes very little to the midfield and just gets in the way of both Gerrard and Lucas. Surely Henderson has done enough to be starting ahead of Allen. Is this Brendan trying to justify spending £15 million on a lightweight limited midfielder that offers no more than Charlie Adam did.

    ReplyDelete
  6. allen lol rodgers must think its going to be easy thats the only reason he would start instead of hendo imo anyway come on you reds

    ReplyDelete
  7. gerrard allen lucas all starting together, o dear o dear!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Im surprised Allen is starting but to be fair he played well against Zenit

    ReplyDelete
  9. 3-0 to the Reds!

    ReplyDelete
  10.  what i have noticed is rogers starts Allen when he thinks the games in the bag and it always backfires...We have struggled with big forwards all year and di santo @ 6 4  could give us problems if they can get decent ball in

    ReplyDelete
  11. He also looked much better for his hour against Zenit

    ReplyDelete
  12. well done downing ....as good as anyone all season

    ReplyDelete
  13. 1-0 already inside 2 minutes. 

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hmautomitive_info5:44 pm, March 02, 2013

    Good start from Downing , Good luck to the lads hope we win  this one , just a bit worried with the Allen selection but fingers crossed

    ReplyDelete
  15. All those people slagging off Joe Allen might spend another thought or two as Downing has scored our opener today, a player who was deemed as poor after last season as Allen is considered by some now.

    ReplyDelete
  16. 2-0, Continho is looking good

    ReplyDelete
  17. Very good, mate, brilliant eye for a killer pass!

    ReplyDelete
  18. ive spent a thought or two and my opinion is still the same......great goal suarez..lets ramp the score up and get the goal difference up

    ReplyDelete
  19. agreed, plus he is no way near as bad as some people make out

    ReplyDelete
  20. Coutinho is looking like a cracking buy

    ReplyDelete
  21. There we have it then!

    ReplyDelete
  22. another goal for our only WCP......PS...Wigans goalie is p*ss poor ....is that the guy we where after

    ReplyDelete
  23. What's up?

    ReplyDelete
  24. or as good as rogers makes out

    ReplyDelete
  25. He may have thought correctly, Jason. 3-0 up inside 35 minutes: is that easy enough?

    ReplyDelete
  26. That's 2 brilliant saves form Reina into the bargain!

    ReplyDelete
  27. agreed ...the guy looks like hes trying to impress 

    ReplyDelete
  28. De de de de de de de de LUIS SUAREZ

    ReplyDelete
  29. I seriously hope not, especially when Reina's remembered to bring his bog boy gloves with him!

    ReplyDelete
  30. wow Wigan are really poor

    ReplyDelete
  31. He seems to be lacking in confidence in the final third. He had a few chances there to shoot or play the ball forward and looked like he just wanted to get rid of it.

    I wonder how much of a cricket score this would be if Sturridge was fit?!?!?

    ReplyDelete
  32. so that justifies is selection 2 tackles 1 yellow card game imput not much 

    ReplyDelete
  33. agree m8 its trying to justify him buying him hendo must be gutted

    ReplyDelete
  34. We can only beat what's put in front of us, mate!

    ReplyDelete
  35. Reina is like Allen, gets to much stick imo. Reina is a good keeper, and while he has made a few errors, we could be so much worse off without him.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Yep thats true Im not complaining haha

    ReplyDelete
  37. No skrtel on the bench? Injury or maybe dropped for his comments about BR?

    ReplyDelete
  38. but that aint the argument is it. The argument is that people keep slating him, when he played in the DM role up till xmas, then hasn`t really played much since. Yes he needs to do a bit more, but the stick he gets, is il-informed imo. Stick Suarez in defense, see how many goals he gets. Bit extreme example, but in prinicple, Allen was asked to cover Lucas when he was out, not his natural position, then the fans have a go at him for it.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Well, then you should try harder. I even gave you a hint at where to start from. If you still don't get the train of thought then no-one may be able to help you.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Indeed. But those who think that he is absolutely useless are very vociferous.

    ReplyDelete
  41. this is true, he is better than a lot of keepers, should only be replaced with someone 100% better: no gambles!

    ReplyDelete
  42.  I don't think that we are playing particular well, but still we are three goals up. It's been about time for this to happen.

    ReplyDelete
  43. We actually don't play really well, we don't dominate the way we did in many previous games, but still we are three goals up. Glad about it.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Wondered about the whereabouts of Skrtel, too. Wouldn't be surprised if he's left out because of those comments.

    ReplyDelete
  45. We would have had an even worse start to the season without him! Noone else could play that position.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Why is everyone surprised that joe allen is playing? I dont get it. I am more surprised to see Lucas (aka charlie adam 2.0) play! Since his return he has done nothing extra besides collecting yellow cards and giving the opposition free kicks. At least he managed to convince coutinho to sign who is, by the way, looking like an awesome buy just like Daniel Sturridge. Too bad Sturridge is not playing but his strike partner Suarez is not doing too bad in his absence, is he? He is now top scorer in the league with 20 goals!

    ReplyDelete
  47. I agree about both, but with Downing: watched a vid of our 33 shots hitting the woodwork last season. About 10 involved Downing, he wouldve had far more assists last season if the finishing was half decent.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Saw a very nice clip of Suarez telling Coutinho what to do before kickoff. Looks like he was listening!

    ReplyDelete
  49. find a keeper 100%better because there is not one

    ReplyDelete
  50. I think Reina's a better keeper than Allen is a midfielder but, at 22, he has plenty of time to improve.

    ReplyDelete
  51. Still people, me including, thought that he was absolutely useless. Do you know any Liverpool fan who didn't want Downing to be sold after last season or who had expected him to have any sort of positive influence for us?

    ReplyDelete
  52. but he dose not create or score goals,when hes played further forward

    ReplyDelete
  53. Ok, I was wrong and I'll admit it straight away!

    ReplyDelete
  54. Suarez' 50th goal for liverpool :)

    ReplyDelete
  55. suarez is superb please dont spoil it so jaimie can have a pop;-)

    ReplyDelete
  56. Ahem, that'll be 21 now buddy!

    ReplyDelete
  57. i got the hint but im beyond help....are we that good or are wigan that bad there defense is absolutely terrible  

    ReplyDelete
  58. you dont think there is anyone in the world better than pepe??

    ReplyDelete
  59. maybe i just like slating him.......

    ReplyDelete
  60. plus they can type a bit to.........

    ReplyDelete
  61. agree. its been around 4 chances 4 goals! also the defence has looked a bit shaky.

    ReplyDelete
  62. what role is that the non defencive non scoring non assiting role

    ReplyDelete
  63. 4-0. Coutinho looks really good, I hope Sterling is taking notes regarding play in the final third. I'm chuffed for Downing too, his time at LFC is a real metaphor for what life is all about. Roll your sleeves up & give it your best shot!

    ReplyDelete
  64.  careful jase remarks like that will get edited lol

    ReplyDelete
  65. disagree. Its hard to notice what lucas does, he doesnt have the ball long enough. he has a huge number of interceptions and tackles as he anticipates where the balls going.


    Having said that i think there are many players who can do that and also make more of a difference going forward.

    ReplyDelete
  66. I'm too lazy to check your comment history, but I wouldn't believe what you claim now without checking.

    ReplyDelete
  67. Sterling is a few years younger so time's on his side.

    ReplyDelete
  68. Some people always need to blame someone. Usually it is easiest to pick on the smallest guy.

    ReplyDelete
  69.  well you know the old adage the bigger they are the harder they hit

    ReplyDelete
  70. Deep thought on the other hand just might not be a strength of some people.

    ReplyDelete
  71. Should bring on Suso - give him some game time to help his development...plus Henderson for Lucas (on a yellow).

    ReplyDelete
  72. lets hope he doesnt end up doing time

    ReplyDelete
  73. great game courtino 

    ReplyDelete
  74.  im sorry what was that... my mind was elsewhere

    ReplyDelete
  75. what we can draw from this game is the 3 wigan players liverpool are interested in ..the goali...the forward...and the midfielder..are mediocre and should be left well alone

    ReplyDelete
  76. thats not strictly true, he has only been played further forward about 3 times this season, and scored on one of those games

    ReplyDelete
  77. no i think it was fairly clear that we were talking about the defensive one he filled when lucas was injured..

    ReplyDelete
  78. it is always a possible answer, however I don`t think thats the case, more that people like scape goats. Allen isn`t the best player we have, and therefore a easy target, as he aint a goal scorer, or a defender, but more a creator of chances, or as its called in football, Ball playing Mid. His role is works better in many ways when he actually is the DM, of which he wasnt to bad, and was top of tackles stats in the league.

    ReplyDelete
  79.  We are not that good today, but you are right that their defence is absolutely terrible (today). Add to that us taking our opportunities and it's four-nil to us.

    ReplyDelete
  80. which is a possiblity lol. 

    ReplyDelete
  81. I was making comment on the "Rodgers must think it's going to be easy" portion of your post and, yes, it does justify his selection. Wigan were never going to beat us here, so maybe BR put Allen in to try and let him recapture some of his early season form.

    ReplyDelete
  82. ..and did this remind you of any other team????

    ReplyDelete
  83. I think this game could turn out to be a bit of a watershed for us. Too many times over the season we've totally dominated other teams with possession and chances made then fell to a sucker punch and come away with nothing. 

    Today's stats, according to the BBC were; 

    50/50 possession

    attempts 15/8 

    on target 11/7

    goals scored 0/4

    Reina made some really good saves and our first 3 goals came from our first 3 attempts.

    That 50% conversion rate is staggering, if we had done this in every game  this season, we would have scored over 250 goals!

    Anyway, 1 down, 11 to go.

    ReplyDelete
  84. Finally reina.. Hope he can play like this in every match.. I think today we're not that perfect.. Our defense looked a bit shaky.. Wigan could scored at least two or three goals... Well thanks to reina for that

    ReplyDelete
  85. Outstanding game all around.  I loved it that we didn't settle for 2-0 but kept the accelerator pedal to the floor.

    ReplyDelete
  86. Reina `s amnesia is finally gone. He just remembered how to save!
    Halleluhiah!

    ReplyDelete
  87. I thought the pressing in the 1st half was a joy to watch. Allen and Lucas were almost back up strikers at times with how high they were pressing.

    ReplyDelete
  88. what early season form he infact made 3 tackles all game gave 3 free kicks away 

    ReplyDelete
  89. 100% better thatmeans twice as goodimo thenno

    ReplyDelete
  90. i think david james is a better keeper than allens a midfielder;-)

    ReplyDelete
  91. scored come on m8 it took about 6 defletions

    ReplyDelete
  92. lol ive been more than edited you should see the real post i put up it was like a 4 hour movie getting chopped to a 30 second commercial ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  93. He played well at the beginning of the season when Lucas was injured. 

    ReplyDelete
  94. reina of old today, really focused and on the ball !!
    we really need an out an out striker,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,suarez just aint natural!!!!!!!!! hahahahaha..............................who said that ???????
    jk,,,,,,,,where are theee ?????

    ReplyDelete
  95. Love how the fans started singing about Rafa in the 2nd half........... Pure class by our fans.

    ReplyDelete
  96. IT WAS NICE TO SEE REINA EARNING HIS 100K AWEEK WAGES FOR ONCE .INSTEAD OF JUST PICKING IT UP!

    ReplyDelete
  97. bit disturbing they sang it loader than rodgers name a few seconds later

    ReplyDelete
  98.  I think Reina is a better midfielder than Allen is a midfielder 

    ReplyDelete
  99. then they sang the Chelsea no history song !!
    rafa deserves some support, im sure Rodgers respects that.
    fans were great again tonight, real buzz about the place at the moment. against zenith was the best ive heard them in a long time

    ReplyDelete
  100. Aint that the truth...

    Its not too much too ask really is it?

    I don't know about you but if i don't do my job properly (meaning the standard required...) im out of a job.....

    & unlike these "super stars" who have super wages i cannot afford to be out of job for very long...

    Lets HOPE Reina will continue to perform like this....

    YNWA...

    ReplyDelete
  101. Cracking result, had we PERFORMED like this throughout the season i think we would be comfortably in the top 4....

    What has changed...????

    Downing? Brendan? Suarez? REINA?

    Its a damning testament that when we win, i become distrustful...

    Like so many Liverpool fans i scratch my head & wonder what it is & what hasd gone wrong in recent years but for now im happy, VERY happy, gave Wigan a good thumping AWAY from home, kept a clean sheet....

    Could'nt be happier, i lie...a little consistency would help our cause, i pray that we have seen the worst and that things MIGHT be fonally coming together....at last.

    Well in Brendan &* well in all those players who put in a good shift today....

    God bless ye Red's...

    ReplyDelete
  102. And a lot of other people's too.

    ReplyDelete
  103. It was put in under my 3-0 post but, somehow, ended up down here. 

    ReplyDelete
  104. Mine too.

    How is people become so polarised against one player. Anyone would think Allen had come from manure. Or maybe they just can't cope with the lose of face from backing down.

    ReplyDelete
  105. I giggled when reading this.

    What's sad is that I giggled both because it was funny... and because it was very true... and because we'll probably still pursue them.

    ReplyDelete
  106. Completely agree.

    In fact, after Suarez, I would argue that Lucas is the 2nd most valuable player on our team.

    He makes everyone around him better, solidifying support for the back four and keeping the ball moving.

    When he's not playing, there is a noticeable difference in the team's performance.

    After he was injured last year, I feel like the team never was able to recover.

    ReplyDelete
  107. beat spurs and 4th almost looks in with a shout!!

    ReplyDelete
  108. i have no  faith in the man he has let us down in many big games and should be sold .hes been crap for the last 3 seasons and one decent game will not change my mind lets cash in and get a decent cat

    ReplyDelete
  109. Just had to say the "250 goals " remark was very funny.   :-)

    ReplyDelete
  110. dont worry he will have relapse soon and get back to his normal piss poor performencs soon .d0nt hold your breath if u think hes goin put in a performence like that week in week out cos he wont that was a 1 off and should be sold asap .

    ReplyDelete
  111. lol, as someone who brings this point up frequently, I know who you're talking about ;) they had a piss poor first half today and then went on to win 4-0 and pretty much win the premier league. life's unfair.

    ReplyDelete
  112. did I hear the dalglish song on the t.v too?

    ReplyDelete
  113. completely disagree.
    Before his injury we were the third best defence in the league. He got injured in mid season but at the end of the season we were still the third best defence in the league. Since his job in the team is only of defensive nature, we can pretty much conclude that his absence did not affect us at all, although some lucas fans may think otherwise...

    ReplyDelete
  114. I know. I also want him to leave at the end of the season. He has let us down far too often for me to forgive him. But I hope he does well these 10 last matches.

    ReplyDelete
  115. Someone has to be the scapegoat for everything. Last season it was Henderson and Downing (and Carroll and Adam), this season it's Allen and Rodgers, the tea-lady, kit-man, bus-driver, grounds-keeper.

    ReplyDelete
  116. True, but we weren't our dominating self.

    ReplyDelete
  117. Yep. It would be interesting to see stats for second assist like they do in ice-hockey.

    ReplyDelete
  118. No team I can think of (without getting sick) :-)

    ReplyDelete
  119. That's an interesting point indeed. I'll throw it at those who blame last season's relegation form (in the second half of the season) on Lucas being injured.

    ReplyDelete
  120. We've scored 12 goals in our last 3 games...and only allowed the one Zenit goal.  We've got to keep this going.

    ReplyDelete
  121. Here's the way I look at it.  Statistically speaking you may be correct. However I don't believe that stats tell the whole story.

    Looking at last season in particular, he was coming off being our best player in the season prior.

    His absence greatly affects our lineup.

    Last season, once Lucas was injured, Stevie had to play in the holding midfield role, limiting his ability to roam and move forward, mainly because we had no one else to do it, limiting his offensive output and subsequently the team in general.  By him being there, it seemed as though everyone else in the midfield was playing out of position, namely Henderson.  Look at the difference in Henderson's play this year given the role he's suited for.This year, we had to play Joe Allen in that role when Lucas was injured, a role in which Allen is not suited for.  Adapting to a new system and losing a key cog in the midfield, it's no wonder that we didn't really get into a smooth operating run for months. 

    ReplyDelete
  122. Altough I don`t think we will get it, purely as theres to many team ahead of us, who also have to slip up pretty bad. I do think 5th is possible, and also looking at the run in, a lot of the teams above and around us are playing each other. On paper we def have the best run in. I think 4th will be a step to far, but even hitting 5th, will be great work, esp when you take into account the poor start we had, while the players looked to be getting used to the system. If they were settled like we are now, and got a few more points in them first 5 games, we would be in fourth. So pound for pound I would be very happy with the season, and very keen for Rodgers to stay till next season. His transfers seem to have been a lot better in Jan, than they were in the summer, and apart of this can be down to learning, but also due to us actually having Chief scouts again (main scouts werent here till end of sept due to being on gardening leave from City). This makes me more confident that he will make the right deals in the summer. He seems to spot areas that need work, and improve them. Both Jan signings look real good.

    I don`t want to get to carried away, as there is still a lot of games to go, and stick by my original agreement I made to myself, that I wont judge him till the season is done, but so far, I`m very happy with how things are going, and strongly feel he could get us back in CL spots next season.

    ReplyDelete
  123. all makes sense what your saying. you know what Liverpool are like, spurs could come and make us look stupid.
    I think since the zenith game there is belief especially witht the crowd and that's lifted the players.
    in theory spurs are our hardest team left to play.
    regardless, no desire no result

    ReplyDelete
  124. no m8 last season it was kenny as you havestated many times 

    ReplyDelete
  125. why would i have to back down hes been constantly sh1te 

    ReplyDelete