17 Dec 2014

LFC line-up vs. B'mouth: £26m blow for BR; Legend explains why LFC face shock defeat

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers is currently third-favourite to be the next Premier League manager to get the sack, and an unthinkable defeat tonight against Bournemouth could conceivably be the final nail in his Anfield coffin.

Liverpool simply have to win tonight. Forget the fact it's lower-league opposition - the team needs a confidence boost, and a win of any description is an absolute necessity before going up against Arsenal this weekend, who've smashed in 8 goals in their last two games.

On paper, Liverpool are far superior to Bournemouth, but according to Rodgers, though:

* Bournemouth are a 'top Championship side'.
* Tonight's match will be 'very difficult', 'a tough game', and a 'big challenge'.

Well, why not just concede defeat before the game has even started! It sounds to me like Rodgers is getting his excuses in early, but in my view, there can be no excuse for failing to beat a team that - as a whole - cost less to assemble than Lallana's £26m transfer fee.

A few points:

* On the injury front, £16m signing Mario Balotelli and £10m-rated Glen Johnson are the latest casualties. Some fans may see this as a huge blow, but for me, neither player has much intrinsic value to Liverpool right now.

* On Sunday, Rodgers started the game without a recognised striker in the team, and although Sterling had several golden chances to score, that tactical change ultimately made no difference. Will Rodgers persist with this strategy tonight? It's possible, but given the opposition, it seems likely that Rickie Lambert will return to the starting line-up.

* With Arsenal on the horizon, now is the ideal opportunity to start the likes of Emre Can and Lazar Markovic.

* It might even be worth resting Sterling and Gerrard. Liverpool should be able to beat Championship opposition without those two, and if that's not the case, then serious questions need to be asked. Team I'd like to see:

----------------- Jones

Manquillo -- Toure --- Skrtel ---- Moreno

----------------- Lucas

----------- Hendo ----- Can

--------------- Coutinho

--------------------------------Markovic

--------------- Sterling

Team I expect Rodgers to name:

----------------- Jones

Manquillo -- Toure -- Lovren ----- Enrique

------------- Lucas - Hendo

Markovic ------- Gerrard ----- Lallana

--------------- Sterling

Liverpool legend Dietmar Hamann believes that a win tonight can change 'the whole complex of the season', and despite recent form, he insists that the Reds are 'favourites' to win the game. He told LFC.com:

"If you go to Bournemouth and win the game, then you look forward to the Arsenal game. A week is a long time in football. They just have to keep working hard now, believe in themselves, get a result on Wednesday and then move on to Arsenal."

Ex-Red Jamie Redknapp is not convinced that Liverpool can win the game, though. In his column for the Daily Mail this week, he warned:

"This will be every little bit as hard as the game at Old Trafford for Liverpool. It could be harder. I don’t think Liverpool will keep a clean sheet here. This lot are a good side".

If Bournemouth is 'harder' than the Man United game, then Redknapp is basically suggesting that Liverpool will lose. Alas, as much as I hate to admit it, I feel there is a strong possibility of a negative result.

My prediction: 2-1 to Bournemouth.

Author:


52 comments:

  1. Danny Sturridge's Physio4:57 pm, December 17, 2014

    why do always spell Hendersons name Hendo ? - like you are mates.


    Spell it properly - your going on like Ray Wilkins with the nicknames

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  2. Liverpool will easily win this game 3-0. Everybody has said that our performance v spurs was the best this season and in my opinion I thought the man u game produced Liverpool's best attacking performance this season. If they keep the same formation but be more clinical in the final ball and most importantly cut out the individual mistakes then they should be fine.

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  3. Jones
    Toure Skrtel Lovren Moreno
    Gerrard Allen
    Coutinho Lallana Sterling
    Balotelli or Lambert


    This is the lineup I reckon Rodgers will go with.

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  4. The team I would prefer to see


    Mignolet
    Manquillo Toure Sakho Moreno
    Coutinho Can Lallana
    Sterling
    Borini Markovic

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  5. Do you think sterling is really overated? Im not sure about him i think he could be the next big flop in england and i wish rodgers would stop praising him. He's been poor since sturridge got injured and ddpendinv on him is a hugh mistake hes crumbling under the pressure and is nowhere near 100k a week. Considering the amount of young attacking mids we have i really think we should sell sterling and let him fail at city or chelski.

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  6. Jones
    Manquillo. Toure. Sakho. Moreno

    Lucas

    Henderson. Can.

    Markovic. Lallana

    Sterling

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  7. Good lineup but it ain't going to happen. Rodgers will stick to the players her can trust. The usual suspects.

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  8. Sterling will walk into whichever team he wants. Next big flop until he moves to Madrid and and does well like Gareth Bale has.


    Madrid would love to have Sterling and we need to do everything to keep this this 20 year old prodigy.

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  9. Totally actually, He really lacks the end product, sure hes fast but hos dribles aren't as good as some believe. Rodgers set the bar for at the level of Ronaldo and Messi, far far off yet, but still Got my fingers crossed:)

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  10. Balo injured I believe

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  11. I'd go

    ------------------------- Mignolet

    Manquillo ----------Toure------- Lovren------ Enrique

    ---------------------------Lucas
    -----------------Coutinho---------Henderson
    ---------------------------Lallana

    ------------------Balotelli----------Sterling

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  12. And which team are you expecting Rodgers to go with?

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  13. Apparently so. Anyway, I would still go with my lineup :-)

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  14. --------------------Jones

    Manquillo------Toure----- Skrtel----- Moreno

    --------------------Lucas Allen

    ------ Henderson Coutinho Sterling

    ------------------- Balotelli or Lambert

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  15. Skrtel on the left? Even bigger accident waiting to happen. Gene this pointed out that Balo is apparently injured so Lambert up on his own again :-o

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  16. skrtel central left or right :) I forgot about your tactical eye. We should play two up top no matter what but in the crunch games BR flaps it big time.

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  17. BR and his self importance! Why do you think he gives a damn when he knows he is on his way out?

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  18. My team with my formation would be:


    ----------------------------Mignolet

    Manquillo ----------Toure------- Lovren------ Enrique

    Markovic----------Lucas--------Can----------Lallana

    or Hendo



    ------------------Coutinho----------Sterling


    goodnight Bournemouth!

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  19. Logan we have the perfect 4-4-2 squad. Whether it be a diamond or flat. We should embrace it and move on. BR cant see the woods............

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  20. "injured" or injured?

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  21. Possession football, pass after pass after pass after pass with no end result.


    Rodgers has it all under control :-o

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  22. Yup, Balotelli is enjoying life at Anfield :-)

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  23. ill with hold my prediction till i see the line ,if he goes negative with one up and packs the team with cm, we will invite them on us and be in for a tough night .....

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  24. They are scoring goals, we aren't and we are away from home.


    What is your prediction based on that?

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  25. possession yeaaah!


    Sktrel to Lovren to Moreno to Lovren to Skrtel to Manquillo to Skrtel to Lovren to Henderson to Manquillo to Skrtel to Lovren to Moreno who kicks it into touch.

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  26. if rodgers is scared of attacking lower league opposition its time to pack up .....we need to score first and score quick

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  27. And Mingolet or Jones think WTF their defence is going to serve up next.


    i would hate to be a GK for us.

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  28. Be afraid, be very afraid.

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  29. 442 with two strikers and two wide players and start at a real high tempo .....if its nil nil at half time we will loose

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  30. I'd hate to be a player under BR in general. He runs a clear three tier system. 1st team players back up players and F@ck off players. A modern 22-23 man squad suggests that every player is qual and fighting for the slot. If you do well you play. This isn't the model at Anfield. Even our team selection is 1980's.

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  31. 4-4-2 and then santa descends onto the pitch whips one in and its Rudolph with a diving header at the back stick! :)

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  32. 1980's team selection won trophies. Rodgers continues to select his mates or those who are only willing to play for him.

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  33. line-up v Jones, Toure, Skrtel, Lovren, Henderson, Gerrard, Coutinho, Lallana, Lucas, Sterling, Markovic



    Almost got it right.


    4-2-3-1 so who is our striker?

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  34. Subs: Mignolet, Lambert, Sakho, Moreno, Manquillo, Can, Borini



    WTF is Borini who is a striker on the bench? Can not getting a sniff again and Skrtel/Lovren a goal conceding machine.


    Sick of it.

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  35. Actually 3-5-1. Easy pickings for the opposition.

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  36. no Idea what Rodgers is thinking right know, i guess he watched to much Bayern game (but well they have a real striker on the pitch though)

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  37. Rodgers is living in La la land. he knows he is gone so will keep on experimenting and keep on pickling his mates.


    Hope I am proven wrong but Bournemouth are licking their lips.

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  38. Nevergonnacrackthecode6:48 pm, December 17, 2014

    I wish Can played and Moreno


    but gerrard always gets games

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  39. Getting his excuses in earlier or is Rodgers just stating the obvious! Are Bournemouth not a top championship side? There league table tends to back him on that point. He said it would be a tough game, well we're away from home and we're completely out of form. The entire team cost less than the cost of Lallana, well with that logic we should never win the league again, and that would be acceptable, as we will never have the most expensive team. Poor, very poor!

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  40. looks like rodgers has put names in a hat to pick this team no forwards or wing backs in the starting 11 WTF

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  41. even with a line-up like this we should beat them. if we loose i don't even know how it could be worse to not have any manager honestly.

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  42. He's picked his Barca-pool team tho surprised not to see Xavi-Allen

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  43. All the reports of dressing room unrest cannot be denied. Rodgers can only select players that are willing to perform for him.


    Lucas will play his heart out just to pick up form in order to secure a move to another club and Toure knows he will not last beyond this season.


    Dressing room unrest rife. Rodgers just going with the flow and will continue to pick players who he thinks will perform for him.

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  44. It's getting to be insulting towards Can now what has this guy done?

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  45. This is just unbacked tabloid speculation with no foundation in fact, yet you're peddling this info as if it's absolute fact. Why? You want it to be true as it fits your current 'Rodgers Out' agenda.

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  46. I am just saying that dressing room unrest cannot be denied.

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  47. Can not even getting a sub appearance. Manquillo and Lovren in and out of the team. Balotelli injured again? Ha ha. Borini totally out of the picture. Sakho our £18m CB far down the pecking order. Piss some more money down the drain why don't you :-)


    Where there is smoke, there is a fire.

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  48. It can be denied. Quite easily, in fact. I'll take Rodgers' word on the issue over the sensationalised ravings of the tabloid press. If you can offer one shred of actual evidence that there's 'dressing room unrest', then I'm listening...

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  49. Nevergonnacrackthecode7:10 pm, December 17, 2014

    i deny it
    because i have not seen any pictures or heard any player say it

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  50. Our results are great Jaimie. 3 wins in 13.


    The dressing room is as one!

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  51. Not necessarily. Dry ice creates a smoke-like effect that has nothing to do with fire, as does liquid nitrogen. Also, smoke machines on movie-sets create fire-free smoke.

    Clearly, that saying is nonsense ;-)

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  52. Nevergonnacrackthecode7:24 pm, December 17, 2014

    Have more respect for Jaimie
    that sense of sarcasm is quite rude

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