As predicted earlier, Victor Moses is dropped from the starting line-up for today's Premier League game with West Brom, and it looks like we could see either Henderson or Gerrard playing the number ten role.
FULL TEAM: Mignolet, Skrtel, Sakho, Toure, Lucas, Gerrard, Hendo, Cissokho, Johnson, Suarez, Sturridge
SUBS: Jones, Kelly, Agger, Allen, Sterling, Moses, Alberto
WEST BROM: Myhill, Jones, McAuley, Olsson, Ridgewell, Yacob, Mulumbu, Amalfitano, Anelka, Sessegnon, Anichebe
For me, dropping Moses is the right decision. He hasn't scored/created a goal in the last five games, though he's handicapped slightly by being played out of position.
Personally, I hope Gerrard plays the number ten role; he's not needed in a deeper role, and he's better equipped creatively than Henderson to open up defences.
------------------- Mignolet
--------- Toure ---- Skrtel ---- Sakho
Johnson --------------------------- Cissokho
-------------- Hendo -- Lucas
-------------------- Gerrard
--------------Suarez --- Sturridge
Author: Jaimie K
FULL TEAM: Mignolet, Skrtel, Sakho, Toure, Lucas, Gerrard, Hendo, Cissokho, Johnson, Suarez, Sturridge
SUBS: Jones, Kelly, Agger, Allen, Sterling, Moses, Alberto
WEST BROM: Myhill, Jones, McAuley, Olsson, Ridgewell, Yacob, Mulumbu, Amalfitano, Anelka, Sessegnon, Anichebe
For me, dropping Moses is the right decision. He hasn't scored/created a goal in the last five games, though he's handicapped slightly by being played out of position.
Personally, I hope Gerrard plays the number ten role; he's not needed in a deeper role, and he's better equipped creatively than Henderson to open up defences.
------------------- Mignolet
--------- Toure ---- Skrtel ---- Sakho
Johnson --------------------------- Cissokho
-------------- Hendo -- Lucas
-------------------- Gerrard
--------------Suarez --- Sturridge
Author: Jaimie K
Good team but I wanna see Alberto play....
ReplyDeleteFFS - Five defenders again + a holding midfielder again!?
ReplyDeleteYour proposed line-up is the best case from those selected, but I will continue to argue that yet again this is DEFINITELY NOT the best use of the players at our managers disposal
I think this is the best starting 11 we have today, happy to see Lucas back I think he is a more important player to the balance of our team than he often gets credit for. I would also like to see Alberto get a good 30 minutes again today he looked lively coming on against Newcastle. 2-1 Liverpool today
ReplyDeleteYour proposed line-up is the best case from those selected @JK , but I will continue to argue that yet again this is DEFINITELY NOT the best use of the players at our managers disposal.
ReplyDeleteI thought holding midfielders were brought in to do job of the 3rd centre-back/sweeper and cover for the modern aggressive fullbacks!?
3-5-2/5-3-2/3-4-1-2/Whatever against Arsenal away with our ball retention and we are going to get destroyed.
ReplyDeleteToday would have been a good day for Allen and Alberto.
While I don't think this line up is overly defensive the time to be defensive is next week, not this week. It's asking a lot from Hendo today.
Agree, Jay. As you say, five defenders and a holding mid? Overkill.
ReplyDeleteNo need for 3 centre backs. We have pretty much a fully fit squad so i don't buy that this is our best formation currently until Coutinho is back. keep surrage up top and suarez and moses behind!.
ReplyDeletepathetic
ReplyDeleteAlberto should have started
ReplyDeletegreat previous game
Henderson not on form
no sakho needed
lucas? you gotta be kiddin me
allen must return to the line-up
other than that, good selection!
I think hendo will play in the hole, think he also do a good job too.
ReplyDeleteI think quite a few on here might have to give Rodgers an apology for playing 3 at the back. :-)
ReplyDeleteAt the moment we are very much in control.
Goals from Suarez have been ridiculous. Lucas and Henderson playing brilliantly.
ReplyDeleteThe mancs are a goal down at home to Stoke. This day is getting even better!
ReplyDelete3-5-2 is not a defensive formation and there it is for everyone to see
ReplyDeleteNot at all - this does not disprove the opinion that 433/4231 is better for our team than 532.
ReplyDeleteSaying 532 doesn't give the team the best chance of delivering a good performance/result is not the same as saying 532 doesn't give the team any chance of delivering a good performance/result
Our shape going forward is 3-4-1-2.
ReplyDeleteYou are making far to much of a fuss about Rodgers playing Wing backs who for part of our midfield.
We are creaming WBA. They have posed no threat at all. We are in total control.
Thankfully WBA have decided to neglect the obvious tactic of playing a high press against our 5 man defence!
ReplyDeleteThe team is looking pretty comfortable so far and hopefully can build on the first half performance into the second half this time...
We play wing-backs with 2 centre-backs also, so shape going forward would be 2-5-1-2...
ReplyDeleteImho there's been nothing so far to suggest that we are in control because we've replaced a midfielder with a centre-back, rather than in spite of that change.
If you do not think we are in control of this match then we are not watching the same match.
ReplyDeleteHendo has the ability and the fitness to do what Stevie G used to do: drive from deeper in midfield to join the attacking line. I think he can do it all and we should take advantage of that. He's not the finished article yet, but he's improved every year he's been at the club and if he can start to have a bit more composure and class in that final third he'll be worth every penny we paid for him.
ReplyDeleteI think this is our best midfield three and Moses may be pushed more to the bench when Coutinho comes back. We might switch back to 4-3-3, but whatever happens Hendo isn't going to be dropped any time soon playing like this.
I don't think it's overkill. I'm not a fan of playing 3 centre backs but Lucas is having a great game so far and he slots in nicely for all 3 centre backs to spread out a bit.
ReplyDeleteFor me, the difference is Henderson in the advanced role. He is more capable of receiving the ball than Moses and he completes the midfield. With Hendo in this role and Lucas playing very well (so far, blunders possible) the team looks much more complete. So finally, the 3 back system has some sustenance.
Yip, henderson doing really well.
ReplyDeleteYou can play a 4-4-2 with 2 in the middle and still control the game, it's not strictly a numbers game which determines control. So I think Logan is right, we are controlling the game (so far). Every second 45 we have been terrible, so controlling in the 2nd half would be a better indicator of our progress with 3 at the back. The difference for me is Hendo replacing Moses as I've explained in another post.
ReplyDeleteWhere did I say we are not in control of this match??
ReplyDelete"Imho there's been nothing so far to suggest that we are in control because"
ReplyDeleteThere you go.
WBA being taught a footballing lesson.
ReplyDeleteI think people are stuck in old ways of thinking. The wingers cover the FULL length of the pitch, and I'd bet that if you check the amount of time they spend in advanced positions it would be around 50%. To label them as simply "defenders" is narrow minded and just not true. The formation is also totally adaptable, just like the kind of players Rodgers prefers. Look at how advanced Lucas has been at times today, not just Henderson. Every player on the pitch except perhaps those three CBs are capable of filling 3 roles, at least. So many comments on here trying to peg the team as 3-5-2 or 5-3-2 or 3-3-1-2 ... give up, it can't be summed up in a few numbers and that's why it's an effective system and certainly not an overly defensive one.
ReplyDeleteHOW IS THAT A F**KING PENALTY!? F**K OFF LINESMAN YOU'RE DRUNK
ReplyDeleteWhy is it that despite having so much defence we let teams get up the field so easily
ReplyDeleteSuarez just absolute class!
ReplyDeleteSuperb goal by Sturridge
ReplyDeleteSo we've played 4 games in this 3-5-2 formation: won 3, drawn 1, and scored 12 goals.
ReplyDeleteCan someone please explain what all the moaning is about ?
RAGH LIVERPOOL!!! we were brilliant today only marring was that penalty imo was never a penalty whatever ref great game cissokho needs a little more time though wasn best but still was good enough
ReplyDeleteabsolutely brilliant night. sitting at home all day writing an essay, pass an opportunity to go clubbing, mate next door comes home from pub with other mates, invites me in, drink a lot of beer, then yell at the tv. aussie and alcohol is a funny combination. seriously, sturridge and suarez, take a f**king bow.
ReplyDeletetoday sturridge and suarez scored some of the best goals that i've seen in a liverpool shirt....I think we are a transfer window away from being the real deal.
ReplyDeleteWhy does our time under Rodgers remind me so much of the time we were managed under Roy Evans?
ReplyDeleteAttacking football is such a great thing to watch!
Really disappointed in Suarez - Really should have put more effort into the bicycle kick :P
ReplyDeleteWe played 532 in the loss against Man U also.
ReplyDeleteThe 3 wins have included 2 against the very worst teams in the Premier League.
And the moaning has been about the performances, rather than the results.
ok, so you've managed to pull out a fragment from one of my sentences, but surely you saw a few additional words strung together after the word "because", right??
ReplyDeleteok, so are we/teams that play with 3 centre-backs the only teams that have adopted this new way of thinking, where "wingers' cover the FULL length of the pitch"??
ReplyDeleteSome great goals scored today and probably Gerrard and Lucas' best performances together so far this season.
ReplyDeleteIt's a pity we couldn't hold on for the clean sheet though, Mignolet probably deserves another one by now with some of the saves he keeps pulling out
So should we refuse to play against them because they're the worst teams in the league? You can only beat what's put in front of you.
ReplyDeleteFact is this formation is working so why moan?
No.
ReplyDeleteI disagree I think we are 8 players short ;) no but seriously I say about 2/3 tranfer windows depending on who we sign and let go.
ReplyDeleteI once said this and got slated for it. People saying Henderson was nowhere near as good as Gerrard and that age but I pointed out I never said he was better but reminded me of younger Steven Gerrard like you said.
ReplyDeleteha ha 8 players :)
ReplyDeleteYep, you can only beat what's put in front of you and we were beating them even before the change in formation, so there's no point in merely listing results as if this is automatically invalidates any argument against the change
ReplyDeleteIt's about time that people stopped seeing our wing backs as defenders. In BR's system they are more attackers than defenders and Lucas has more responsibility for defence than Johnson and Enrique/Cissokho.
ReplyDeleteOK, they still play as wing backs when we play with two CBs instead of three, but their role changes to a bit more defensive than with three CBs.
BRs 5-3-2, 3-5-2 or 3-4-1-2, or whatever you want to call it, is a very flexible system and is a strong attacking system when in possession as well as being a good system defensively when not in possession.
Yes, we still need to work on defence, in particular on set-pieces and we need to work on our attack, particularly the midfields contribution, but overall BR's doing a cracking job.
Oh and JK, Suárez is getting happier by the day at LFC. I've heard that he intends to stay at LFC until he retires. ;)
Perhaps some people just think it's a ridiculous comparison, and in a way it is. There will be no "next Gerrard" and Henderson doesn't have that level of quality that Stevie G has. However the same could be said of any player. No one truly compares to Gerrard, but Henderson shows enough of those same qualities to at least fill the role. No, he won't have that Gerrard "magic" but in many other ways I fully expect him to live up to the challenge. Once he starts scoring goals people will get on board.
ReplyDeleteNo highlights video Jaimie?
ReplyDeleteThat last line, how did you manage to type it through?
ReplyDelete