I heard that before from other posters and it's about time I refreshed people's memories. We started the last season with 4231. We got 5 wins 0 draws 0 loses with it whilst Suarez was serving a 10 games ban. We changed formation to have Suarez back in the squad. We were playing with a wierd 3-5-2. The 3-5-2 was absolutely horrible and then we switched to the diamond formation. The diamond formation can have 2 strikers, Sturridge is injured and would people prefer we play worse players just because we can't change formation? I don't see us as challenging for the title if we have this attitude that we must always play as a diamond since there will be times when we don't have the players tp do that due to injuries, suspensions. .. etc... Some people on here said diamond formation with Balotelli and Borini over a 4231. That's absurd. I'd have a formation where Balotelli can play up top and Sterling can be number 10. Unless you want Lambert or Borini starting we must change the formation.
We did indeed start with a 4-2-3-1, but quickly changed as we realised that the midfield was not right (and many started moaning about Gerrard, incorrectly, as a result). I may be wrong as I'm not looking at the formation as I type, but we did not score more than 1 goal in single game we played 4-2-3-1 - all our higher scoring games were played with a 4-3-3.
You correctly state that we don't have to play the diamond. I very much agree. 4-3-3 is good if we play Coutinho in CM, or 4-2-3-1 is good if we are resting Gerrard.
For space I shall assume the back five remain the same.
4-3-3 (trad):
----------------Balotelli-----------------
Sterling------------------------Markovic
--------Allen*------------Hendo-------
-----------------Gerrard--------------
4-3-3 (Christmas tree):
----------------Balotelli-----------------
-----------Sterling---Coutinho**---------
-----Allen*----------------------Hendo------
-----------------Gerrard--------------
4-2-3-1:
----------------Balotelli-----------------
Sterling------Coutinho**-------Markovic
--------Allen*------------Hendo-------
* or Can (or even Lallana, if he is feeling up for playing a position he is not familiar with)
** or Lallana or move Sterling central and play Lallana out wide. Options eh?
If I do indeed have a point, it is that we should not default back to the diamond as necessarily the best formation. But the team composition and past performances should be taken into account. Gerrard has not suddenly become 5 years younger. It would not be playing to his innumerable strengths to play him in a 2 man midfield.