Back to business here, our hand is forced at CB and RB. Hoever was a shining light against Wolves when dropped in the deep end, but I would be surprised to see him start here. The front three is straight forward I feel but the interesting part will be in midfield. We’re not playing a pub team here, they will have looked at the City game, seen their plan in flooding the midfield and pressing the right side of defense. While I understand that that was based on Lovren being in there, whoever starts there is going to be relatively unfamiliar with the role and there isn’t going to be much of a partnership with Trent, naturally. So for me the key is going to be in who helps cover without taking away our threat.
I can see them coming out and being aggressive, not stupidly trying to bombard us, but stepping out, pressing, trying to keep us high up the pitch but they will be rigid and well drilled. To control the game we will need to control the midfield, Gini has stepped up to another level this season and I don’t buy into this idea that Henderson is the worst player in the football league, a game like this will suit him perfectly, play both him and Gini in a deeper role, let them set the tempo on the ball and give us the industry and work to win it back when they’re in possession.
Aside from the youngsters on Monday, and an out of position Fabinho, the most impressive of the senior players for me was Shaqiri. He was starved of the ball but he always showed for it, he was the only one with a bit of movement up top and off the ball he put in a real shift. With Fabinho dropping back that frees up a spot in the middle and I think he might suit this one nicely. I’m not completely shitting on the Wijnaldum-Henderson-Milner midfield after one bad game, I just think we can afford to be more direct and faster in this one.
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The front three... even four here, are very much interchangeable. I just like the idea of Firmino leading the line and leading the press, Salah and Mane can be lethal from wide as we know well and I think Shaqiri in a deeper attacking role could suit him. He can drive with the ball from deep and he can arrive late, the question to be answered here is is his passing up to scratch to feed the other three. If not, switch him wide and let Salah or Firmino play in the hole.
I’m not worried about this as such, no more than I have been about any game. The City game was an all out war and lost on the finest of margins, we were hardly outclassed. The Wolves game was a risk we had to take and it cost us, no one is hiding from that, that team won’t be playing together again so it’s hardly a reflection of where we are.
All going to plan I see us winning, I see goals in that side and I see a clean sheet. I’m going for a 2-0, Firmino and Shaqiri for me. Back to business Reds, let’s do it.
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