Football News
Three selection headaches facing...Roy Hodgson
An unconvincing start to life as Liverpool manager for Roy Hodgson might say more about the state of the club than the man himself but, despite the departures of Yossi Benayoun and Javier Mascherano this summer, he still has some excellent players to call upon at Anfield.
With the new season still in its infancy, Sport.co.uk takes a curious glance at Liverpool’s squad and wonders to what extent Hodgson knows what his best side is as he attempts to further enhance his already glowing by steering the Reds safely through choppy waters.
What do you think, Liverpool fans? Are there any changes to personnel that you’d like to see Hodgson make? What is the bare minimum you expect from this season? Have your say in the comments section at the bottom of the page…
Dropping Jamie Carragher
The time has come to wean the ex-former England man and current ex-England man out of the first team. His admirable qualities as a last ditch defender are becoming increasingly less able to make up for his diminished pace, while Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel have the makings of a fine partnership, given their respective attributes. Carragher still has a vital role to play in the dressing room and indeed as cover but his ability no longer matches his influence.
On the wings
Playing two nominal strikers out wide in Milan Jovanovic and Dirk Kuyt, as Hodgson did in the unconvincing 1-0 win over West Brom at the weekend, seems a trifle odd given the presence in the squad of the likes of Maxi Rodriguez, Ryan Babel, Joe Cole (who admittedly was suspended) and the promising Daniel Pacheco. Given the rather pedestrian pairing of Lucas and Christian Poulsen in the middle of the park, more creativity was required on the flanks and it was unlikely to have been too great a risk to take at home against a newly promoted side. There are many different views about which players should be lining up right and the decisions are sure to be swayed by who (and how many) is starting in…
Central midfield
Given the options available, and the recent travails in 4-4-2, it would appear to make sense for the side to revert to a 4-3-3/4-5-1 approach. Despite the quality of new boy Raul Meireles, Poulsen looks like more of a direct replacement for Mascherano so perhaps they will both start in the middle, allowing Gerrard to push up into the position just off Fernando Torres from which both players excelled in the second half of the 2008-09 season. The best deployment of Lucas is still up for debate and he should not be discounted from the competition, while Joe Cole could also assume the role behind Torres with Gerrard sitting further back, giving the latter space to exploit his explosive stride and allowing for some dangerous give-and-go play with Cole. Liverpool’s squad may look weaker than it did two years ago, but there are still plenty of good options for Hodgson to consider.