I am very pleased to say that generally, Brendan Rodgers appeared to have had the same idea as I did in playing his fringe players against Swansea. And I am also very pleased with what I saw. In particularly, from Fabio Borini. The young Italian who refused to leave showed more passion and determination in those ninety minutes than I have seen from any other Liverpool player in the last few weeks. I also thought Lambert played exceptionally well. He did not get much chances in front of goal, but he linked very well with the midfield.
This weekend, we travel to Newcastle. The Magpies seem to have found some form over the last week. They picked up away wins at Spurs and at Man City. However, I think playing at home for Newcastle may actually be a disadvantage. The Newcastle fans have been very vocal with their dissatisfaction with Alan Pardew, and should Liverpool get an early goal, they may add to the pressure on the players.
I would like to see a back four of Lovren, Skrtel, Moreno and Johnson in front of Mignolet. Instead of our usual three in the middle and three up front, I would like to see a standard 4-4-2 formation. Gerrard and Henderson in the middle with Coutinho and Sterling providing the width. Upfront, I would like to see Borini and Balotelli leading the line. With Borini, we need to reward him for his great display against Swansea. I am including Balotelli ahead of Lambert for the simple reason that he scored midweek. Balotelli needs a run of goals, and if he can get a second in two matches, he may well turn the corner.
Papiss Cisse is still injured and midweek Magpie hero, Rolando Aarons is also nursing a hamstring problem. Davide Santon, who I have rated since his time at Inter. will be missing so they will probably play Paul Dummett in the left back position. Potentially an area where we can take advantage with Raheem Sterling attacking him.
Unfortunately, the Liverpool of late has been unpredictable. As to the result…I believe there will be plenty of goals. But I hope most will be for us.
And our competitors…
Southampton travel to Hull with the intentions of continuing their unstoppable form. Hull took a point from us, though I did think they were lucky to do so. At the KC stadium, they will prove to be tough, and may take a point from The Saints. Chelsea are hosting QPR and although it may be a testy match, I believe Chelsea will continue on their winning ways. Everton welcome Swansea and our neighbours should keep the points at home. The same can be said about the Arsenal and Burnley match. The Gunners should be too strong. Spurs travel to Aston Villa who are struggling since outplaying and outthinking Liverpool. The Villains will continue to struggle as I believe the Londoners will leave Birmingham with all three points. And the big one of the weekend…Man City playing Man United. I am amazed at how the media is reporting on this match – writing City off and making United the favourites. I actually see this match as a win by two goals or more by City. Chelsea mis-fired in their match and then tried to park the bus towards the end. The problem with this is that United have got an impressive attack and were likely to create a few chances. But defensively, they are poor. The best way to defeat United is to play attacking football, from start to finish. Man City will do this in my view.
Follow Kurt on Twitter @kurtellis2
Kurt Ellis is a lifelong Liverpool fan living in South Africa. His first novel, By Any Means, was published by Human & Rousseau Publishers in May 2014. It is a gritty, coming of age crime thriller featuring a young Liverpool FC fan. The novel is available on Amazon. To purchase, you can follow the link below. http://amzn.to/Zj532F