The return of Daniel Sturridge may have stolen the show, but what the convincing triumph really indicated was the tangible – albeit slow – progression that the team has made since the embarrassing 3-1 defeat to the same opponent in September.
After much tinkering on the part of Brendan Rodgers this season, we have managed to find a suitable style that manages to accommodate our best players and play to our strengths, providing clarity as to what works and what doesn’t.
What we need to do for the rest of the season is maintain the 3-4-3 formation. The style has allowed us to have enough bodies in all areas of the pitch – a great help in our third, where earlier in the season we appeared shaky and vulnerable. We are now able to allow attackers and wide men to throw themselves forward and express themselves in attack, while having enough players to deal with counters.
3-4-3 also allows us to retain the ball, both for controlling the game when ahead, and moving it around dangerously. The front three – especially Phillipe Coutinho and Raheem Sterling – get better by the game. Coutinho has been an outstanding player for us this season and has come on leaps and bounds from previous seasons, where he struggled for consistency and seemed to lose fitness in the second half.
The front three are greatly supplemented by the wingbacks who provide good width and add an extra dimension. While one could argue that they could – as individuals – provide slightly more incision, their presence does allow an outlet to stretch the play. The also, of course, provide extra defensive padding.
The return of Daniel Sturridge is bound to add another notch to our attack. Sturridge is one whom we’ve sorely missed this season. You do wonder how tighter games, like the League Cup semi-final against Chelsea, could have gone had he played.
Another outstanding performer has been Jordan Henderson. The vice-captain continues to improve under Rodgers, and takes on the role of marshalling the midfield with great aplomb. Henderson’s energy, drive, and passing are crucial to the team and he should be one of the first names down on the team sheet for every match. Midfield partner Lucas Leiva has also shone, providing an experienced head on the field.
The inclusion of Emre Can and Mamadou Sakho has seen a dramatic change in our defence. We are far more solid and composed in our third, and, perhaps while we are still unsure about our overall defensive abilities, it is good that we choose to have three central defenders just to plug the gaps.
Sakho appears to be the enforcer that we have needed since Jamie Carragher. His solidity and competency in playing the ball are highly impressive, and it is tough to identify many defenders, whom we can realistically purchase, that have his abilities.
The defensive solidity has seemed to have had an effect on Simon Mignolet whose struggles earlier in the season have slowly faded away. While Mignolet is limited, if he continues to play without fear he prove a more than decent player.
In Mignolet, Sakho, Henderson, and Sturridge, we have stumbled upon a team spine of very good players who are likely to devote many seasons to Liverpool. This is reassuring, as it would facilitate growth of a team ethos where, should we lose a player, it will not devastate the core formation or idea.
There are, however, a number of things that do not work for us. For a start the front three must remain fluid. That is, when including Mario Balotelli, Rickie Lambert, Steven Gerrard, and, to a lesser extent, Adam Lallana, the attack seems to slow down. The speed and invention of Sterling and Coutinho has to be supplemented by a like-minded player, with Sturridge being the ideal.
The defence and midfield two have a great deal of harmony and understanding and therefore changes could only upset what looks like our most competent defensive structure under Rodgers so far.
What needs to happen is we have to continue playing to our strengths. We have found the most suitable formation, and the return of Sturridge could provide the cutting edge in the final third that we have lacked all season, giving us a platform for a top four push.
Follow Kerushun on twitter @kerushun