How Liverpool Will Line Up Against Tottenham Hotspur
There is some evidence to suggest that Liverpool will be facing their biggest test of the season at Tottenham on Sunday afternoon.
Not only will the Reds be heading to a ground where they've lost on their last six visits in league and cup games, they’ll also be going there without their captain and one of their two prolific goalscorers.
With Steven Gerrard and Daniel Sturridge definitely out (BBC) of the match, Brendan Rodgers will have been delighted that Jordan Henderson has recovered from the challenge which saw West Ham's Kevin Nolan sent off at Anfield last weekend (Liverpool Echo), ensuring that the Reds don't have any further injury problems as they take on a side who go into the weekend just three points behind them despite scoring 19 fewer goals in the league this season.
As ever, Liverpool will be looking to Luis Suarez to be their inspiration in the contest, but despite popular belief and no little practice, the Uruguayan isn't going to be able to do it all on his own.
Rodgers will have to name a team around him, and here is the line-up that the Northern Irishman could pick:
Simon Mignolet
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Despite the changes going on in front of him, the Belgian remains an ever-present in the Reds goal and will start again here.
He’ll have been disappointed to have emerged from the recent home matches against Norwich and West Ham without a clean sheet to his name, with defensive lapses ensuring that he’s still kept only one of them since three in succession in his first three games for the club.
Spurs have had their problems in front of goal this season and Mignolet will hope to extend them with a strong performance here.
Glen Johnson
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One of the most experienced characters in the Reds squad, Johnson took the captain’s armband when Steven Gerrard limped off in the West Ham game and might find himself leading the team from the beginning here.
The full-back made his Liverpool debut at White Hart Lane in 2009, and despite some ups and downs since then he’s evolved into one of the most trusted members of the squad and one of the first names on the team sheet.
In such a testing situation, the Reds will need him to draw on that experience.
Martin Skrtel
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With two own goals in his last three games a misfiring Spurs side might see Skrtel as their most likely route to hitting the net.
The Slovakian is of course a much better defender than that sorry record suggests, and has deservedly established himself as Rodgers’ No. 1 pick at centre-back following a summer when he looked likely to leave the club.
Either Roberto Soldado or Jermain Defoe will start upfront for the hosts at White Hart Lane, and in Skrtel they will find an opponent who will be even more determined than usual to avoid giving them a helping hand.
Mamadou Sakho
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The mess that occurred in front from the Kop end goal right at the start of the second half against West Ham last weekend was ultimately credited as Sakho’s first goal in English football, and whilst that alone isn't a good enough reason to keep him in the side, his good performance is.
The Frenchman will obviously face a tougher test here than he did against the Hammers forward Modibo Maiga, but it is a test that he should be up to.
Having taken advantage of Daniel Agger’s illness to earn a place in the side last week, he won’t give up that place without a fight.
Jon Flanagan
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The youngster was replaced by Martin Kelly and his improved aerial ability late in the game against West Ham, but Spurs prefer to play the ball on the ground so Flanagan should start again at left-back here.
Jose Enrique’s injury issues and the apparent mistrust that Rodgers has in Aly Cissokho having now seen him up close make left-back a crucial area for Liverpool in January, and until then Flanagan has some big games to play a part in.
You can be sure that he’ll be giving all he can in all of them.
Lucas Leiva
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The Norwich and West Ham games were seen as perfect opportunities to get Joe Allen up to speed, and so Lucas paid the price and took a breather―until Steven Gerrard’s hamstring gave way against the Hammers.
The Brazilian would surely have been recalled here anyway, but in the skipper’s absence there will be even more onus on him to impress in an area of the pitch that could well include his compatriots Sandro and Paulinho.
Liverpool’s midfield was overrun at Arsenal the last time they travelled to one of the division’s elite, and Lucas can’t let that happen again.
Joe Allen
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Those run outs against the Canaries and the Hammers will have done Allen the world of good, and he’ll need to be on his game at a crucial point of Liverpool’s season just as the fixtures begin to get harder.
The Welshman hasn't had it easy in his Reds career to date, but alongside Lucas and given the freedom to express himself―and without the towering influence of Gerrard―he’s got a perfect opportunity to show people exactly what he’s made of.
Just putting that miss at Everton right would be a good start.
Jordan Henderson
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For much of the week it appeared as though Henderson was set to relinquish his record of starting in every single one of Liverpool's Premier League matches this season, but after the removal of a protective boot that he was forced to wear following Kevin Nolan's challenge on him last week, he's been passed fit to play (Liverpool Echo).
The youngster's energy and directness are crucial in matches such as this, and he'll be needed to tear around the pitch and close down Tottenham's players whenever they pick up possession in what should be a high quality contest.
Rodgers will have been delighted he's been passed fit, something which underlines his importance to the squad these days.
Raheem Sterling
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Amazingly for someone who only turned 19 on Sunday, the recent victory over Norwich marked Sterling’s 50th appearance for Liverpool.
He marked the occasion with a goal and after a performance against West Ham when he was again full of running and promise, he’ll be a crucial outlet for the Reds at White Hart Lane.
His retention of the ball too often goes a little wayward when playing away from Anfield though, and given that Spurs have got plenty of opponents who can hurt Liverpool then he’s going to have to improve on that in a contest which is sure to stretch the Reds to the limit.
Philippe Coutinho
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The one plus point in the continued absence of Daniel Sturridge is that it has allowed Coutinho to move inside to occupy the No. 10 role.
Whilst all of the recent headlines have been about Luis Suarez, the Brazilian has repeatedly thrived in this position and is starting to look more than capable of earning a call-up to the hosts’ World Cup squad.
Like many Reds players though, his influence can wane somewhat when he is asked to perform away from Anfield, and this would be a perfect stage on which to produce an encouraging and winning away performance.
Luis Suarez
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The man at the head of things will have even more responsibility shifted upon him in the absence of his captain for the next month or so.
With Gerrard’s set-pieces removed, Liverpool’s most likely route to a goal at White Hart Lane might now be a Suarez wonder-strike, not that that will intimidate a player who seemingly thrives under pressure.
The Uruguayan scored the first goal in Liverpool’s 3-2 win over Spurs at Anfield last season, and it looks fairly certain that the Reds are going to need him to find the net if they are to get a similar success this time around.
Ready in Reserve
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With some players more used to bench duty stepping up to the team here, others are going to need to be ready to enter the fray.
The need for Liverpool to be solid in the centre of the pitch might ensure that Victor Moses is again consigned to bench duty, whilst Iago Aspas could also be called upon to partner Suarez should he be needed.
Martin Kelly and Aly Cissokho will offer cover in the full-back areas, whilst the lack of forward-thinking options might see a place on the bench for exciting youngster Jordon Ibe.
How They'll Line Up
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Lucas and Allen will be Liverpool’s key men here, with their influence in midfield crucial to the Reds’ hopes of controlling the contest in the manner that they haven’t been able to do of late away from home.
In this formation, the onus will be on Coutinho to get forward and look to support Suarez, with Sterling and Henderson then required to drift a little wider but still get forward as often as possible.
The formation will be flexible though, with the Brazilian and the Englishman, 21 and 22 respectively, able to rotate with the 19-year-old Sterling in support of Suarez, who obviously has Liverpool’s chances of winning this game at his talented feet.
In such a young side, the experience will come from the likes of Martin Skrtel and Glen Johnson; the latter perhaps captaining the team after taking the armband in the second half of the West Ham win.
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