Selecting Liverpool's Best Midfield from Options at the Club Right Now
Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers continues to overhaul his squad ahead of the 2015/16 season following the disappointments of the past 12 months.
Nathaniel Clyne is expected to become the sixth confirmed signing of the summer in the near future, per David Hytner of the Guardian, and he will therefore replace Glen Johnson as the club's right-back.
Johnson will join club captain Steven Gerrard in leaving the club when his contract expires on June 30.
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The Reds have already replaced Gerrard in the squad with the free-transfer signing of James Milner from Manchester City. While no player will replace the legendary Gerrard directly, Milner has undoubtedly taken his place within the squad as the experienced head in midfield—and possibly the club's highest-earning player.
Milner will form part of a new-look Liverpool side and a new-look midfield.
Rodgers has plenty of options in midfield, particularly with the headline signing of Roberto Firmino meaning we could also see Philippe Coutinho move into a deeper role, as he did toward the end of the 2013/14 campaign.
Meanwhile, Jordan Henderson is expected to be promoted from vice-captain to club captain following Gerrard's departure, underlining his importance to the side.
Question marks persist over Lucas Leiva's future at the club, but with experience in short supply at Anfield, the Brazilian may end up remaining at the club for another season.
Joe Allen made 32 appearances last season and was reported by the Daily Mail to be signing a new deal this summer.
Setup
Much will depend on the formation Rodgers opts for in the new season, but the likelihood is that he'll go with either 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1—both of which require three midfielders and three more attacking players.
Essentially, the main difference in the two formations is that the midfield triangle is flipped from having two holding players alongside another and one attacking, creative player ahead of them—think Javier Mascherano and Xabi Alonso behind Steven Gerrard circa 2008/09—whereas the other sees one holding midfielder behind two more orthodox midfielders—think Gerrard behind Henderson and Coutinho in the latter half of 2013/14.
In either of these two instances, we have three starting midfielders.
Henderson
No player has made more appearances for Liverpool in the last two seasons than Henderson. The former Sunderland midfielder played 54 games last season and 40 the year before—in each season Simon Mignolet played the exact same number.
Likely to be the new captain, Henderson's place in Rodgers' midfield is assured. Hendo scored seven goals and assisted 15 more last season, per Transfermarkt, and he is one of the most productive players in the Reds' squad.
Milner
New signing Milner has reportedly, per Andy Hunter of the Guardian, been guaranteed a regular role in his preferred central-midfield role.
The 29-year-old will have a point to prove after being used in myriad positions at City in recent times.
He and Henderson are two players who will certainly ensure Liverpool's midfield is among the most hard-working and professional in the league.
Milner may have a reputation as a boring player, but he scored an admirable eight goals and added nine assists for City last season—such output would be welcome at Liverpool, where Lucas and Allen scored just one goal between them in 2014/15.
Emre Can
Emre Can will "assume Gerrard’s role in midfield," according to Germany under-21s coach Horst Hrubesch, reported SID via TZ (h/t Inside Fubtol).
The German was one of the few new signings to impress during their debut campaign at the club last season, doing so mostly in an unfamiliar right-sided centre-back position in a back three.
The 21-year-old also spoke of his desire to move into his more natural role earlier this month, relayed by ESPN FC: "I’ll be playing my best position soon, which is central midfield. The coach knows about it and sees it the same way I do."
That is where he has impressed for Germany at the European Under-21 Championship, scoring one and assisting another in a box-to-box midfield role.
It's difficult to gauge whether Can is ready for a central role immediately, given that Rodgers somewhat bizarrely opted to deploy him at right-back for the final six games of last season—despite his apparent discomfort in the role—and didn't give him the opportunity to show what he is capable of doing in midfield.
Had we seen Can in midfield toward the end of last season, we may at least have been in a better position to judge whether he is ready for the role. He won't be offered much chance to do so in pre-season, either, because of his involvement with Germany under-21s this summer.
Coutinho
Coutinho struggled for form at the start of last season when used in a wider role in the Liverpool attack, and it was only once he was given a more central role in December that he rediscovered his form and went on to be named in the PFA Team of the Season.
If Rodgers opts for a 4-3-3 system, it would be disappointing to see Coutinho moved back into a wide role within the front three.
Some of Coutinho's best games for the club arrived when he was alongside Henderson with Gerrard behind the two of them and a front three of Raheem Sterling, Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge ahead of him, thriving off his through balls.
Could Rodgers revive this with a front three of Roberto Firminho, Sturridge, Danny Ings or another mobile, attacking forward? It's an exciting prospect.
Options
If opting for 4-2-3-1, Rodgers could choose two from Can, Henderson, Lucas, Allen and Milner at the base of midfield, while Coutinho would slot in nicely behind the main centre-forward.
If 4-3-3 is preferred, Can or Lucas appear to be the favourites for the deepest midfield role, with Henderson and Milner the most likely to fill the other two spots. That would see Coutinho and Firmino likely to flank the main centre-forward in attack.
To pick a "best" midfield is difficult, given the specific demands each individual match represents.
It would be logical to see Coutinho in a deeper role against lower-table sides at Anfield, while a more solid midfield may be required for tough away games or matches against the top four in the Premier League.
The most solid midfield would perhaps see Lucas or Can as the holding player with Henderson and Milner in the engine room.
It certainly seems that Henderson and Milner will be almost ever-presents in the Premier League at least, but changes will be expected for Europa League and domestic cup commitments.
A midfield of Can, Henderson and Milner certainly looks likely at some point, especially if Rodgers allows Lucas to move on this summer.
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