Liverpool have had a relatively disappointing campaign but the surprising dip in form of Manchester United, over the last three games, has given The Reds the slightest glimmer of hope that they can still finish top four. United face a tricky game at Palace this weekend before hosting an on fire Arsenal and then travelling to Hull – who are fighting for their Premier League lives – on the final day.
Liverpool will need to win their remaining games of course – starting with a trip to newly crowned champions Chelsea this weekend – but their run in looks easier and this weekend could give them encouragement.
The news of Daniel Sturridge’s new lay off really sums up Liverpool’s season of disappointment. In his weekly press conference on Friday morning, Brendan Rodgers said of the Sturridge injury,
“It’s a period of time out, but we’re hopeful the problems and issues he’s had have been resolved with the operation.
“Now he can recover and hopefully get back as quick as he possibly can.
“We anticipate he’ll be back to train around September,”
Rodgers also said that the club wasn’t interested in Memphis Depay, who agreed to join Manchester United on Thursday:
“It wasn’t something we were ever interested in. We have other priorities.”
We feel that the 4-2-3-1 needs to be employed again on a permanent basis after the three at the back formation placed too many square pegs in round holes. A trip to Chelsea should always generate a certain amount of caution in the selection process – Liverpool won’t win this game if they start badly – so we like the idea of playing Gerrard in the hole with Henderson and Can behind him. This way Gerrard can help out in the engine room but have the freedom to get forward and do real damage.
With all this in mind, here is our best XI to face Chelsea this weekend in a game that could define Liverpool’s season. Reds fans: let’s have your elevens.
