With Liverpool seemingly in the process of turning a long, undulating corner this season, they travel to Aston Villa looking for their 11-game unbeaten run to stay in tact. They’re massive favourites to take the 3 points on Saturday, looking at Betbright’s Premier League odds, and at this point in the season I’d say it was pretty much justified.
The Reds have spluttered their way to just 5 points behind 4th place, and frankly it’s with good fortune – and *some* good football – that they’re not a lot further away. Some of the play we’ve seen this season has been dire. Some of it – more recently – has been an ode to last season. All of it, however, has been fiddled with, patched up and hindered by injuries.
As things stand, Liverpool have been employing a back 3 of Emre Can, Martin Skrtel and Mamadou Sakho; one of whom Rodgers hasn’t fancied during his time as the club, another who is a centre midfielder by trade, and one who has been an ever-present over the past couple of years. Hardly stable, granted, but it seems to be working.
Lucas Leiva has made his way to the very top of the ‘first name on the team sheet’ list, and he was only introduced back into the team because of Steven Gerrard’s struggles as a deep midfielder. A change made out of necessity and it’s definitely paid off. He looks somewhere close to previous decent form.
Raheem Sterling has been ventured further forward by his manager because of under performing strikers and Daniel Sturridge’s injury woes. Makeshift to begin with, yes, but it looks like it suits him.
Lazar Markovic has shone in the last few weeks. Put out wide as a wing-back for the first time vs. Bournemouth, he’s all of a sudden adapted to his surroundings and quite frankly looks like justifying every penny of his fee – not least because of that shot. Less-serious quips about single shots being worth £20m aside, he looks like he could be the real deal.
Simon Mignolet has been reintroduced into the team because of an unforeseen injury to ‘indefinite’ number one, Brad Jones. Thank you, injury luck. Mignolet takes criticism, and for good reason most of the time, but he’s worthy of his starting place ahead of the Australian.
Rodgers conjured up the Reds’ latest formation late one night, by his own admission, and it was designed to accommodate the best about the squad he had at his disposal. It does. We’re still seeing adaptations as more injuries and rotation takes its toll, but we’ve found a formation that could well see us achieve something this season. That didn’t half look unlikely a few months ago.
Brendan Rodgers deserves credit. He definitely does. But it’s not just him we have to thank. Despite what we see on the surface, we’ve actually been remarkably lucky this season – and I don’t mean by way of ‘penaltypool’ as that’s been non-existent. Luck has had its way with how we’ll set up against Villa. It’s caused injuries which has forced Rodgers’ hand. It’s given poor form in the right places and incurred changes. This ‘Rodgers-luck’ combination is alright you know. More of the same please.
