Proposed Liverpool Line-Up
I would suggest that Liverpool play a 4-2-3-1, for more reasons than I can state here. I’ve been saying it over and over this season that 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1 does not suit us as a team. It is a formation that is way too rigid for the wide players we have. To make a static system like that work you need very quick wingers, who can dribble and who have a trick and can go past a player. Have Liverpool got a player like that? Probably one, Raheem Sterling, who is now on the precipice of the first team, however, an away game at Newcastle probably isn’t the ideal time to throw him into the mix. Perhaps a home game would be better.
So we should play a 4-2-3-1 with emphasis on Gerrard getting close to Maxi and Suarez to link up with them and create some passing triangles around Newcastle’s left side. Remember James Perch is relatively inexperienced at left-back so it would do no harm to overload that side for a bit. Downing should play on the left to provide some width and crosses for Carroll, and to drag players out of a congested centre to free up space for Suarez to roam. It’s important that Gerrard, Maxi and Downing try to make runs beyond Carroll and try to stretch a static Newcastle formation.
Spearing should be tasked at sitting in front of the back four and not to get dragged too far up field. I pointed out Jay Spearing’s positional sense in my QPR review here. It will be even more important in this game, as with Newcastle playing two front players, and Krul attempting his long balls, it will be important for Spearing to hover around the two centre backs and pick up any second balls. If he doesn’t then either of our centre backs will have to come out of position to fill in that space. And as the QPR game showed, this is not a good defensive tactic.
Much discussion lately has focussed on Andy Carroll’s non-inclusion in the starting 11 – and the fact that we have quite a high win percentage with him starting games. It’s become further clear over the last number of games that Suarez is not suited to the central striker’s position. Such is Carroll’s presence that he tends to keep two opposing centre backs busy, so with his inclusion it inevitably frees up some space for Suarez to operate. Furthermore, with both the Newcastle centre backs having a poor aerial duel win % (see above), we may get some attacking joy from Carroll in this area.
On Page 5: Liverpool’s Centre Back Pairing
