Liverpool gave their worst performance this season, or perhaps even the worst ever under Brendan Rodgers, at St. James Park where they lost 1-0 against Newcastle United. The team failed miserably to link, and it was collectively a bad performance. However, at Santiago Bernabéu against Real Madrid, despite the fact that Rodgers had dropped some key players, Liverpool played a surprisingly tight game. Maybe the Spanish side chose to keep it low, but regardless, Liverpool saw some unexpected names come back into talk. In this article, let’s discuss a few players who should be played and whom they should play instead of.
Liverpool Lineup: Who Should Play and Who Should be Benched?
Lucas Leiva
Lucas has been left out for some time, partly due to his annoying injuries, and finally the midweek fixture gave him a chance to prove that he could still be of use. It must’ve been slightly insulting to him, having been picked as a part of a second string team, but the Brazilian did enough to make sure they lost by just a solitary goal. His good performance would come as a boost if he is given regular chances at the base of the midfield. Reports have emerged that Lucas is frustrated with the lack of recent chances, and may be open to a move out. He’s not to blame; he’s played very little Premier League football and he’s at the peak of his footballing age. He deserves at least a few more starts before January kicks in, though.
Play instead of: Joe Allen
Allen is a very good player, but sometimes, while he doesn’t do anything bad per se, he doesn’t do anything productive either; he was a very limited presence in the centre of the park. The fire that he showed earlier is slowly burning out. Maybe, benching him would invigorate him?
Kolo Touré
Touré was brought in instead of Dejan Lovren at the LCB position alongside Martin Škrtel. Last season, the Ivorian had a miserable spell at this exact position alongside the same partner, and was made the scapegoat for many of Liverpool’s setbacks. However, he was the only decent option to give Lovren a well-needed break ahead of a huge clash, and made sure he put up quite a show. The 33-year-old oozed confidence, and even channelled his inner Messi, showing off his dribbling skills, moments before throwing off his body at a 25 yard shot from Cristiano Ronaldo. His fine performance should warrant a few games in the immediate future.
Play instead of: Dejan Lovren
Right, Dejan Lovren was a big money signing who should’ve been a seamless fit, but he is slowly transforming into an undependable player. There’s still time to cure before he falls back into what he was back at Lyon, but a break from criticism for some time would be enormous in giving him morale. He should play the next game, of course, being it a huge clash against Chelsea.
Fabio Borini
Borini is being robbed off his chances. He’s shown enough, against both Swansea and Real Madrid that he could start on a regular basis, preferably with another striker. He showed enthusiasm, energy and determination, and that makes up for whatever “skill” or ability he lacks. Rodgers should stop being stubborn in his choices and give Borini a go. A goal would do more than wonders, both to him and to the team, and that won’t happen if he plays just the last 20 minutes of a game. Rodgers should attempt to play two up top, with Balotelli, or maybe even Lambert.
Play instead of: Mario Balotelli
It didn’t go according plan, at least not yet. Balotelli did score for Liverpool, against Swansea in the League Cup and Ludogorets in the Champions League, but he hasn’t managed to score even one in the Premier League. He’s worked hard, however, and again, a break would be amazing. If Rodgers does play two up top, then Balotelli should play, but if he sticks to his current formation, then the Italian must be rested in favour of Borini.
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