Liverpool fans may be reminded of a memorable day when they look at this weekend’s clash against Stoke City. In the season-opening reverse fixture, Daniel Sturridge provided all the offence needed that day from an accurate 20 yard shot. Simon Mignolet provided countless game-saving saves throughout and just as Liverpool looked certain to pick up a season-opening victory, they conceded a penalty in the 89th minute.
Jonathan Walters stepped up to the spot to hand Stoke a well-deserved point. The Kop held their breath as two points were placed on the shoulders of their new Belgian keeper who had joined from Sunderland in the summer. Walters shot, Mignolet dived to his right. Penalty saved! Rebound, Kenwyne Jones, again, SAVE! Anfield had found themselves another hero.
In Sunday’s reverse fixture, Daniel Sturridge, the match-winner on opening day will be hoping to make the bench following his return to training after around 6 weeks on the sidelines. So which of the “other guys” will play a key role for their respective teams? Everyone knows who the ‘best’ players are on both teams, but there are vital players on both sides that are not as celebrated, and these are the ones that I will be talking about.
I don’t expect Mark Hughes to tinker much with a lineup that held a strong Everton side to a 1-1 draw. However he will have to replace a good player in Oussama Assaidi whose influence and output has been growing as he has become more accustomed to the demands of the Premier League, as he is ineligible to play against his parent club. The Moroccan winger has been a consistent goal threat in his last few games.
First up is a familiar face with a great range of passing skills. Charlie Adam arrived at Liverpool from Blackpool a few seasons ago and ended up spending a hugely forgettable year at Anfield. Brendan Rodgers deemed him expendable, and that will definitely serve as motivation for Adam. He is a midfielder with strength, determination, and creative passing skills. These are tools that are going to be very useful, especially if that towering gentleman known as Peter Crouch is in the lineup for him to pick out. Adam has been involved in some high-profile incidents of late which have highlighted the fact that his tackling skills are nowhere near as advanced as his passing so it would be advisable for the Liverpool midfielders to ensure they pack their shin pads this weekend – they could come in handy.
Liverpool’s reliance on Steven Gerrard may be decreasing thanks to others stepping, but our talismanic captain will be one of the most important players on Sunday. Now it is a huge stretch for anyone to label Gerrard as part of the ‘supporting cast’ but there is no doubt that his influence will be required at a cold and wet Britannia Stadium. He will be the connection between defence and attack, while also containing threats such as Steven Nzonzi and Stephen Ireland as well as Adam. Stoke are known to be a physical team, and Steven Gerrard will be required to carve through the Stoke midfield by utilizing his passing while also standing them up physically, something that he has both relished, and excelled at throughout his career.
From one captain to another, Ryan Shawcross will be tasked with the difficult job of containing Liverpool’s offensive threats. The speedy Raheem Sterling, creative Philippe Coutinho, and that Uruguayan bloke who scores goals, can all be a handful, even for the very best. I’ve been a supporter of Shawcross and rate him as a top defender, but he will be tested throughout on Sunday. The tough-tackling center back will also be a threat off set-pieces so will have to be accounted for by the Liverpool back line. If Shawcross defends strongly and the men in front of him do their part in closing down Liverpool’s space, Stoke will definitely have a much better chance of getting something out of the game.
My final selection for Liverpool is a player who seems to be making leaps and bounds in his development of late: Raheem Sterling. The 18-year-old has been strong in the last few games. He has been courageously running at defenders and making their lives difficult, whilst also developing a good understanding with his more esteemed attacking colleagues. Against a big, physically imposing team who will be paying attention to other threats, I feel that Sterling can beat them for speed out wide and create numerous chances. His link up play with the forwards has been encouraging of late and he will be hoping to add to his goals tally here.
Would you look at that? Someone actually wrote an entire Liverpool article without directly mentioning that Uruguayan striker who is leading the league in goals. Something tells me however that the match reports afterwards won’t be able to do the same.
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