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Sturridge and Benteke Key to Anfield Hopes

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The Reds top strikers will be crucial to any success at Anfield this season

The Reds top strikers will be crucial to any success at Anfield this season

You could forgive Liverpool fans for pinching themselves this week, given that a daunting trip to Manchester City was made so straightforward and effortless – a knife through butter.

Liverpool tore apart the defence of the favourites for this year’s league title and could have bagged seven or eight, such was their utter dominance. City had a couple of brief spells where they could have mounted a fightback, but it came to nothing. Martin Skrtel’s blast killed off the game and ensured the Reds would be taking back three deserved points.

Admittedly, Manuel Pellegrini’s side were awful, especially in the first half, and were missing some key players including David Silva and Vincent Kompany. Yet Liverpool were sensational, with the result ranking extremely high in the list of their greatest ever Premier League performances.

Moreover, City could have included the likes of Fernandinho and Nicolas Otamendi but Pellegrini decided instead to save them for this week’s Champions League tie against Juventus. Whilst they have the best squad in the league and more wealth than any club in England, Liverpool must have been buoyed when they saw the teamsheet and rightfully ensured that the decision was punished.

Every team has priorities, but the message was clear from the Reds – weakness will be exploited, and ruthlessly. In fact, the Reds could have been even more ruthless had it not been for Joe Hart.

Adam Lallana, Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho, or ‘LFC’ for short, were everywhere and yet completely elusive to the City defence, weaving their way around the pitch but also hunting the ball down at the right time, leading to mistakes from the City defence that would have been music to Jurgen Klopp’s ears.

Yet, prior to this game, the pressing has had adverse effects in games on the creativity, as Liverpool’s forwards struggle to produce anything in the final third having worked so hard to retrieve the ball.

At the Etihad, Liverpool pressed at the right times, rather than relentlessly, just as against Chelsea, and were rewarded in the same vein, but the front three were even better on Saturday night.

The final ball, so often Liverpool’s downfall, was exceptional and it resulted in Manchester City’s heaviest home defeat for 12 years.

Following on from the 3-1 victory at reigning champions Chelsea, it was quite a statement from the new Liverpool manager.

Sturridge is still one of the club's best, if only he can retain fitness

Sturridge is still one of the club’s best, if only he can retain fitness

However, whilst Liverpool’s tough away stretch is out of the way, with 12 points from a possible 21, an incredible return, focus now has to shift to Anfield.

It’s no good if Liverpool are achieving the impossible at all of these seemingly impregnable enemy fortresses if they cannot hold their own ground.

Aside from the scintillating title challenge of 2013/14, where nearly all were swept aside at Anfield, Brendan Rodgers struggled for consistency at home, especially this season, where the Reds followed up an impressive 0-0 draw against Arsenal with a dismal 3-0 defeat at home to West Ham. Norwich City also came away with a draw, while the Reds scraped fortunate wins against Bournemouth and Aston Villa.

Furthermore, the poor home form has crossed into other competitions, with a lifeless home draw against FC Sion, while only an inspired Adam Bogdan in the penalty shootout prevented Carlisle United from shocking the Reds in the League Cup.

Despite winning four of his last five matches in all competitions, Klopp has yet to make an impact at Anfield in the league, drawing to Southampton and losing to Crystal Palace, while there was an abject display against Rubin Kazan in the 1-1 stalemate. However, after starting off slowly, the results have picked up and hopefully this can transfer to Anfield.

Yet it will need a change in tactics. Klopp undoubtedly has plenty of systems at his disposal, and is not a world-class manager for nothing. Nevertheless, in order to build up confidence at home, not only for the players (who must be bouncing after last weekend) but for the fans, Liverpool will need players who can get behind a defence which will be resolute and negative in its approach, as nearly all teams are when they visit Anfield, such is the respect Liverpool still have as a big club.

In addition, whilst the pressing will remain effective at home in keeping the opposition boxed in, it will not open up the pitch in ways similar to the Etihad or other away grounds.

Therefore the Reds need a focal point, who the likes of Coutinho and Firmino can run off, akin to the second goal against Chelsea. This is where £32m Christian Benteke becomes extremely important.

Away from home, playing Firmino as a false nine works as it gives the centre-halves no one to mark and the front three go anywhere and play in any position to stretch the opposition defence at will, whereas with nine or ten men behind the ball at Anfield it won’t have the same effect.

Benteke provides another option, not just with his aerial prowess to head balls on, but using his strength to hold the ball up, distract defenders and open up space for the likes of Coutinho to exploit. This is what makes him useful from the bench in away games, especially if Liverpool are under pressure defensively.

Playing Benteke at home means not all of Liverpool’s play is in front of the opposition defence, and that Klopp’s side are not completely reliant on passes through the eye of a needle.

If Benteke starts then Jordon Ibe could follow suit in favour for one of the attacking midfielders, probably Lallana. Ibe would provide needed width at Anfield along with the full-backs, creating as much space as possible for Coutinho and Firmino to isolate defenders one-on-one, have efforts at goal or set up each other with diagonal passes, similar to last Saturday.

Benteke has already become a crucial player for Liverpool, as evidenced against Bordeaux last night

Benteke has already become a crucial player for Liverpool, as evidenced against Bordeaux last night

Following the attacking trio last weekend, Ibe or anyone else coming into the team will have to contribute their share of the work-rate and press correctly, which was one of the most impressive aspects of the front three at the Etihad.

Meanwhile, Daniel Sturridge (if he can actually retain, and keep, fitness) and Benteke may struggle to play in the same team, and could be in competition for several games along with Lallana and Ibe. However, Sturridge is equally effective home or away, with fitness his biggest problem, and he would need to prove his work-rate to fit into a Klopp team.

Again, Lallana may be sacrificed for the England frontman away from home, while Sturridge could be an alternative to Ibe at Anfield in providing those runs behind the defence that Coutinho and Firmino can pick out or Benteke can find aerially or from after holding up play.

Most importantly though, Liverpool will not be able to rely on the same 12 or 13 players for every game this season, especially given that the Reds will be playing twice a week on most occasions with Europa League and domestic cup football.

Klopp’s high intensity, high energy football will be tiring, no matter how physically suited a player is to the system (James Milner and Jordan Henderson are ideal examples), and therefore rotation will be needed if Liverpool want success on all fronts. Consequently, all of these attackers mentioned above will play regularly, but for Klopp it’s about utilising them effectively, especially at Anfield.

December seems fairly kind on the fixture list for Liverpool (although the League Cup tie against Southampton looks hazardous, especially with their own pressing style) but only on paper.

Unpredictability has become the norm in this year’s Premier League, including West Ham’s stunning away form against Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City, while Leicester City sit top of the table.

Swansea City will offer a different challenge to Tony Pulis’ West Brom, and it is up to Klopp and Liverpool to prepare and adapt in order to build up the wins instead of the surprises.

After some brilliant away victories and demoralising home setbacks, now is the time for the Reds to go on a run of form if they want to challenge for a Champions League place, as consistency is crucial.

It will require all of the squad, with maybe some changes in January, but Sturridge and Benteke, with their quality, will unquestionably be vital to any chances of a top four finish.

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