Yesterday, I expected King Kenny to opt for just Suarez up front on his own with Kuyt and Maxi supporting from wide right and wide left respectively. It became clear early on though that the Reds boss had opted for 4-4-2 with Meireles with a free role from wide right, with Kuyt playing in close proximity to Suarez. The formation certainly worked wonders as Suarez was a constant threat, Kuyt got a hat-trick, and Meireles found himself free regularly to make late runs into the box. It seemed to be dry run for when Andy Carroll is fully fit with the Geordie taking hat-trick hero Kuyt’s place up front. But is this formation ideal in the long term?
Of course, it is very hard to second guess King Kenny, and this has been shown already by his willingness to change formations regularly, but if he does take the blueprint from the match against Man U, we may see Raul Meireles playing more regularly wide on the right. For those who watched the Reds under Roy Hodgson, this may seem a worry as Meireles was wholly ineffective wide right. The difference between Roy and Kenny is the fluidity of their formations. While Hodgson required a certain amount of rigidity, Kenny’s players are free to exchange positions and the formation is a lot more fluid. Evidence enough was how on Sunday, Suarez, Rodriguez and Meireles popped up in all areas of the pitch to trouble United’s two banks of four. Scholes and Carrick were over-run in midfield and had to cope with multiple runners giving the Reds the freedom of movement.
This was in stark contrast to last week when West Ham’s 3 central midfielders overloaded the central areas. If Darren Fletcher had not been ill and had started the match yesterday we may have had a very tight affair on our hands rather than the open game we got for the most part. If we play the same 4-4-2 away to Sunderland next week, we may come unstuck though, and it maybe the opportunity to see how well Suarez plays from wide, with Carroll or Kuyt the loan front man, for we will need to combat the Black Cats five man midfield some how. So in conclusion, the debate over how we accommodate Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll is not so much a dilemma, but it is a balance we will have to fine tune as we go into every match as we approach the last few months of the season.
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Or maybe it’s because Meireless is just coming back from a niggling injury and we have another game to play this week?
Or Kuyt was having the one great game he has once a season so he couldn’t sub him?
Or because Maxi hasn’t played much in recent games?
The problem with this analysis is that we actually played 4-2-3-1 and not 4-4-2. Gerrard and Lucas sat deeper with Raul, Maxi and Suarez in front of them. Raul and Maxi switched sides occasionally and Raul was also given the freedom to get beyond the striker. Suarez was given a free roll to cone deep and find space behind the fullbacks. Kuyt spearheaded the attack. As you got the formation wrong the rest of the article doesn’t really make sense.
It is time Gerrard was sold in the summer, he was anonymous yesterday but Liverpool got away with it because Carrick and Scholes were even worse. Gerrard’s mistimed jump allowed Hernandez the easy goal he got and with Reina in goal it was doubly easy for Hernandez. Sell Gerrard for 15 million in the summer and replace him with Charlie Adam for 10 million if Blackpool get relegated.
If we are to play a 4-2-3-1 we need a player in the back and a DM that could play at a high Prem Level. I haven’t seen Charlie Adam’s name thrown out there as often, but seeing names like M’Villa (who says his fav team in the Prem as ManUtd-obviously don’t want) and Lass or Gago. There prices are overinflated. Adam is the key. Emilio Izaguirre or Taiwo should be considered for LWB because Robinson will be matured over the next couple of years! Just imagine, Chelsea actually paid £50m and Suarez (a better player by miles) only went for £23m. Suarez should be the support striker. He’s a bit like Tevez but with an enourmous skill level dribbling the ball in the box which creates opportunities for Carrol and Kuyt. Selling N’gog and may be playing Pacheco more will help! Maxi must go, but why spend so much on Young when Sterling only cost £1m and should be in the lineup, even as a teen! Johnson on the RW and this leaves Suarez as the attacking LW (for now) and Carrol and Kuyt up front. Coady’s not ready for Carra’s position, but to be honest, we desperately need a CB to replace him within 2 years. ‘Pool must be efficient in the back and Skrtel doesn’t cut it and Agger is too frail! Wisdom/Coady would be perfect but…Luis is the x-factor but Adam, a LWB and depth player (Park Chu Young-Monaco or Turan) is needed (as we’ve had with Yossi)
adam is not a defensive midfielder, he’s more of a deep lying playmaker…
even though he wud be a gud addition, we need a combative defensive midfielder in the ilk of mascherano..
suarez is better off playing in the hole behind the striker where he can wreck havoc…he wudn’t be as effective in the left wing..
if meireles plays in the right, he wud keep cutting into the centre and there wud be no real width…
LET THE KING DECIDE!!!
I only know that Liverpool have a great player named Luis Suarez…all the rest are average ones.
I really regret that Manchester United did not buy Luis Suarez.
We do not have any player like him but according to the press we will buy him next year no matter the price we have to pay for him.