Now, some would say that it is too soon but I completely disagree; as we’ve discovered over the years with promising youngsters: you get nowhere by coddling them. Last week against Stoke wasn’t the right game to give him his first start in but against Tottenham would be ideal. It’ll be a very open game, a game for footballers (as opposed to Stoke) and technically talented players and being South American, this is one of young Coates’s strengths. While I’m also aware of his massive height, I think that aerially and physically the English game is so different from anything he will have experienced up to now that easing him in against a relatively short (sans Crouch, Woodgate, et al) and technically talented side would be a good idea. On the flip-side, it’s a game that an already off-form Carragher would likely struggle in, so it makes sense.
Along with Coates, I would also bring in Craig Bellamy for Jordan Henderson, as I expected we’ll be looking to hit the ground running as we did against Stoke last week and having a front-three of Downing, Suarez and Bellamy would cause the likes of Dawson and Kaboul all kinds of problems and I think Henderson is still struggling a little to get used to the pace of football played a big club.
Sadly for Andy Carroll though, I think he would again be more effective from the bench for us in a game like this, so I imagine he’ll have to be content with his familiar seat on the bench.
As always is the case though, provided Tottenham finish empty-handed and we come away with a few goals and a massive smile on our faces on Sunday afternoon I don’t really care who starts, so let’s go pick up three more points!
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This week it is former LFC WAG Amii Grove!!
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