Our Best XI To Face Sunderland

Liverpool travel to Sunderland this weekend to face Martin O’Neill and his men in search of their first win in the top flight this season.

Just a point in 3 opening matches has left the Merseysiders and their boss Brendan Rodgers under enormous pressure and Rodgers would want nothing less than a win here at the Stadium of light, knowing that a draw or a loss would further add on to the pressure.

The first thing he needs to get right is the formation and a way to get those goals coming in. So far Liverpool have scored just two goals, both coming from set pieces. Liverpool are yet to score from an open play, which is a cause of concern for the coach and the players as well.

Sunderland, with two points, are currently on the 13^th spot in the Premiership standings, while Liverpool, with just a point, are hanging onto the 18^th spot, which is pretty unusual for a club like Liverpool.

Rodgers’ main problem has been the shortage of personnel, with more than 10 departures this summer and very few acquisitions, which leaves him with very few to choose from. Having said that, Rodgers would still need to field the best possible XI to ensure an honest attempt to get all three points against the Black Cats and kick start his campaign.

Here is a list of the best candidates available to Rodgers keeping in mind his preferred 4-3-3 formation, for this Saturday’s encounter as he seeks to end the wait for his first Premier League victory as manager of Liverpool Football Club.

PEPE REINA (GK)

Reina hasn’t been at his best in the recent times. In all the matches that I have seen this season, he has made one or two mistakes to let those goals in. He has been letting in those goals which otherwise seem like a simple catching practice for a keeper like him.

Reina needs to concentrate on his game and needs to tidy himself up, if not then this could become a serious problem for the Reds. However, lack of quality back up in the squad means that he would be once again starting as the custodian for the Reds.

JOSE ENRIQUE AND GLEN JOHNSON (LB And RB)

Only a negative fitness report shall bar either of these two from taking the field this Saturday. Enrique has been struggling with fitness issues ever since the preseason got underway. If fit then he is the first choice at left back for me and if he’s not then I expect to see either Stewart Downing or Glen Johnson taking his place as LB. Johnson is another permanent name on the team roster unless injured.

DANIEL AGGER AND MARTIN SKRTEL (CB)

Skrtel and Agger, despite their performances dipping a notch against Arsenal, still are the first choice pair for the CB. They enjoy a great deal of understanding while defending and pose a greater attacking threat from set pieces.

But, the Slovak-Dane combo really needs to improve on their passing game. They just can’t afford to make another defensive error like the one against City, which cost the Reds valuable three points against the Champions.

If Liverpool wants to get the maximum out of this game then this combo needs to be at its very best.

JOE ALLEN, NURI SAHIN AND STEVEN GERRARD (MIDFIELD)

No changes from the last game in the midfield. Allen has been the best of the lot so far and he’s an automatic selection. In the past three games, he has shown that he is worth every penny paid to Swansea FC and will continue to improve on his performances, raising the benchmark for his teammates and aspirants.

Filling in for Lucas Leiva is not an easy job, but Allen did it quite perfectly in the last game and he once again looks set for the same role in the Reds midfield.

Sahin hasn’t had enough games for the Reds so far, but he can add the much needed creativity in the midfield and along with Stevie G, he will only get better. If he fails to make a mark then I expect to see Shelvey replacing him.

Steven Gerrard, the captain fantastic, will take to the field unless he’s exhausted from playing all those international fixtures from last week. Stevie hasn’t had the best start to the season so far and he hasn’t been able to adapt to the new system just as much. However, he is the kind of player who can inspire the team in any circumstances. A must in the Liverpool XI as long as he’s fit.

LUIS SUAREZ, FABIO BORINI AND OUSSAMA ASSAIDI (FORWARDS)

Of late Liverpool has been plagued by striker problems. Carroll is gone and Luis Suarez and Fabio Borini are the closest that the Reds have to strikers. So far it hasn’t worked out for Rodgers.

Rodgers has Suarez, Borini, Assaidi and Sterling to choose from. While Sterling has been really impressive this season so far, I would love to see Oussama Assaidi get his chance this Saturday.  Assaidi offers just as much as Sterling, however he is more experienced than the youngster. He’s got pace and a bag full of tricks, and with him and Suarez on either side of the wings, the Reds can have a new dimension to their attack in this game.

Rodgers has so far deployed Borini on the wings and it hasn’t worked out yet. With Suarez’s inability to lead the attack, it’d be wise of Rodgers to try out Borini as striker and Suarez on the wings. Borini needs a huge confidence boost, as he’s looked a bit nervous in the past three games and what better way would there be to boost his confidence than by giving him the responsibility to lead the attack.

After three disappointing matches, some of which weren’t particularly bad, Liverpool will be hoping to get the maximum out of this game and from the way things look, they really need to win this game. Rodgers knows that in order to create a challenge for the top four, he and the team must start winning and they really need to start doing it at the Stadium of light.

Thanks a lot for reading. Comments and suggestions are always welcomed. You can also find me on Twitter @LEONGUI7E