Strongest Liverpool Line-up To Face Manchester City – Back To A 3-5-2 Formation?

Thursday’s boxing day encounter at the Etihad stadium brings two high flying sides Liverpool and Manchester City together on what will surely be the match to watch out for. After Arsenal’s frustrating draw against Chelsea, the onus will now be on the Reds from Merseyside on whether they can consolidate their pole position at the top of the table. However the Reds run into a swashbuckling City side who are brimming with confidence by each passing game and talking about form, they look ominous. The Citizens have buried just about everyone on their trail but Liverpool would be an entirely different challenge on Thursday night post the festive Christmas period.

Brendan Rodgers’ team go into the feisty clash full of confidence and the way the talismanic striker Uruguayan Luis Suarez is playing at this moment, it would send shivers down the spine of any opposition. Liverpool still miss Steven Gerrard and Daniel Sturridge through injuries with John Flannangan also looking like to have picked a hamstring and is perhaps set to miss out. Jose Enrique is still out and Liverpool will perhaps play a makeshift defence and tinker a bit with their formation to get at least something from the match.

So what would Liverpool’s best starting line up be when they take the pitch against the Citizens on a chilly Thursday night. We here at Soccersouls have the answer:

Goalkeeping:

Simon Mingolet is expected to be very busy under the sticks manning the Liverpool goal. The Belgian shot stopper has to be wary of long rangers, especially from Yaya Toure and Fernandinho, a fostering partnership with each passing day.

Defence:

Injury to Jon Flanagan means Rodgers will have to play with a makeshift defence and I believe a 3-5-2 will be the best solution to stop the rampaging City side. Martin Skrtel, Sakho and Agger should be picked as the three centre backs with Glen Johnson in left wing back and Martin Kelly on the right wing back position. This will give Liverpool the solidity at the back and ensure they have a spare man at the back to catch David Silva or Yaya Toure, both of whom love to draft inside the pockets of space in the final third. (However if Flanagan recovers on time before the game, it changes the whole complexion of the line-up and Rodgers would be tempted to stick with the same formation and set of players who dismantled Cardiff City last weekend)

Midfield:

This is perhaps one area Liverpool need to be wary of, for it could make or break  the encounter. Lucas Leiva and Joe Allen will have to do the untidy work of incessantly tracking Yaya Toure and Fernandinho, while Jordan Henderson who looks a like a young Steven Gerrard at the moment needs to play in a more advance role. I would go with Phillipe Coutinho just behind Luis Suarez for I feel this might be an encounter where Raheem Sterling’s inexperience might just backfire.

Forward:

Luis Suarez will definitely play as the lone striker up front and the form he is at the moment, I wouldn’t be surprised if he belts in a couple at the Etihad too. However City will try to isolate him at the top of the final thrid, one thing which the travelling Liverpool outfit needs to be wary of.