Brendan Rodgers is extremely lucky to have held onto his place as the manager of the Liverpool FC. But this season, after losing their two best players last season on Steven Gerrard and Raheem Sterling, have spent a lot of money and will want to fight for the top four spot. Jordan Henderson the new captain of the club will want to stamp his authority and will want to lift a trophy in the first season as the captain.
In this article, we will take a look at the best starting XI that Rodgers can play in the first game of the new season. They have a lot of options on the field and will want to get the best out of the squad as quickly as possible.
Defense
Though Adam Bogdan was signed, Smon Mignolet will keep his place in between the posts for the club in the next season. He was dropped in the middle of the season but showed some confidence after coming back. Martin Skrtel will be the main central defender and Sakho or Lovren will partner him as the other center back. Both may play if the manager employs 3 at the back like he did last season to get more people in the mid-field.
Clyne will have one of the flanks occupied. Youngsters Gomez and Moreno will fight for the other flank and will have to perform well whenever they get a chance to.
Mid-field
Emre Can will mostly take up the defensive mid-fielder’s position in the squad just ahead of the Brazilian Lucas. Henderson and Milner will surely start almost every game in the middle of the park. The all-English pairing of Henderson and Milner will provide much more stability to the Liverpool mid-field that is now lacking the likes of Steven Gerrard. Joe Allen may find it hard to play in the league but will be given plenty of chances in the cup competitions.
Attack
Liverpool has an array of attackers at their disposal. With Daniel Sturridge injured for the start of the season, Benteke will surely start as a striker. Phillipe Coutinho who had an amazing season last year will be pairing up with Firminio, his Brazilian team mate just behind the big Belgian. All the three forwards have a lot of competition with the likes of Jordan Ibe, Adam Lallana and Lazar Markovic in the ranks.
They also have a lot of strikers after their business in this transfer market. Danny Ings, Divock Origi, Mario Balotelli, Lambert and Borini are the options Rodgers has in front of him. He may well need them as he found that the squad lacks depth in the middle of last season.
Liverpool will have to be at their best every game and not let complacency set in if they want to compete with the best in the league. With all top teams looking significantly strong, the manager has his work cut down and will have to think on his heels to make sure he keeps up with the pace of the league.
Make sure you are updated with all the news about your favorite club by visiting out website.