· Match at The Hawthorns.
· First match at helm for both managers.
· Steve Clark faces his former club.
· Match telecast on ESPN and ESPN HD at 19.30 IST on 18-Aug-2012.
Every season brings new hopes and
enthusiasm for a club and its supporters. This season is no different. There is
an air of excitement at Anfield were fans eagerly wait to see how the new
manager and his signings unfold. Liverpool had a major revamp after last season
manager and legend King Kenny Dalglish and his second in command, Steve Clark,
were let go by the club. While Kenny was happy to leave the club while Steve
Clark was appointed manager at the Hawthorns. Liverpool appointed Brendan
Rodgers, who managed Swansea City last season.
Rodgers have already made his mark at
Anfield when he reinstated the old ‘This Is Anfield’ plaque and also the red
nets on the pitch. He also has made three shrewd signings already this season,
with Fabio Borini, Joe Allen and Oussama Assaidi coming in, while the likes of
Fabio Aurelio, Dirk Kuyt, Maximiliano Rodriguez and Craig Bellamy all bidding
bye to Anfield.
West Bromwich Albion
West Brom is going into the first
match with a couple of injury concerns. Club Captain Chris Brunt suffered a
calf injury and full-back Steven Reid is struggling with an ankle injury.
Steve Clark is best known for his
discipline in defense and that was evident during his stint at Liverpool where
he formed the partnership of Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel. And there is no
doubt that he will try to do the same at West Brom too.
This means the West Brom center
halves, Jonas Olsson, Gabriel Tamas and Craig Dawson will have a key role to
play. Olsson brings in tons of experience while Dawson and Tamas are more like
to feature if they are to build a strong defensive pairing for the future.
West Brom’s midfield looks pretty
solid on paper. Central pairing Chris Brunt and Youssouf Mulumbu will do well
in attack and defense respectively. With Liverpool looking to play an intense
passing game, Mulumbu’s presence will be vital to shut out the likes of Gerrard
and Joe Allen. James Morrison and Liam Ridgewell complete the quartet in the
middle of the park.
New signing Romelu Lukaku from
Chelsea and former Reading striker Shane Long hold the prospect of forming a
destructive pair in the Premier League. With the right assistance and good
tactical setup, they can cause trouble to big teams, starting with the
Liverpool defense.
Probable Starting Lineup (4-4-2): Foster; Tamas, Dawson, Jones,
McAuley; Brunt, Mulumbu, Morrison, Ridgewell; Long, Lukaku
Liverpool
Liverpool begin the season with no
injury concerns, with Lucas Leiva and Charlie Adam coming back from long term
lay-off. Daniel Agger also has regained his fitness. Joe Cole, who featured for
LOSC Lille last term on loan from Liverpool, has also regained his fitness
after he pulled a hamstring during the Europa League qualifier against FC Gomel
in Belarus.
Liverpool are moving closer to play a
new brand a football under Brendan Rodgers who is trying to instill a
philosophy that has been successfully executed by Spain national side and
Spanish giants FC Barcelona, the tiki-taka. The second leg of the Europa
qualifier showcased the art of retaining possession, quick, slick passes and
building up an attack from the back and getting players across different positions
and out of their comfort zones to build up play.
The biggest advantage for Liverpool
this season, and not just in the opening game, is the presence of Steven
Gerrard higher up in attack – a position that reaped benefits for player and
club during the time of Rafael Benitez.
The presence of Lucas and Allen in
the middle of the park boasts of a really formidable midfield. Lucas’ presence
is of growing importance with each passing day while new boy Allen could be a
menace across the entire midfield line due to his ability to get into positions
on either side to assist his teammates. Rodgers has been experimenting with a
three-man midfield in his friendlies so this means Downing could be the third
person completing the midfield line.
Upfront, Suarez, Gerrard and Borini
can spell doom for any opposition if they click and judging by the pre-season
games, this is already happening. Gerrard and Suarez especially could form a
diminutive pairing if Brendan Rodgers’ style is well adopted by the duo.
The important thing to note about
formations under Brendan Rodgers is that they are subject to immediate change
on the pitch and are highly dynamic in nature. This is because of the stress on
fluidity in player movement across the pitch and the nous to find and get into
new spaces within proximity. Don’t be surprised if you find Gerrard running up
on the right towards the byline and if Lucas is covering for Enrique at
left-back as the Spaniard makes a move forward.
Probable Starting Lineup (4-3-3): Reina; Johnson, Skrtel, Agger,
Enrique; Lucas, Allen, Downing; Borini, Gerrard, Suarez
Player to watch out: Joe Allen
Prediction: West Bromwich Albion 0-2 Liverpool FC (Borini, Lucas)
Last Meeting:
· At Anfield: Liverpool 0-1 West Bromwich Albion
(Odemwingie)
· At Hawthorns: West Bromwich Albion 0-2
Liverpool (Adam, Carroll)
#WECOMENOTTOPLAY
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