We shouldn’t over analyse our 4-0 victory over Thai All-Stars, but some of the decisions made by Brendan Rodgers and his coaching staff during the pre-season friendly victory have definitely answered some lingering questions.
Goals from Lazar Markovic, Mamadou Sakho, Adam Lallana and debutant Divock Origi confirmed the easy win, and here’s some analysis from the start of our tour of the Far East.
Rodgers is not yet set on the diamond or the 4-3-3
It appears that our manager may be using pre-season to test which formation will suit us best as we enter the new seasons. In the first-half, he opted with the diamond that worked so well during our 2013/14 title pursuit, with Lazar Markovic at its peak behind Danny Ings and Rickie Lambert. In the second, we switched to a 4-3-3, with Adam Lallana and Jordon Ibe flanking Divock Origi as the lone forward. It’s difficult to see which worked better because of the weak opposition and the terrible weather conditions the second half was played in, but importantly – the attacking players were fluid and comfortable in both.
SEE MORE:
Liverpool 4-0 Thai All Stars – goals and highlights
Liverpool 4-0 Thai All-Stars – Player Ratings
Martin Skrtel looks set for the vice-captaincy
We’re working out from the fact that Kolo Toure was given the armband in the first-half over Lucas when Jordan Henderson was off the pitch, that the Brazilian will not be given the vice-captaincy for the 2015/16 season. Instead, it’ll surely go to Martin Skrtel, who came on in the second-half and is the second longest serving player after Lucas. Henderson produced a captain’s performance when he came on though, assisting Adam Lallana’s goal excellently.
Teixeira is fit and raring to go and has recovered from his leg break
Halfway through April (just three months ago), our young Portuguese starlet broke his leg while playing on loan for Brighton in the Championship. It looked very much like the 22-year-old’s chances of making the grade at Liverpool were ruined as a result, yet he started the game today, and put in an excellent performance to boot. Playing on the left of the diamond, Teixeira burst forward on countless occasions and linked up with Markovic (at its peak) on many an occasion – assisting the Serb’s goal in the opening minutes.
Lazar Markovic is not a wing-back, he’s an out and out attacking midfielder On many occasions last term, Markovic was criticised for his performances following his £20m 2014 summer move, but he was often deployed in unnatural wing-back roles – where he was expected to track back defensively. It didn’t give him the chance to maximise his creative and running ability – but used as a no.10 at the tip of the diamond today – Markovic excelled. Lazar teased the opposition with clever flicks and nutmegs, showed his vision by playing clever through-balls, and took his goal well; breaking beyond the defence, rounding the keeper and sliding home. It’ll be interesting to see if Rodgers continues to use him in this role throughout pre-season, especially considering Raheem Sterling has left.
James Milner will be used as a central midfielder and not a winger
All the comments regarding Milner’s arrival suggested this would be the case (such as here in the Guardian), and today essentially proved it. Milner played in a midfield three which included Jordan Henderson and Joe Allen, while Jordon Ibe and Adam Lallana played in the wide spots. For Manchester City last season, he would have been used on either flank in the 4-3-3 rather than his more central positions. It enabled him to display his box-to-box energy, while his long, raking passes were similarly impressive. Without Steven Gerrard, we’ll need Milner to hit the ground running in his pivotal central role, and alongside the new captain – we’ll perhaps have the hardest working midfield duo in the country.