Another victory against Leicester makes it two straight wins for Brendan Rodgers and Liverpool. A slightly more defensive approach has yielded positive results with the team conceding none and one goals the past two matches.
Keeping the same lineup against Sunderland this weekend would allow the players to form some much needed chemistry, but Rodgers does have some capable backups if he decides to rest a few of his players.
Goalkeeper
Simon Mignolet really struggled against Leicester. His wayward pass to Esteban Cambiasso somehow did not lead to a Leicester goal, but things only got worse when a shot bounced off of Mignolet’s back to give The Foxes the lead.
Even though the defense did a good job of protecting the goal the rest of the match, Mignolet’s confidence must be at an all time low.
Right Back
Glen Johnson has been playing well as of late and that has led to less playing time for Javier Manquillo. After scoring the winning goal against Stoke City during the weekend, Johnson then showed his positional flexibility as he played both left and right back against Leicester.
Center Backs
Kolo Toure and Martin Skrtel have been the pairing of choice the past two games and they have responded well with good defensive performances. While they don’t posses great speed, both read the game very well and that allows them to stop breakup opponent’s attacking sequences. If Rodgers wants to rest one of them, especially Skrtel, who took a blow to the head, Dejan Lovren is the only other option available.
Left Back
Alberto Moreno made another substitute appearance and did his job well. He was not able to attack down the flank since that was Leicester’s primary attacking option, but Moreno should be able to against a weak Sunderland right wing.
Midfield
The duo of Jordan Henderson and Lucas Leiva have performed great as the shield in front of the defense. Henderson is capable of being the bridge between attack and defense while Lucas has been fantastic at helping the defense deal with the opponents.
After looking like he was going to leave the club a few weeks ago, the Brazilian is now one of the essential members of the starting lineup. Joe Allen is the likely choice to replace one of the two if they are rested.
Philippe Coutinho, Steven Gerrard and Raheem Sterling. Moving the captain further up the field allows him to both use his great passing skills to create chances for his teammates and to limit his lack of speed which makes him a liability on defense.
Out on the flank, Sterling was a constant menace against Leicester and that resulted in him being fouled often. Coutinho has not been at his best this season and as such, Adam Lallana, who scored the equalizer, will be the first choice backup if Rodgers decides to keep the Brazilian on the sideline.
Forward
In the last match, Rickie Lambert did not play particularly well but was active and was the one who caused Leicester captain Wes Morgan to be sent off.
He should have a few opportunities to score against Sunderland and that will only solidify his place as the best forward Liverpool has while Daniel Sturridge remains on the sideline.
(4-5-1)
Via – Lineup Builder
