Last week was certainly the one of the worst weeks that Brendan Rodgers and Liverpool could have experienced. First, they got eliminated from the Champions League by Basel, then, the team got embarrassed by Manchester United.
However, Rodgers doesn’t have time to wallow in defeat, the team has another difficult opponent in the next match against Arsenal. Luckily, the squad will have a chance to get some confidence with a Capital One Cup tie against Championship side Bournemouth on Wednesday.
Rodgers used a 3-4-3 formation against Manchester United and that led to a 3-0 defeat, that is why it would be good for the players to return to a formation that is familiar to them, the 4-2-3-1. He should also rest some key players, Raheem Sterling, Steven Gerrard and Jordan Henderson, while also seeing what other players can offer the team.
Goalkeeper
Bradley Jones has seemingly taken over the spot from Simon Mignolet for the time being. Jones also started the last Capital One Cup match against Swansea.
The Australian ‘keeper will have to take advantage of this match and establish a connection with his defenders to prepare for Arsenal’s fearsome attack.
Right Back
Javier Manquillo has not made the most of the playing time he has been given and he should be able to give a strong performance against Bournemouth. The Spaniard has been displaced by Glen Johnson in most games but it was only a few weeks ago when it looked like he was going to leave.
Center Backs
Even though it would be great to rest both Kolo Toure and Martin Skrtel, Rodgers cant risk losing to a Championship side. Toure has been the only relatively good player on defense so far this season and both need to get more playing time together so that they can stop leaking goals.
Left Back
Jose Enrique has only made a few appearances this season but he should be given a few more chances to return to the form he had before his injury. He is much slower than Alberto Moreno but Enrique can still provide some width to the Liverpool attack.
Midfield
A physical midfield pairing of Lucas Leiva and Emre Can has the ability to bully the Bournemouth players and take control the match. Lucas has had a small revival the past few weeks while Can has not been given the chance to show his true potential. Both should be able to shield the defense well while also providing the necessary passing to keep possession of the ball.
An attacking midfield trio made up of Lazar Markovic, Philippe Coutinho, and Adam Lallana should be able to find the holes in the Bournemouth back line to create scoring opportunities. Markovic will be hoping to make amends for his sending off against Basel, while Coutinho and Lallana will be trying to convince Rodgers to include them in the starting lineup more often.
Forward
This match will be a good opportunity for Rodgers to get Mario Balotelli to build on the performance he had against Manchester United. Balotelli has struggled immensely so far in his time at Liverpool but he should have many opportunities to get a goal against a weaker opponent.
(4-3-2-1)
Via – Lineup Builder
