By Ollie Irish
How will new gaffer Roy Hodgson configure his Liverpool team? Don’t worry about that for now. Remembering that this is just a bit of fun, I want you to pick Liverpool’s best starting XI for the coming season.
I’ll go first…
The formation: Uncle Woy loves a bit of 4-4-2, and he’s dabbled with 4-4-1-1 in pre-season, with Joe Cole buzzing about the area we like to know only as ‘the hole’. But this is where I get to have my say – sorry Woy – and I’m going for the fashionable 4-2-3-1 formation (yes, the one Rafa used, but with more attack-minded players), which I think suits Liverpool’s squad.
The line-up:
Pepe Reina
Glen Johnson – Sotirios Krygiakos – Jamie Carragher – Daniel Agger
Alberto Aquilani – Steven Gerrard (c)
Dirk Kuyt – Joe Cole – Milan Jovanovic
Fernando Torres
This is very tough, as I don’t think it gets the best out of Gerrard’s attacking ability, but then I’m a massive fan of Dirk Kuyt and what he offers – heart, lungs, discipline etc. – and so I went for a trident of Kuyt-Cole-Jovanovic, with Poulsen or Lucas alongside Aquilani (the Italian must be given his chance to shine this season – playing both Poulsen and Lucas would be too cautious and Rafa-like), instead of an attacking trio with Gerrard at the centre, behind Torres. Cole’s signing means there is a bit less of an onus on Gerrard to get forward.
Liverpool don’t have a decent left-back right now, so I put the versatile Agger – who can play there – at LB, which doesn’t get the best out of him, but hey, I had little choice.
There. I’ve shown you mine. Now you show me yours…