Joe Allen...What did people think of his performance?
A good performance overall, I thought. He passed the ball well and was willing to bring it forward quickly. He wasn't under much pressure or have any meaningful duties to perform in the middle against a defensive Norwich. But that shot was inches away from being the highlight of the night, so I hope this gives him the confidence to really push on and fight for his place in the team. I don't believe this is his limit, I think there's much more to come from him.
With Sturridge out was that our best attacking setup?
I'll be controversial here, but I think that out of our front '4' only Coutinho and Suarez looked dangerous. In fact, if not for the individual skill of our frontman, the number of meaningful chances conjured by our attack was penurious at best. A half-shot from Henderson, which went two yards wide, was the only one I can remember in the first half. We livened up in the 2nd, when 4-0 up, but those last 30 minutes are quite misleading. Psychologically, we had already won, Suarez was in full swing and we were free from nerves or pressure. But throughout the first half, I couldn't help but think that Suarez was carrying Sterling and Henderson. If Suarez was off-form (and there's nothing to say he won't be in the next game), I do not believe Sterling or Henderson would have broken down the Norwich defence.
Do we change again or make a decision and try to find a bit of continuity at the back?
Yes, I think Sakho is worthy of a starting place. We've had several combinations of the back 4 and none of them have looked effective at dealing with set-pieces or crosses, so its time to bring the £16m man to do the job we've bought him for.
How big a part did subbing Henderson have in conceeding the goal?
Redmond had plenty of time for the cross, but that cross should have been dealt with by Agger. That goal was criminal and it highlighted the fragilities that have dogged us for the whole season. Apart from that, despite loving harrying the opposition, I'm not sure Henderson provides enough offensively to undisputedly justify being handed a starting spot week in week out. Because the bottom line is, he's been poor in the final third. This can be forgiven when we have someone like Suarez or Sturridge in the right mood up front, but if we're struggling to break a team down then having him sit in the opposition half is counter productive.