That becomes a 4-4-2 very quickly with either of Sturridge or Suarez. That position needs a natural attacking midfielder, meaning that Coutinho, Alberto or, for variety, Henderson have to play there in a 4-2-3-1. Suarez or Sturridge there means we'll get very exposed in the middle. It always ends up as a 4-1-3-2 anyway, which isolates the holding midfielder because Gerrard can't go forward and get back quick enough, and we end up losing territory in front of our back four
I am suffering a strong case of deja-vu.
I can’t provide exact dates, but I do recall a handful of occasions since the “glory days”, when L.F.C were sitting at or near the top of the Premier League. And 2009 aside, on each occasion, as now, our league position was accompanied by an uncomfortable feeling that we were in a false position, and our results somehow masked a deep-rooted disquiet about the ACTUAL strength of the team and squad (sorry, group).
We have some great talent currently. Suarez and Sturridge are as good as there are in Europe and the signs are that they can only get better. Coutinho is a special player; so is Steven Gerrard (though I hate to see his physical decline). Despite misgivings about his kicking, Mignolet is an impressive shotstopper.
The debates in this thread and elsewhere concerning the relative merits, weaknesses and optimum positions of the remainder are testament to how unconvinced many observers remain about squad depth in general, and key players in particular. I haven’t a clue how Brendan might solve the Enrique enigma, for example; the assumption that Cissokho will provide the solution is surely premature.
My biggest concern is one highlighted in the thread asking what happened to Tiki Taka, and addressed specifically in the Gerrard and Lucas thread – the strong feeling that results are great, but performances much less convincing. The same misgivings are highlighted - full backs/wingbacks, corners for and against, the flimsiness of our defensive midfield shield. The result is an acknowledgement of our seeming inability to last 90 minutes, to press high, to recycle the ball, to dominate possession as we did so recently, to physically match but technically outplay opposing teams.
I watched the Arsenal game twice yesterday – and the ensuing analysis. I agreed with the consensus; the key to West Brom’s impressive display was the midfield shield offered by Mulumbu and Yacob and the determination to prevent Arsenal playing through them. I find myself, against all my instincts, and certainly flying in the face of current fashion, longing for a Makalele/Mascherano figure in our midfield, or at least a Diame, Delph or current equivalent. In other words players considerably better without the ball than with it.
As an aside, I think this current team would do very well in La Liga; I am concerned about our ability to last the pace of the Premiership. On the other hand, maybe my concerns and analysis are just outdated, on the wrong side of history.