Date: 19th November 2010 at 11:08am
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Liverpool go into this weekends game against West Ham missing their two key central midfielders. Gerrard and Lucas have been the key in Liverpool’s central midfield of late and both will not be available to take on West Ham. Gerrard is out for a month with a hamstring injury and Lucas is suspended for the game. That means Hodgson has to come up with a new look central combination. He needs someone who is going to be the defensive mind in the middle and break up the oppositions attack, at the same time providing cover to the back four. I have to say it, as much as I do not want to, it means Poulsen is going to have to fill in this role.

Steven Gerrard Celebrates Scoring 1st goal with team mate Lucas Liverpool 2009/10 Liverpool V Losc Lille Metropole (3-0) 18/03/10 UEFA Europa League Round of 16 2nd leg Photo Robin Parker Fotosports International Photo via Newscom

There is also the option of playing Jay Spearing there or Jonjo Shelvey. Personally I would not mind seeing Spearing starting ahead of Poulsen. But considering Poulsen has come out and said he is now ready to show us his best form, let us give him a chance there.

Who will be the second player in central midfield in place of Gerrard? The only logical man for me is Raul Meireles. I still wonder why Hodgson deploys him on the right of midfield. Credit to Raul, he has put in some decent performances on the right but it is clear to see he would be more effective playing in the middle. One just has to look at the Portugal game against Spain when Raul was playing in the middle of the Portugese midfield and he did well against the mighty Spanish midfield.

Hodgson has a big decision to make in terms of who starts in the middle against West Ham. I hope he gets it right.

Who should start in central midfield against West Ham?

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7 responses to “No Gerrard and No Lucas = No midfield”

  1. Jay Wright says:

    we’ve seen our midfield dominated on numerous occassions with all of our first team players available, so there is clearly something wrong with the system moreso than the personnel.

    We should go with Poulsen, Meireles AND Pacheco (or Shelvey) in a midfield 3, to compensate for their lack of physical attributes, but make the most of the passing and movement through the middle that Pacheco and Meireles could bring about. Pacheco (or Shelvey) couldn’t effectively impose himself in central midfield with just one man alongside him just yet, and should only be played in a 3 man midfield to provide that additional security defensively.

    Babel & Jovanovich should be starting on either side of Torres to provide the attacking options ahead of that midfield btw…

    Reina
    Johnson – Kyrgiakos – Carragher – Aurelio
    Pacheco – Poulsen – Meireles
    Babel – Torres – Jovanovich

    Subs: Jones/ Kelly/ Wilson/ Spearing/ Shelvey/ Kuyt/ Ngog…

  2. Clint Ho says:

    Article – We won’t miss lucas

    Comment No 1, WHAT!! WHAT!! Nevermind it doesn’t deserve commenting on anyway

    • Jay Wright says:

      eh?? If you think that something doesn’t deserve commenting on, what is the point in typing some meaningless gibberish in??

      anyway, FYI to all – a flat four man midfield is not the only option available to Hodgson and Liverpool FC (nor is it in the main tactic at many top teams around Europe)

  3. panter92 says:

    You missed out the legendary acclaimed Poulsen-Spearing partnership. The team for the weekend will be Reina, Konchesky, Skrtel, Kyrgiakos, Carra, Johnson, Poulsen, Spearing, Meireles, Torres and Kuyt. That team has Roy written all over it.

    • Ron says:

      LOL Panter, that is surely a RH team. I swear if he plays Carragher at right back with both Johnson and Kelly fit then he must be shot!!!!!!

  4. Ronnie says:

    Reina

    Kelly Carra Kyrgiakos Konchesky

    Johnson Meireles Poulson Jovanovic

    Kuyt Torres

    That team should be enough to be beat west ham! they have parker missing too so i dont expect any bullshit off Hodgson if we lose!