Liverpool: 8 Things Brendan Rodgers Must Do To Improve In 2015
3. Know His Own First-Choice Starting XI
The secret behind every top class, in-form side is that they invariably have the same team week in, week out. Of course, injuries and suspensions can come into play, but there should always be seven or eight players playing the majority of matches. Just look at Chelsea so far this season, whose first-choice starting eleven you could virtually rattle off without stopping. The same applies with Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. This season, Liverpools team has changed an unbelievable amount, and it really is impossible to gauge what on earth Rodgers strongest possible line-up would be with everyone fit. Would it be Glen Johnson or Manquillo at right-back? Does Sakho come in for either Skrtel or Lovren? Is Steven Gerrard a guaranteed starter? Is it Lucas Leiva or Joe Allen? Do Coutinho and Lallana get in, or just one of them, or neither? It really is a mess. It almost looks as though Rodgers has tried to impress too much with the constant juggling of his squad, with the addition of Champions League football, and because of it there is no cohesion about the team. The defence are all over the place, and a huge reason for that is because, barring Skrtel, nobody else has a clue if they will start each week. No doubt the former Reading boss would claim he knows exactly what his best team is, but that seems very doubtful at the moment. Hes trying all sorts of formations, playing Jordan Henderson and Markovic as wing-backs, for example, and it all looks a bit clueless.
