With Tottenham and Arsenal dropping points, Liverpool have the opportunity to level on points in fourth place if they bear Queens Park Rangers.
The merseysiders were handed a late blow with Sturridge getting his calf injured and will have to step up without their star striker, something that they have hardly done without him.
Here is Liverpool’s confirmed starting XI formation vs QPR.
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I can not believe the problems Liverpool are having. They are lucky not to be behind going into the half. I do not know what happened to Balotelli when he was in Italy, but good grief, if he can not compose himself better, work his way into the box and use his body strength then Liverpool desperately need to pick up another striker in the January window. Balotelli cannot cut it up front on his own. Maybe pushing Sterling up front as a second striker, that seemed to add more impetus in the one game that this was tried before. Change the formation to a 4-4-2, Henderson and Lallana run the flanks, Can in the center with Gerrard able to control passes in front of the back four. Which ever formation you use Brendan, something has got to change and needs to happen as soon as possible to be fully effective.
Liverpool are playing worse than the first half if that is really possible. I am glad to see that Gerrard has moved back in front of the back four, Henderson seems to have moved back and over to the wing but those are the only changes. Balotelli is still up front on his own and looking increasingly awkward and isolated and quite frankly, ineffective. I cannot understand why Rodgers insists on playing him up front on his own, when he has shown better in games when he has had someone playing alongside. In the last few minutes, I have heard the commentary repeatedly mention about Balotelli’s body language and seeming lack of drive and enthusiasm. You would think that this level, if in this case “ball to feet” was not working you would change it up and make your own space. And to heighten Balotelli’s lack of confidence and current attitude, he blazes a ball over the top while the goal beckons.
Well, well, well. After two own goals by QPR, an inspired substitution by QPR with Vargas and a first goal of the season by Coutinho and Liverpool score a win with 4 goals in the last 8 minutes. Summed up expertly by Steven Gerrard at the end of the game by admitting Liverpool were lucky and need to improve. My worry is, if they perform with Real Madrid like they did today, they could be on the end of a real hiding. However, it might not have looked pretty, but at the end of the day, 3 points is 3 points no matter how they might come!