Bogle also being out from the 'non-foul' is a spanner in the works.
The back 6 picks itself with only LWB up for question:
Ramsdale
Baldock/Ampadu/Jags/Bryan/Stevens*
*I'd personally prefer Osborn at LWB. I think he can put TAA more on the back foot and did relatively well in the corresponding fixture at Anfield. Perhaps Lowe also can have that effect, though I worry he might be too weak defensively. I would definitely play Bryan at LCB over Stevens. I really though Enda would evolve into LCB as his career progressed, but he's really not shown that. He's not as good in the air as he ought to be e.g. goals at Liverpool and Villa to name but 2 which I find odd because he's a decent sized lad.
I'm not sure how we ended up with such a shortage of midfield options. We've only really Berge injured in this department. Yet it seems unless we change formation there is little variation to Lundstram, Norwood, Fleck. If Osborn doesn't play LWB then he's an option but aside from Fleck's role, it's difficult to shoehorn him in. If You drop Lunny having a left footer on the right of 3 lacks balance which Chris doesn't like. Norwood is too static to play RCM in a 3 where you need to be more box to box, that's not his game. Only way to do that would be to play Osborn and Norwood as a 2 and perhaps Fleck a little further forward, but then you lose some of his quality drifting to the left perhaps. Likewise if you drop Norwood, I'm not convinced DM is Osborn's role and his energy is a little wasted in a sitting role. I like the Duffy role and Didzy can play this but with Liverpool almost certainly playing a 3 I don't see this as the game to give up a man advantage in the middle. Without Henderson they have less energy there so I see them being more static which would give rise to too many 3 v 2 actions.
So I foresee the usual 3, as annoyed as I was with Lunny, options are so limited. You certainly can't keep 3 at the back and move Ampadu now. Chris must be hoping at least one comes back from injury for the Chelsea game. I'm sure he doesn't fancy a change of system but he's out of options.
Up front for us is what intrigues me.
Liverpool are going to line up with a top end quality Championship defence. Yes they are a big club, you they can hammer you but let's not get overawed. Davies was playing in a below midtable a championship team a month or so back. He's a 'nice' defender, ball playing, but he's no monster in the air by any means. Kabak has come from Schalke. They are bottom of the Bundesliga and have fewer points than us. He's only 6'1" so not imposing by VVD standards at all. He can definitely be got at.
My head says Didzy and Burke. Burke's pace and physicality and Didzy's scheming, often dropping to midfield to help out.
But it's all a bit predictable.
My heart wonders whether there has to be a place there for McBurnie. He had a good game against them last time and unsettled them. How much more so against two players not that great in the air.
Then I wonder about Sharp. Yes, he's 35. Maybe the chances will just not get made often enough for him. But if you are looking at a potential top end Championship defence then "hello!" Whose the guy whose been slotting past those for fun?
It would be fun to see something like
Ramsdale
Baldock Jagielka Ampadu Bryan
Osborn Fleck
Burke McGoldrick McBurnie
Sharp
I think we could cause them a lot of trouble with Burke's pace and the heading of McBurnie.
I don't like the two left footers together but how many teams line up with 2 right footers?
Part of me just thinks "F it!". Do something they are not expecting, take the game to them and to hell with it. You might just get a chance to rattle their cages, maybe take a few early chances and shock them. Being very predictable probably does half their job for them. I remember under Warnock for the derbies he'd often go away from regular set ups, have an extra forward in etc.
We shouldn't fear them. They are not the side of last season. Everyone expects us to play 3-5-2 and lose narrowly and quite possibly not score. Maybe we can be unpredictable for a change?
