Your first choice XI without Sturridge

[Phoenix07]

My own personal preference - I think - would be the diamond too, and that line-up looks very strong to me. But I'm going on what I think will be the formation of choice for this season, 4-3-3.

I think the 4-4-2 diamond and the 4-3-3 will be the two preferred formations. We have seen these two formations, and the 4-2-3-1 used in the friendlies, but I think Rodgers may revert to how we were in the 2013/14 season, except with Benteke, we will be more direct i.e. transition from defence to attack will be quicker.

With Lallana and Ibe in the side, a 4-3-3 would be best, but as long as we have two main systems, with a third in reserve, that will be OK. We can't have what we had last season, where we played with so many formations and combinations.

When we were first linked with Milner, I mentioned Rodgers may try something unorthodox, and play Milner/Henderson deep, and Coutinho in a No.8 role (Coutinho mentioned in an interview last season that Rodgers sees him playing there), so it may be that he could go with a 4-3-3. I think it's something he could do for 2016/17. This season, we need to focus on our strengths.

It's clear that Can will play deep after the German coach and his comments. He will play at the tip. As to whether it's a diamond or a 4-3-3, only Rodgers knows.

[Pablo]

Rodgers has spent about £300m since joining us and I don't think he's signed a single specialist DM.

Godgers doesn't give a **** about that ****

Yeah I think it's a position that'd dying out in football in general.

When we were growing up there wasn't really a DM either, you had players like Souness and later Gerrard, Vieira and Keane etc who could do the defensive side of the game but also get forward too. "Box to box".

Football is all cyclical though so I'm sure in about 5-10 years DMs will be all the rage again

[Alex]

Yeah I think it's a position that'd dying out in football in general.

When we were growing up there wasn't really a DM either, you had players like Souness and later Gerrard, Vieira and Keane etc who could do the defensive side of the game but also get forward too. "Box to box".

Football is all cyclical though so I'm sure in about 5-10 years DMs will be all the rage again

DMs became fashionable about 15 years ago with Hamman and Makelele in the Prem/Europe.

As you say I cant really remember them before that, and in the last 5 years they have kind of died a bit of a death in that position in favour of someone with a bit of energy that can do more running and cover ground quickly. Less about tackling and more about getting the ball moving faster.

[baitman]

its great [on paper] to have a mobile midfield unit of can, milner and handerson with cout or firmino in front, but without a proper dm we will get turned over by better counter attack teams [like crystal palace and stoke] and in europe any better teams will skin us.

[tanner]

-------------MIGS---------------

Clyne--Skittles-Sakho--Gomez

----Hendo--Milner--Moreno---

--Firminho--Bentekers--Coutihno



I'd have Moreno covering Gomez, Hendo on the left centre with less of a worry as Clyne's pretty much a finished product. Cout would be centre, but free running supporting the front two.

[Exiled_red]

-------------MIGS---------------

Clyne--Skittles-Sakho--Gomez

----Hendo--Milner--Moreno---

--Firminho--Bentekers--Coutihno

Moreno in midfield?

[tanner]

Moreno in midfield?

Yes, covering the young Gomez. He loves to bomb forward, but would also add to the defensive duties required when you have a 3 man midfield.

[Exiled_red]

Yes, covering the young Gomez. He loves to bomb forward, but would also add to the defensive duties required when you have a 3 man midfield.

Surely if you want extra defensive cover you put Lucas or Can in and give the other two in midfield more freedom?

[Alex]

No way Id start with Gomez either. He is so inexperienced at top level football. Looks a bit of a rough diamond at the moment. Only Preseason form to judge too, which as we all know can make even Jovanovic look like Pele.

[frank the tank]

---------------------bogdan-------------------------

wisdom-----kolo---------lovren-------enrique

---------------lucas--------allen-------------------

markovic----------------------------------------ibe

---------------balotelli-------borini---------------

[tanner]

Surely if you want extra defensive cover you put Lucas or Can in and give the other two in midfield more freedom?

Not for me, I like the fact that all three I've chosen can defend and attack, all 3 have great engines too. I'd bring on Lucas to tidy things up in the latter part of the game if we're winning and starting to get stretched a bit.

[tanner]

No way Id start with Gomez either. He is so inexperienced at top level football. Looks a bit of a rough diamond at the moment. Only Preseason form to judge too, which as we all know can make even Jovanovic look like Pele.

Everyone's a critic

[Chris]

Would love Mig, Clyne, Can, Sakho, Moreno, Lucas, Milner, Hendo, Coutinho, Firmino, Benteke.

A defence that can actually push up or go back as one instead of the ridiculous situation we have at the moment which leads to us dropping stupidly deep and having a huge disconnect between the defence and midfield.

But not going to happen obviously!

[peterbread]

I think the one thing we have this season is a very fit team with the main parts being able to run all day, I can see lots of late goals and running over teams with players like Milner and Henderson being key to this.

[Exiled_red]

Would love Mig, Clyne, Can, Sakho, Moreno, Lucas, Milner, Hendo, Coutinho, Firmino, Benteke.

A defence that can actually push up or go back as one instead of the ridiculous situation we have at the moment which leads to us dropping stupidly deep and having a huge disconnect between the defence and midfield.

But not going to happen obviously!

I'd like to see us have a defence that could hold a high line if we wanted. We need to bring in a new CB to do that, also IMO there's no way we'd play Can as a CB in a back four.