Recent reports seem to suggest that Roy Hodgson’s time as Liverpool Manager is running out as his team languish in 9th in the Premier League, leaving the Kop unsettled and the club‘s new owners considering their options. But Hodgson has admitted that he hasn’t given up faith and hopes he’ll be awarded the time he needs to develop his squad and prove his worth. This next week will surley prove pivotal to his chances, with two Premier League fixtures on the road and an important FA Cup game against their rivals.
For us Fantasy Managers that run of games presents a rarity – suddenly, with two matches in a Gameweek, the Liverpool squad is worthy of some attention and even investment. Let’s run the rule over Liverpool’s double Gameweek and assess the opportunities presented…
The Opponents
Blackburn play host to Liverpool this Wednesday evening, Steve Kean’s men have won just one of their last five Premier League fixtures. Liverpool will need to consider that Rovers’ best form is at Ewood Park, losing on just three occasions, compared to seven defeats away from home. The attacking players in Roy Hodgson’s side will be looking to take advantage of the fact that Blackburn have managed to keep just four clean sheets all season and that Paul Robinson, so often the unbeatable barrier this season, is absent through injury.
A week later, after their crunch FA Cup clash against old foes Manchester United, Hodgson will finally take his side to Bloomfield Road to face Blackpool after the fixture was postponed earlier in the season. Blackpool are in fairly good form as of late, winning two of their last three, but this fixture will also be the Tangerines’ first at home since November 20 after three games were postponed due to the cold snap.
Significantly, despite picking up improbable clean sheets on their travels, Blackpool are yet to prevent their opponents scoring at home – in six home matches they have conceded 11 goals. Again then, Liverpool’s attacking players will be looking to profit. At the other end however, Blackpool’s cavalier attacking football appears to threaten any chance of a Liverpool shut-out. The Blackburn game looks by far the best option for potential defensive returns.
Current Form
Liverpool have the third worst away form in the league picking up just 5 points from 9 games so far this season and the stats from their last six fixtures away from home are not pretty reading: W1 D1 L4 F4 A10. But with key players such as Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres and Joe Cole finally coming back to full fitness and form, bar the injury to the influential Jamie Carragher, Hodgson pretty much has a full bill of health and will be looking for his squad to reverse this troublesome patch.
Rotation Risk
Roy Hodgson has admitted in reports only today that he may need to rest key players such as Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres during the busy schedule consisting of three games in eight days. With both players recently recovering from injury and the manager having almost a full squad available to him, their involvement may be restricted. It’s not clear yet how Hodgson will approach the FA Cup tie with United this weekend – that will be crucial. It seems unfeasible that Liverpool will go to Blackburn and rest both Torres and Gerrard however – Hodgson will surely look to build on the momentum of the narrow win over Bolton last time out.
Potential Targets
Glen Johnson
The most secure option within the Liverpool back four, Johnson seems set to turn out for both games barring injury or suspension. His price will likely prove a major stumbling block and it takes a brave Fantasy Manager to back the Liverpool defence enough to shell out 7.1. Even so, Johnson at least carries with him a promise of attacking returns with his raids down the flank and that could be a factor.
Predicted Return: 1 Clean Sheet
Martin Skrtel
The Slovakian has been ever present for Liverpool this season, not missing a minute of action. You would think then that he is virtually guaranteed to play in both fixtures then, although with Dan Agger fit, Hodgson has the option to rotate with Sotirios Kygiakos also an option.
Predicted Return: 1 Clean Sheet
Maxi Rodriguez
The attacking midfielder looks fairly certain to be a regular in the side, missing just three games so far in the 2010/11 season. Having scored 2 goals in his last 6 outings, the Argentine could be likely to continue this run and find the back of the net over the coming weeks. He and Dirk Kuyt represent the darkhorse picks amongst Hodgson’s lineup for those seeking a differential or restricted by budget.
Predicted Return: 1 Goal
Steven Gerrard
If Liverpool are going to get points out of their double Gameweek then it is more than likely that captain Gerrard will be instrumental. Having just returned to the side after a lengthy period on the sidelines, Gerrard came off the bench to turn the game against Bolton and left with an assist. His dominance from set-plays could well be a factor over the two games, while a spot-kick goal is always a possibility.
Predicted Return: 1 Goal, 1 Assist, 3 Bonus Points
Fernando Torres
Torres has had a difficult season so far, suffering with niggling injuries and never fully finding the breathtaking form that he is capable of. Significantly, of his 6 goals this season, Torres has scored just a single goal away from home – and that came at Wigan. But his strike against Bolton will surely provide a boost in confidence and the double Gameweek could be the time to invest in the striker who, if Liverpool play to their potential, will surely notch a goal or two and attract Bonus Points as a result.
Predicted Return: 1 Goal, 2 Bonus Points
