Unavailable:
Southampton – Gardoş, Rodriguez, Austin
Liverpool – Lucas, Stewart, Ings, Gomez,
Milner
Shortly after the ball skimmed off Divock
Origi’s head to nestle into the back of Maarten Stekelenburg’s net in early
December to confirm that Liverpool had ravaged Southampton, referee Bobby
Madley concluded affairs at St Mary’s. Long-time resident of the PA room Justin
then had a tough decision. Oh, what to bang on after your side has just been
mauled? Gallows humour? Maybe “Beautiful Day” would’ve fit the bill. No, Justin
opted for “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke – a bizarre finish to a bizarre game.
It was an outlier and an anomaly. While
Saints have had an up-and-down campaign, this game would be represented by a
cross far off the beaten track on the scatter graph. This is because it goes
down as one of the few occasions when Ronald Koeman has well and truly misjudged
a situation to catastrophic effect, as the Dutchman later admitted. It had been
heralded as an evening when Jürgen Klopp’s tactics were the deciding factor in
such a scoreline. Yet while his men were incisive in the second half, the home
defence was more porous than a crumpet with a vast array of Saints attackers
stranded upfield as Koeman elected to adopt a gung-ho approach. One of the
centre-backs that evening was in fact Steven Caulker whose display rivalled
that of Alan Bennett’s against Palace in 2007. Although Klopp was evidently so
enthralled that he made that sure that the Reds acquired the defender in what
has to be one of the more curious calls that the German has made during his brief
tenure at Anfield.
Once again, all eyes will be fixed on another
ex-Saint though – Adam Lallana. In last season’s encounter at St Mary’s, he was
hounded due to the misguided manner in which he departed – and it evidently
surprised the midfielder. Perhaps it finally dawned on him that a goodbye
should not be said with a photo of a celebration in which he pointed to the
back of his shirt. It lacked class. It lacked that personal touch that Rickie
Lambert found so effortlessly with a mere letter – not buying a page in the
Echo. Nevertheless, the taunting became more vociferous in December. Lallana discovered
a way to thrive on it during that game, and it may be time to merely treat him
as any other visiting player. The witch hunt distracts people from the game, and after
all, it should be quite a spectacle.
The win at Stoke was particularly pleasing
and sets Koeman’s men up perfectly for this encounter. They carved out a
multitude of chances – two of which Graziano Pellè gleefully tucked away – and then
showed admirable resolve, led by Virgil van Dijk who was a mature leader in the
absence of José Fonte in the backline. With Victor Wanyama back with a definite
point to prove, and Dušan Tadić and Shane Long flanking Pellè, Liverpool’s
often shaky defence can be breached. The race for Europa League seems to be a
free-for-all with many clubs still vying for qualification. The Reds have games
in hand, and Saints need to edge ahead of the chasing pack. Seventh place may
not be enough this time round…
Key
Battles
Pellè v
Sakho: That
age-old saying regarding the frequency of buses wouldn’t be adequate to
describe the end to Graziano Pellè’s goal drought last Saturday. It was not
just the two goals which were impressive though – one of which Jack Butland
really should have saved – it was the general impact the Italian had on the
game. He thrived on battling against Ryan Shawcross et al, and proved that he
could be the man to lead the Saints attack with his hold-up play that allowed
his side to break promptly and smoothly. He is often criticised for a lack of
running, and of course, his tantrums that can go for several minutes when his
arms are thrown up, coupled with a look of anguish that would not be out of
place in the theatre. Yet he should not need to run (within reason). If the
service into his feet or head is satisfactory, the Italian will bring others
into play or finish chances. If this is done correctly on Sunday, he could have
a field day against Mamadou Sakho whose playing career has regressed
significantly since moving from PSG where he was a promising young player. He
is often weak, and lackadaisical in his positioning. The Saints striker should
tussle with Liverpool’s centre-backs – they are undoubtedly Klopp’s biggest
concern.
Wanyama
v Firmino: Victor
Wanyama finally returns this Sunday after being sat on the naughty step once
again for failing to contain his frustration. Oriol Romeu has impressed in his
absence, and has been consistent – something that the Kenyan has not been able
to find throughout this season. If both were playing at their peak, Wanyama
would get the nod as he has the ability to be a force of nature. But how often
does this actually occur? Not nearly enough. Nevertheless, Ronald Koeman will inevitably
bring him back in again for this one, as he has done in the past. He will have
to control Roberto Firmino who has impressed since arriving from Hoffenheim
last summer. The Brazilian is not gifted with pace, but has excellent
positional sense, and quick feet, therefore Wanyama has to remain calm and
diligent. The time has come for him to prove his worth.
Possible
Line-ups
Southampton:
Forster
– Soares, Fonte (C), Van Dijk, Bertrand – Wanyama, Clasie, S. Davis – Long,
Tadić – Pellè
Stekelenburg, Yoshida, Mané, Romeu, Martina, Ward-Prowse,
Juanmi
Liverpool:
Mignolet
– Flanagan, Lovren, Sakho, Moreno – Lallana, Henderson (C), Can, Coutinho –
Firmino – Origi
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