Gk: Simon Mignolet
A fairly easy choice in net despite his recent disaster against Norwich. Although the 27-year old has mistakes in him, he has been given a hard time since his Liverpool debut last season. Working with Liverpool’s infamous shaky defence is enough to give any keeper nightmares, yet behind the current turmoil around the Kop is a keeper that has shown signs of improvement. Mignolet so far this season has caught 70% of all saves he has made, and although it’s early days this season is a 31% improvement on his last season. If he can keep his head and show a take charge more during set-pieces his ability may cause Villa’s front line problems.
RB: Nathaniel Clyne
Since stepping up to the Premier League at Southampton, Clyne has been a player that has gone from strength to strength in terms of going forward and back. He was one of Liverpool’s best performers last weekend against Norwich.
The English defender was finding pockets of space that former Villa player Christian Benteke should have latched onto. It was only when Danny Ings came on, that it became noticeable how much Clyne influenced the game and Liverpool’s attack. Should Liverpool come to Villa Park with a 3 man defense again, Jordan Amavi will have to put in another solid performance to keep the speedy Clyne at bay.
RCB: Micah Richards
Out of the current crop of centre backs, Richards is the only one who has been in a solid state of form as of late. The former-Manchester City defender has taken naturally to his new position and looks to be flourishing with the responsibility of captaincy. Managing to make over seven clearances per game so far this season, the 27-year-old is developing into a solid and reliable central defender.
Whilst his on the ball skill are not what they were, his commanding display against Birmingham City shows that there is hope of The Villans stopping the goals leaking in.
LCB: Joe Gomez
Gomez represents a diamond in the rough found by the insecure Liverpool boss. Although the England u21 international has been chosen at left-back so far this season, his potential as a centre back is very high. Despite standing at 6”2, Gomez possesses pace in abundance, and so far this season has won more aerial duels and tackles than any other Liverpool defender. Such stats and ability, plus Liverpool’s defensive inconsistency showing no signs of relent, means it’s only a matter of time before Rodgers takes the chance on him at centre-half.
LB: Jordan Amavi
A difficult choice since both Amavi and Liverpool’s Alberto Moreno are so similar. Both possess great pace, both love to get forward and both are influential in their teams build up play. Yet Amavi’s defensive ability is much stronger than Moreno’s, who struggles to make last ditch tackles that Amavi has been so strong at. Easily Villa’s best buy of the summer, the way he shut down Memphis Depay last month showed a talent that could play in almost any Premier League team. If he can do what he did to the young Dutchman this weekend, then his stock will continue to rocket.
RCDM: Ashley Westwood
The Similarities don’t end at left back since Westwood and Joe Allen are also rather similar in play style, both being solid play-makers who are influential to their teams build up play. Yet Westwood’s influence on the team is much more overt than Allen’s, Westwood’s vision to see attacking movements has improved drastically since moving from League 1 outfit Crewe Alexandra. And his ability to pick out the right pass will be crucial to a possible Villa win on Saturday.
His defensive ability will also be needed and will be required to break down moves made by recent LFC acquisition Roberto Firmino.
LCDM: Emre Ćan
Can is a unique player in modern football since he can play anywhere. When Rodgers plays a three-man defence Can slots in perfectly in the right-sided centre-half role. Yet a player of his ability should really be higher up the pitch. Nonetheless, Can has that Dietmar Hammann aura about him.
The Turkish-born utility player can break down moves as fast as they are made when played in midfield, and can also act as a catalyst for forward play with a simple but effective passing mentality. Therefore, wherever Rodgers plays him this weekend, he’ll cause problems.
RAM: Jordan Ibe
Finally coming out of the Raheem Sterling shaped shadow he found himself in for many years at Melwood, Liverpool fans are starting to clock onto how exciting a prospect the young Englishman is.
Whilst Sterling has the pace and the dribbling ability, Ibe is a much more serious physical presence down the wing. His strength and reluctance to go down will mean that the battle of Amavi and Ibe will be thrilling from the first whistle. Whether Amavi’s tackling ability alone will be enough to contain the fresh-faced Ibe remains to be seen, yet it would go a long way to stopping Liverpool’s attacking force.
CAM: Phillipe Coutinho
With Sterling gone and Sturridge still finding his feet the Brazilian attacking midfielder represents Liverpool’s main threat to Villa’s defence. Since arriving from Inter Milan in 2013, the 23-year old has shown a vision unrivaled by most in the Premier League. His close quarter dribbling will also prove problematic for the Villa defence to stop, whilst a potential link up with former Villa striker Christian Benteke hasn’t clicked yet, the prospect of him and Danny Ings lighting up the field like they did against Norwich could be a difficult force for Lescott et al to stop.
LAM: Jack Grealish
Grealish’s fine technical ability and vision could be vital to snatch an important win for Villa. He is a footballer with serious potential, yet coming up against the rapid Alberto Moreno or the strength of Joe Gomez will mean the Solihull-born winger will need to hit the ground running should he start his first game this season. The potential overlapping play with Amavi could cause problems for the forward-thinking Spanish defender and pull Liverpool’s poor defence all over the place.
ST: Christian Benteke
The former striker is favorite to score against his former club (if fit), and whilst his opening games for Liverpool have been rather indifferent; the Belgians presence is one that cannot be ignored.
The Villans know all about Benteke from his time at B6, how he can be a force at set pieces and how his footwork can also be solid. So far the Belgian has struggled to adapt to Liverpool’s high-octane brand of football, yet with Benteke returning to play his former side it could really be an interesting performance from him.
