Poulsen - Spearing - Lucas - Shelvey - Meireles - Henderson - Adam - Gerrard - Aquilani
With 9 or (8) somewhat established (Shelvey aside) central midfielders in the side, Kenny has some decisions to make regarding our strongest combination in the middle when everyone is fit and ready...
Obviously, players like Poulsen, Spearing and Shelvey will find it hard to get in the side, but pretty much everyone else has a strong case to be included in the starting lineup when fit and ready..
Lucas: Player of the season last time around. Only realistic option for the defensive midfield position imo. Certain starter when available for me
Meireles: PFA Fans Player of the Year. Also had a very good debut season playing mostly out of position. I dont think we've seen all he has to offer and I for one would be very disappointed if we dont start him regularly. Regular starter for me.
Henderson: our 20mill man. When he signed many were saying he'd be played down the flank more often than not. From what I've seen of him, he's a disaster down the flank. Still young and will undoubtedly improve with experience but I feel a central position is where we'll most likely see him this season unless Kuyt suffers an injury. Bench player for me.
Adam: A player that Kenny seems to rate. He did well last season for Blackpool scoring 2 goals from open play (9 penalties and 2 set pieces) mostly in a good 6 months run... Has decent delivery but his overall game is a bit of a worry for me especially given the position and role he'd be expected to play. Too static and one dimensional. Bench role
Aquilani: Another 20mill signing of ours. Did well last season for Juventus. Has been doing well for Italy whenever called upon. Did well for us in preseason. We tried to offload him but it seems like he will be staying unless something drastic happens in the next few days. Never really got a chance to show Liverpool what he can offer and might very well have 4 or so months to do so. Has bags of skills,creativity, and flair, but isnt the best tackler and doent have the best defensive awareness. Divides opinions but remains perhaps the most exciting player in our books behind Suarez. Starter in Gerrard's absence, squad player otherwise.
Gerrard: When available, he is still our best player. Had his problems with injuries the past few years but I'm hopeful he'll have a decent run this time around. Will be interesting to see where he is played given our signings but regardless, he'll always have a guaranteed spot in the starting 11 when fit and ready.
For me, we should start the season with :
Lucas Meireles
Aquilani
When Gerrard is back, we should consider playing:
Against stronger sides Against weaker sides
Lucas Meireles Lucas
Gerrard Gerrard Aquilani