Newcastle travel to Anfield on Monday in search of just their third win under interim manager John Carver but, with Liverpool looking to keep tabs on the Champions League spots, the Magpies have a tough task ahead. We caught up with Vavel’s Liverpool correspondent Charlie Malam who gave us his insight ahead of the game.
What is your assessment of Liverpool’s season so far?
I don’t think any Liverpool fans were quite expecting the season that we had last year, but it’s still been a little disappointing. The FA Cup win in mid-week has eased the pain of the defeats to Manchester United and Arsenal, but no-one has forgotten our early months of the season. The Champions League exit was a bitter pill to swallow having waited so long to get back in the competition, whilst our top-four chances are probably out of the question now after those aforementioned back-to-back losses. But credit must still go to Brendan Rodgers for turning it around after Christmas. Whilst his decision-making was a big factor behind our dismal start, his decision to switch to a 3-4-3 did wonders.
For a month or two, we were the in-form team in the Premier League and we looked a real good bet for top-four only three weeks ago. I think if we end our league campaign strongly, finishing 5th, and win the FA Cup, it will have been a good but not great season – but some may be on Rodgers’ back if we don’t.
How do you view Newcastle?
Unfortunately I can’t see this encounter being quite as entertaining as some of the meetings Liverpool and Newcastle have had at Anfield, but regardless of the fact that you’ve lost four on the bounce – It’s by no means an easy game for us. After what will have been a hard loss for Newcastle to take last weekend, if I was Brendan Rodgers – I’d approach Monday night’s game expecting an improved performance. You’ve been probably the poorest side in the league over the last six or seven games, but Liverpool fans are all too familiar with teams on a poor run coming to Anfield and putting on one of their best displays of the season, so nothing can be taken for granted.
What do you make our season so far?
Living with a Newcastle United fan at university, I’ve come to know just how disappointing a year it’s been for you. You had a good run of form before Christmas, but since it’s all been a bit downhill. I thought Alan Pardew’s departure might have sparked you into some life, but it seems to have done the opposite. A lot of your players have really let you down, largely because of the fact they’re just not up to Premier League standards, whilst injuries haven’t really helped your cause. The club behind-the-scenes looks to be a real mess too. I don’t blame fans for wanting Mike Ashley out, or for boycotting the Spurs game next week – because as a Liverpool fan, I know how it feels to have owners running the club into the ground. But getting back to how you’ve been on the pitch, it’s probably fair to say you’re having a bit of a lull at the minute. I still think you’ve got enough to stave the drop though even with John Carver coming out to say that you’re still not safe ahead of Monday’s game. Nine points clear of QPR in 17th with a game in hand, I’d be surprised to see Newcastle go down at this stage. That said, with four straight league defeats and others below you picking up points and momentum recently, you can’t be too sure.
What do you make of the John Carver situation? Does he deserve the job permanently?
The fact that Carver seems to be confident that Mike Ashley will fulfill his promises of summer spending says quite a lot to me. It depends how you finish the season under him really, but as it stands – I’d say he doesn’t, no. It’s not just the fact you’ve been getting beat, but your performances have been very poor of late – whether there are other contributing factors or not, Carver has just not proved himself a good enough manager to warrant the job full-time. Two wins in 13 says all you need to know and I think you should be aiming higher up the ladder than that. Whether you will actually look in the market for a better manager is a different matter however.
Which Newcastle players would you take to Merseyside given the chance?
Despite how disappointing he was against Sunderland, I do like Moussa Sissoko, and our midfield doesn’t really have anyone like him in terms of the powerful presence he has in the centre of the park. Being registered as the fastest Premier League player this season, at 22mph, adds yet more to his repertoire – and he’s got some goalscoring threat too. Someone with pace and power could do our options the world of good, because we seem to get bullied in the middle in some games. The other one is Daryl Janmaat, who has been very impressive in his first season. I liked the look of the Dutchman at the World Cup, and he’s probably been your best player this season. Given that our full-back positions still don’t look entirely certain, with Alberto Moreno showing signs of flaws defensively and the right-side up for grabs, he’d certainly be a good choice.
Which Liverpool players should Newcastle be wary of on Monday?
Raheem Sterling and Daniel Sturridge have both been out-of-sorts for a few weeks for different reasons and in their absence, Philippe Coutinho has been our best attacking player. He’s caught the eye with some stunning goals recently, but he impacts the game in a lot more than just goals and assists. When we’re at our best offensively, it’s usually because the little Brazilian is having a good game. He’s a real talent and his vision, dribbling and ability to pick that perfect through ball is unparalleled in our squad. He’s a real joy to watch on the ball. There’s a good reason why he’s nicknamed the little Magician by all of his teammates.
Who will Liverpool fans fear in a black & white shirt?
Whilst there’s probably not any names that jump out quite as much as they used to – such as Yohan Cabaye (sorry to remind you about him, I’m sure that’s the last thing most Newcastle fans want to think about right now), who always seemed to have a good game against us, there’s still a few of dangerous players in your ranks. Ayoze Perez and Remy Cabella are probably the players we should be looking out for. The former nicked the winner last time out and is a very tricky player with the ball at his feet. He’s got quite a bit of potential given the fact he’s still only young and Cabella is similar – plenty of skill, movement, pace and vision. From what I’ve seen, the two link up pretty well too – so that’s something Brendan Rodgers will have to be careful for. Moussa Sissoko is another who could cause us problems. Our midfield’s had a few inconsistent displays recently; bossing Manchester City’s duo of Fernandinho and Yaya Toure before struggling badly against United and Arsenal – so Sissoko’s pace and power through the middle could be a threat.
Likely Liverpool team and score prediction?
There’s quite a variety of set-ups we could go for. It’d be surprising not to see Emre Can return to the starting line-up after his suspension but with Mamadou Sakho out and Martin Skrtel still suspended, Rodgers surely won’t risk switching to a back three again. That being said, if it’s a 4-3-2-1, it’s hard to see where Can comes back in, so I’d imagine we’ll make only the one change from Blackburn in mid-week, which would be Kolo Toure replacing the injured Sakho. That means our line-up would be: Mignolet, Johnson, Toure, Lovren, Moreno, Lucas, Henderson, Allen, Coutinho, Sterling, Sturridge.
In terms of the result – having lost the last two games in the league, Liverpool need a win and I do think we’ll get it but I think it will be a tight game. I’ll go for a 2-1 win in the Reds’ favour.
