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After a last gasp win in their first Champions League game in over five years, Liverpool head to Upton Park to face a West Ham side that is coming off a short turnaround after drawing 2-2 with Hull City on Monday Night. Join The Roar from 2:30am (AEST) for live scores and commentary.
After an indifferent run of form since the arrival of the football enigma that is Mario Balotelli, Liverpool will be looking to fire on all cylinders for the first time since the Italian arrived at Anfield.
Despite opening his account for Liverpool during their midweek matchup with Ludogorets, The Reds attack looks vastly different with the inclusion of the powerful Italian than it did when Daniel Sturridge was leading the front for the Merseysiders.
Now while it’s unfair to compare the two as Sturridge obviously has developed a great chemistry with those around him in his time at Liverpool, Balotelli will need to adapt into the Liverpool style of football or Liverpool will need to adapt to him.
Make no mistake, Mario Balotelli is world class and has all the skills that a top tier striker possesses. He is quick, strong, agile, can shoot off both feet and is great in the air.
But for all of these attributes he poses a different threat to Sturridge, a threat that at times during his brief three game stint Liverpool have failed to take advantage of. Balotelli is a target man and needs to be the focal point of the attack similar to how Diego Costa is being used for Chelsea.
He needs the ball quickly and often and more importantly needs the ball in the right areas. Sounds a bit overly simplistic and a football cliche but it really does apply in this particular situation.
With Sturridge, Liverpool had a player that typified the style of football they played. He can finish, has devastating speed and great interplay with those around him.
The three headed monster of Sterling, Sturridge and Coutinho is a counter attacking nightmare for opposition defences and it works on Sturridge’s ability to come short and pass and move.
While Balotelli is quick, he is not necessarily that type of player and fulfill’s the more traditional role of a marksman and as a result Liverpool will need to find ways to make best use of his talents.
I don’t intend for this preview to be a Mario Balotelli blab-a-thon but quite frankly, Liverpool are fairly settled and solid across most other positions. Their back four has significantly improved with the additions of Lovren and Moreno in particular.
The ever present Steven Gerrard has continued to be the heartbeat of the football club and Jordan Henderson and Raheem Sterling are seeming to improve with each week that passes and will be vital to Liverpool when they take on West Ham this weekend.
As for the Hammers, it’s been a mixed bag of results with flashes of real promise and improvement only to be hindered by “same old West Ham” football.
The blue and claret have also added to their frontline with the additions of Enner Valencia and Diafra Sakho to their side, both of whom opened their scoring accounts for the club debut against Hull.
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce will be looking to the duo to click again if they are to have any chance of getting a win over the Merseysiders.
“We might not get as much possession as we usually do so we’ll have to make the most of it, and take the chances we create. I’m not daft enough to say we’re going to press Liverpool and pin them back in their own half but we’re going to try when we can and make sure at the same time we’re resilient at the back,” claimed Allardyce.
The Hammers have only beaten Liverpool once in their last ten meetings but were unlucky not to get a result in last season’s repeat fixture at this ground where they went down two goals to one thanks to two Steven Gerrard penalties.
While the two sides have yet to be named, two former Reds may feature at some stage during the match as Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing have both been name din the squad and will both look to claim retribution against their former side.
Join The Roar from 2:30am (AEST) for all the action from the Boleyn Ground including live scores and commentary.
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