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Liverpool’s preseason tour of Australia continues on Monday night, as they visit the picturesque Adelaide Oval to meet Adelaide United. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 6:45pm (AEST).
The short tour of Australia has reminded Liverpool and it’s fans of what they are – a big club, yet one confronting harsh decline.
The proof is in the pudding – it was only two seasons ago the Reds pulled a sellout crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which remains to this day the largest audience the club has ever played in front of. That chilly 2013 evening featured Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez, and even though the club was at a low point, there remained little doubt of its star quality.
Yet two years on, it doesn’t feel the same, nor did it at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night. Yes, Liverpool came from a goal down to beat a defiant Brisbane Roar, and the home of Queensland pride was turned red for an evening in adulation of the Merseysiders.
But Gerrard and Suarez now are both pages in the history of the football club, while others either deem it unworthy to their ambitions or are perennially injured in pursuit of the club’s own goals.
This may be a harsh assessment of a football club that continues to stir the emotions like few else, and certainly they proceed in pursuit of the golden sky that is inherent within their anthem – such has been the flurry of activity on the red half of Merseyside since a 6-1 defeat at Stoke City in May.
Following on from expected successes in Bangkok and Brisbane, Liverpool sharpen their focus on Australia’s own Reds in Adelaide United. Fresh from a fine domestic campaign, Adelaide will pursue the opportunity to play at the city’s most famous venue with the same relish as their much-fancied opponents.
Following on from their 2-0 loss behind closed doors against the other Premier Legue heavyweights Manchester City, the question for Josep Gombau is less about desired personnel, and more about formation.
Given the desire to take on their opponents, Gombau may opt for a front three of Spanish duo Pablo Sanchez and Sergio Cirio, plus local Bruce Djite. With such an attacking threat, there will be a desire to protect the defence, and so the defensive deployment of Iacopo La Rocca or Osama Malik will be critical to minimising the Liverpool threat.
Ahead of their own FFA Cup and A-League campaigns, the focus for Adelaide will also be about fitness, in the context of building on from last season’s third placed finish.
Liverpool’s focus meanwhile is all about adequate squad rotations. Given the 90-minute involvements of both new recruit James Milner and captain Jordan Henderson, both are likely to start from the bench in Adelaide. While Joe Allen is the obvious replacement in the centre of field, the other man to come in is Jordon Ibe, who is encumbered with many similarities of the now departed Raheem Sterling.
In defence, both Martin Skrtel and Mamadou Sakho are likely to make way for Kolo Toure and Dejan Lovren, while in attack, Danny Ings and Divock Origi will once again be given chances to shine and compete for a first start in August ahead of the impending signing of Christian Benteke.
Sporting a changed strip at home, Adelaide will once again have it all to do against a Premier League opponent. While few expect little other than a Liverpool victory, the prospect of some players’ careers being changed is incentive aplenty to ensure a highly motivated Adelaide United.
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