Liverpool FC won’t be changing their system in the wake of Lucas’s injury, revealed Brendan Rodgers.
Liverpool are in good form at the moment and it all began for them when Brendan Rodgers changed the system to a 3-4-2-1 with three defenders at the back and Lucas reinstated in the starting eleven. The Brazilian has now picked up an injury and there have been wild claims that the Reds’ boss should change the system and get Emre Can, who currently features as a centre-back, pushed forward to the midfield and have two defenders at the back.
However, Brendan Rodgers has gone ahead and said that he wouldn’t be doing that as he feels that the current system will give dividends and Rodgers wants to keep a settled back-line.
a Lucas has been very important for us but there will be an opportunity for someone else,a Rodgers said.
a Eventually, Can will be a player who plays further forwards and there might be games when I do think that but you also have to remember the balance of the team as well, which is very good at the moment.
a Ita s four clean sheets in a row and defensively we have been very strong.
a With Emre you can see the importance of his role and the position he plays in there. He was immense at the weekend in a real physical game.
a Why disrupt that and try and fix something that could actually create another problem? The balance of the team is fine at the moment.a
Rodgers also spoke about youngster Jordan Ibe and hailed the player’s talent and versatility, saying he could pay anywhere in the front 5, from wing-back/winger to playmaker and eventually even right up top, as a striker.
a If you look at the system we are playing now Jordon can play in any one of the front five positions,a he said.
a Either side, in behind or through the middle and thata s one of the big reasons we brought him back (from Derby).
a He is a really talented footballer with a bright football brain and he can play in any one of those.
a I think his favourite position – and thata s what youa ve always got to look at – is that he is a player who wants to be wide and set up the duel in a one v one and his positioning is great for that. It gives him the freedom to go inside and outside.
a For the way I want to work ita s important to have that versatility because what it can do is keep your squad tight and small and give people opportunities to play.
a You need specialists and players who are brilliant in a position for sure, but I like to have a small squad of players that are multi-functional, can understand the game tactically and allow me the flexibility to change systems freely in a game or at the beginning of a game.a