[kopiteinkc]

Well I want to move on from the debacle yesterday, so let's get this thread rolling as part of our healing process!!

Most talk will probably be of our line-up.

Time to recall Owen, and I would really like to see how Owen and Baros play together for the full 90 minutes.

Hopefully Henchoz will be fit by Saturday. This should give us a line-up of:

Dudek
Traore-Henchoz-Hyypia-Carragher
Riise-Hamann-Gerrard-Murphy
Baros-Owen

We might see a 4-3-3 with Heskey in for Riise also.

[Samarkand]

This will be an interesting game. It's not make or break at this stage, but in light of the Valencia debacle, the team have to bounce back strongly, if they are as pissed off as GH says they are. Anything less than a win will not bode well for the mental strength for the remainder of the season.

[SMP420]

As far as formation and players who knows what we will see next.I say Liverpool 3 WBA 1.

[655321]

Is Babbel ready to go yet?? I know he was on the bench for Valencia, so I'm assuming yes. If so...


Dudek

Babbel/Hyypia/Henchoz/Carragher

Murphy/Hamman/Gerrard/Riise

Owen/Diouf

subs
Berger
Kirkland
Traore
Heskey
Baros

I'll admit I'm a little torn on the Riise/Heskey situation. Same with the striker selection. Baros and Owen, Baros and Diouf, Heskey and Owen, Heskey and Baros, Heskey and Diouf?? Jesus, so many decisions to made here. However, I fully expect to see Owen play.

Clearly, we MUST win this match. End of story. Owen, if he plays, must score. The early season jitters should have been well worn off by now.

[LiverpoolFanatic]

Originally posted by kopiteinkc


Time to recall Owen, and I would really like to see how Owen and Baros play together for the full 90 minutes.

Hopefully Henchoz will be fit by Saturday. This should give us a line-up of:

Ditto!


Baggies beware. I fully expect GH to institute a go for the jugular approach to try and get the match over early and re-instill confidence in the squad. I hope it works to perfection.

Any word on when Markus will make his return?

[Matt Clark]

Originally posted by 655321
Baros and Owen, Baros and Diouf, Heskey and Owen, Heskey and Baros, Heskey and Diouf?? Jesus, so many decisions to made here. However, I fully expect to see Owen play.

Clearly, we MUST win this match. End of story. Owen, if he plays, must score. The early season jitters should have been well worn off by now.

Houllier's comments on Sky might have some bearing on this. It would seem to indicate that he is prepared to protect Owen from the reactionary dross strikers have to put up with when they are having one of these spells, rather than endanger his confidence further by playing him in an "Owen must score" context.

If he does not rest Owen, I would imagin he will be tempted to go with a three-pronged attack (our nascent "default" home formation), with Heskey replacing Riise on the left and Owen and Baros through the middle.

[RedKnight]

Originally posted by 655321
Is Babbel ready to go yet?? I know he was on the bench for Valencia, so I'm assuming yes. If so...


Dudek

Babbel/Hyypia/Henchoz/Carragher

Murphy/Hamman/Gerrard/Riise

Owen/Diouf

subs
Berger
Kirkland
Traore
Heskey
Baros

I'll admit I'm a little torn on the Riise/Heskey situation. Same with the striker selection. Baros and Owen, Baros and Diouf, Heskey and Owen, Heskey and Baros, Heskey and Diouf?? Jesus, so many decisions to made here. However, I fully expect to see Owen play.

Clearly, we MUST win this match. End of story. Owen, if he plays, must score. The early season jitters should have been well worn off by now.

I like this analysis—but I start off with a different assumption, so my conclusions are a little different.

I’m pretty sure that Babbel will be in our squad Saturday, but I’d be very surprised if he were in the starting eleven. I believe he should get 20-30 minutes run-out in the second half, however, if at all possible (I’ll elaborate below).

With Babbel not starting (and assuming Henchoz can start), I think we’ll look like this:

…………………Dudek

Carragher—Hyppia—Henchoz—Riise

Murphy—Gerrard—Hamann—Heskey

……………..Baros—Owen

Subs:
Kirkland
Traore
Babbel
Cheyrou
Diouf

Traore has been pretty solid in the early matches this year—but he’s played a lot of minutes, and has seemed less effective in the two most recent matches. I’d rest him.

That solves the Riise/Heskey quandary, which I share with 655321—I’d play them both.

The Baros/Owen partnership is too tempting to pass up. If it doesn’t work, sub Cheyrou for whichever of the strikers is faring worst, and push Heskey up top.

As I mentioned above, I’d like to see Babbel get some playing time if at all possible. With Basel coming to Anfield for CL Matchday 2, and Hamann out for that match, our defense could be under unusual pressure, IMO. We might need Babbel to come in to help in the back, in some capacity, and I’d like him to have had some actual top-level playing time before next Wednesday.




.

[LiverpoolFanatic]

Markus played for the reserves tonight. I am not sure if he went the full 90 or not though. Perhaps matt could shed some light on this.

[Matt Clark]

it was the full ninety, yes.

[kopiteinkc]

From soccernet:

Defender Stephane Henchoz should return following a calf injury when Liverpool take on West Brom at Anfield.

Michael Owen is expected to start the game after being on the substitutes' bench for the previous two matches.

Vladimir Smicer (foot) and Abel Xavier (sickness) also missed the trip to Valencia in midweek, and neither are expected to be in the squad against the Baggies.

Lee Hughes faces the chop from Gary Megson's starting line-up as Albion go in search of an improbable fourth-consecutive Barclaycard Premiership win.

Hughes has not scored in his three games since rejoining his hometown club in a £2.5million deal from Coventry last month and was hauled off at half-time in last week's win over Southampton.

The Baggies hero also suffered a slight knee injury against the Saints and that could help tip Megson's decision in favour of Scott Dobie.

Megson insisted he would have no qualms about wielding the axe on his most prized possession if the time was right.

He said: "We have made changes this season and if players aren't playing well then they can't expect to be in the team.

"Whether one cost two and a half million or one cost £100,000, that cuts no ice.

"But Lee has been here for two and a half weeks and we have won three games on the trot. He's started in all three of those games and he's played his part in winning them for us."

Striker Daniele Dichio is also back in contention after shrugging off his midweek sickness bug.