Charlie Adam paired Lucas Leiva in central midfield, Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson manned the wings and Jose Enrique started at left back despite not completing his transfer from Newcastle until Friday.
Adam looked to have been improving as the preseason wore on and that trend continued Saturday in the club’s season opener. The former Blackpool captain played a major role in most of Liverpool’s first-half opportunities, tallying an assist on Luis Suarez‘s goal and nearly adding another one on Andy Carroll‘s disallowed strike, before he succumbed to the malaise of the entire team after intermission.
Downing had an effective game, often switching flanks with Henderson, which yielded good results. Downing supplied some good crosses from the left and deserved a goal for his terrific run and shot from the right.
Most expected Adam and Downing to start, but it was noteworthy that Henderson replaced Dirk Kuyt in the starting lineup. But despite a lot of hard work, the young English international never really got going.
Henderson undermined his own performance by consistently second-guessing his runs off the ball, accelerating for a few steps only to stop and reconsider. While some may suggest the pressure of making his debut against his former club got the best of him, the lack of familiarity within the team itself is a more likely cause of his ineffective attacking play.
Either way, Kuyt could have been a good familiar face to keep in the lineup. His familiarity with Suarez and John Flanagan would have been useful amidst so many new faces. Meanwhile, he also has become the club’s penalty taker with Steven Gerrard out of the lineup and has yet to miss from the spot as a Red.
After finally securing his long-awaited transfer out of Newcastle, Enrique found himself in the starting lineup less than 24 hours after switching shirts. The newest Red had a solid debut as he defended intelligently but elected to save his more adventurous attacking runs for a different day — understandable considering he has yet to have a full day of training with his new teammates.
It will be interesting to see what changes Dalglish makes to the starting eleven next week. Raul Meireles looks to be returning to fitness after coming on as a substitute, while players like Martin Kelly and Kuyt could also find themselves called upon to start at the Emirates on Saturday.
