(H) Wigan - Pre Match Thoughts

Premier League

                                      Saturday 18th November 2012
                                                  Anfield

                                 Liverpool VS Wigan Athletic

For all the heroics, all the splendour and credit that has gone our way in the last few weeks, they will count for very little should we fail to win today. We need to move up the table as quickly as possible and after having gained what was a creditable draw at Stamford Bridge last week we still only got a solitary point from the game.  Coming from behind in our last two games showed our character and the form of Luis Suarez is something to be proud of but there comes a time when we need points rather than positives and that time is now.

 We've been in this position before. Up against a side - at home - whom we should be beating. If we have any ambitions of pushing up the table then these are the kinds of games that we have to win. The problem is twofold and has become something of a vicious circle. Having only won a handful of home games this year at home against any opposition we're getting frustrated on a constant basis while at the same time teams are becoming more and more confident at getting a result at Anfield. Having beaten us in this fixture last year, any kind of result would be a positive but the team must think about winning. The only way that trend can be reversed is a slow and gradual process. Eventually we will grow in confidence and teams will learn to fear us once again.

It appears as though another reshuffle is on the cards. Having switched back and forth between formations against Anzhi, Newcastle and Chelsea then we're once again going to make a change it appears and revert back to what you would call the standard Brendan Rodgers 4-3-3, although given the line up it really could be any number of permutations. As ever I'm not sure if the shape matters so much as the players. Having Skrtel and Johnson back in will do much to add solidity as well as a threat at the other end, while Reina may be in line to finally make his return. The selections that intrigue are the inclusion of Enrique and the deployment of Suso in midfield. Enrique is a complete mystery in that there are times - sometimes no sooner than minutes apart - where he looks like a decent footballer and also occasions where his brain looks to have gone missing.  Suso meanwhile has really been growing in stature as of late. Having initially played so well but then tailed off a little, he's shown at the very least against Chelsea and Anzhi that he deserves a look in a more central position.

 In the away dugout today is the man who so very nearly could have been in charge of Liverpool Football Club. Roberto Martinez is someone who's earned a massive amount of respect not just for his tactics and achievements at Wigan but also his loyalty. Having rebuffed Aston Villa - and also us depending on who you believe - Martinez has stayed loyal to the club and chairman who showed him the same faith when things weren't going well. As a club Wigan are a side that never seem to click into gear until they're all but mathematically assured of relegation, only to rise up out of the ashes every year. Maybe that we're playing them early on - before they're in their prime so to speak - will be a good thing as they're incredibly inconsistent. Mind you, so are we.

 The end of the world will be nigh should we do the unthinkable and not get three points today. Cutting through the hyperbole - on either side - we're more than capable of getting a victory here with the players at our disposal. Simply "being frustrated" isn't a good enough excuse, both the players and the manager should be more capable of picking the locks that we know will be there. That being said, anyone expecting a rout will be disappointed. No doubt we'll have to be strong and patient, be as ruthless as possible when the time comes and when the final whistle comes, hopefully we'll be starting to put right the idea that coming to Anfield is a pushover.