Europa League: Liverpool rest Benteke, Skrtel, Milner, Clyne and Lovren

Liverpool striker Christian Benteke is one of a number of big names manager Brendan Rodgers is resting for their Europa League opener in Bordeaux.

The £32.5million summer signing has been left behind on Merseyside along with fellow new arrivals James Milner and Nathaniel Clyne, plus first-choice centre-backs Martin Skrtel and Dejan Lovren and midfielder Lucas Leiva.

That means Mamadou Sakho is set for his first appearance of the season alongside Kolo Toure in what is likely to be a much-changed back four.

Up front, Belgium striker Divock Origi is in line for the first start of his Liverpool career while midfielder Adam Lallana has returned to fitness and is also in contention.

Away from competitive matters, captain Jordan Henderson has undergone a specialist procedure in the United States in an attempt to cure an ongoing heel problem.

The midfielder travelled to America on Monday to seek expert advice from New Jersey-based Dr John Cozzarelli. Press Association Sport understands since arriving he has been assessed and has undergone a procedure which involves a series of injections, but he has not had surgery.

Henderson has missed the last three matches with the problem and in his absence the team have earned just one point, in a goalless draw at Arsenal.

The side have missed his dynamism and particularly his forward running, but with no date set for his return Rodgers has to find a way of rejuvenating his midfield as the triumvirate of Milner, Emre Can and Lucas struggled in the defeats against West Ham and Manchester United.

Probable LFC XI vs Bordeaux: Mignolet, Gomez, Toure, Sakho, Moreno, Can, Rossiter, Coutinho, Ibe, Ings, Origi.

BORDEAUX vs LIVERPOOL PREVIEW

• OPPOSITION – lowdown, tactics and key players
• DEBATE – How should LFC approach the Europa League?
• QUIZ – LFC in the Europa League

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Liverpool FC odds: Rodgers sacked, Klopp, Trophies & Bordeaux

With many questions surrounding Liverpool right now, we take a look at the betting markets for an indication of where gamblers are putting their money on Liverpool’s imminent future.

The tension levels for Liverpool and their fans were turned up on Saturday with their 3-1 defeat at Manchester United, a second consecutive defeat, shipping six goals in the process.

Many fans who hadn’t already turned on Brendan Rodgers now have, and the Reds face a period of severe scrutiny, particularly if results continue to go the opposition’s way.

Manager Odds

Rodgers was given the backing of the club’s owners in the summer, despite a sour season that concluded with a humiliating 6-1 defeat at Stoke City on the final day of the season.

New coaching staff appointed and £78 million of transfer spending later and the Northern Irishman finds himself back in the spotlight.

Rodgers is favourite to be the next Premier League manager to be sacked with the bookies at 5/4.

As in the summer, former Borussia Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp is favourite to be Liverpool’s next manager at 7/4. The German is yet to join a new club since quitting the Westfalenstadion at the end of last season.

Trophy Chances

If Rodgers is to remain in the Anfield hot seat for the foreseeable future, his first trophy couldn’t come at a better time.

Liverpool get their Europa League campaign underway at Bordeaux on Thursday evening, before facing Carlisle in the League Cup third round on Tuesday.

The Reds are 14/1 second-favourites, behind Dortmund, with bookies such as sport.netbet.co.uk to win the Europa League and secure a lucrative Champions League place. Bookies are pricing them at 9/1, fourth favourites, to win the League Cup, and 12/1, fifth favourites, to win the FA Cup.

Bordeaux

Liverpool will be keen for a morale-boosting victory in Bordeaux on Thursday, ahead of Sunday’s Premier League visit of Norwich City.

All eyes will be on Rodgers and his side to find success in Europe after a drab Champions League campaign last season.

Philippe Coutinho returns from suspension for Liverpool, but Jordan Henderson, Adam Lallana, Joe Allen and Daniel Sturridge are all injured.

Bookies are pricing a Liverpool win in France at 7/5. The draw is 11/5 and a Bordeaux win at 2/1.

Let us know what you would bet on from the above in the comments section below. You can also tell us on Twitter @thisisanfield:

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5 Liverpool players who should start against Bordeaux

Liverpool kick-off their Europa League campaign away to Bordeaux on Thursday. Here are five players who should begin proceedings in France.

That final at Switzerland’s St.Jakob-Park in May feels a long way off, but the Reds will know that victory there in eights months will see them automatically qualify for next season’s Champions League.

Brendan Rodgers has an important job in rotating his squad for European games, in order to keep his key players fresh for the Premier League, but there is a fine line between making too few and too many changes.

A number of faces are definitely due some playing time on Thursday evening, will surely see it as an opportunity to earn more first-team action in the coming weeks.

Here are five players we’d like to see start against Bordeaux.

Mamadou Sakho

The general consensus among most Liverpool supporters is that Mamadou Sakho should always be the first defender on Rodgers’ team-sheet, and he will surely be given his first start of the season in the south of France.

Sakho’s recent omission from the team has been one of the great mysteries of the Reds’ campaign so far, and he will be desperate to prove a point in his homeland.

The 25-year-old has lost his place in the France squad because of a lack of playing time, so this represents a great chance of him to shine in front of his compatriots.

Sakho has plenty of experience in Europe with both Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain, and a solid, eye-catching performance could pressure Rodgers into finally dropping Dejan Lovren for the visit of Norwich City on Sunday.

Kolo Toure

Kolo Toure is almost something of a forgotten man on Merseyside these days, but it seems highly likely that he will take to the pitch on Thursday.

The 34-year-old is clearly not part of Rodgers’ thinking in the league, but his vast experience could be vital in what is likely to be a young starting eleven.

Toure will be aware that Martin Skrtel is receiving almost as much criticism as Lovren from some quarters, and like Sakho, Thursday acts as a great chance for him to impress his stubborn manager.

A Toure-Sakho partnership genuinely feels more solid than Rodgers’ current centre-back pairing of choice; they need to go and prove it now.

Alberto Moreno

Not many fans would have predicted Joe Gomez usurping Alberto Moreno as Liverpool’s first-choice left-back in the early stages of 2015/16, but that is exactly the situation the Spaniard finds himself in.

His inconsistent first year at Anfield left plenty of supporters frustrated and unconvinced, and Rodgers has clearly lost some faith in the former Sevilla man.

Gomez’s needless conceding of a penalty at Man United last weekend has raised a few question marks over his lack of experience, however, and Moreno is likely to have a chance to further heap pressure on the 18-year-old in France.

The 23-year-old definitely gives the Reds more natural attacking width down the left-hand side, but it is his defensive qualities that constantly come into question.

The likeable left-back will be desperate to slot into the back-line and impress, but whether he enhances his chances of getting his place back ahead of Gomez will become clearer after the game.

Jordon Ibe

There were high hopes for Jordon Ibe this season, following an impressive summer in the Far East and Australia, but things haven’t gone as planned.

The 19-year-old has disappointed when he has featured, most notable at Stoke City and Arsenal, and is still very much a work in progress. The Raheem Sterling comparisons certainly haven’t helped him.

The showdown with Bordeaux provides Ibe with the perfect opportunity to earn a much-needed start and strut his stuff on the European stage.

Not only will it prove to be invaluable experience for the Englishman, it will also allow him to shine in a less pressurised situation compared to the league.

Ibe’s potential is huge- there is every chance he will mature into a future Liverpool and England regular- but for now he should mainly be used in the Europa League, with fleeting cameos in the Premier League.

Danny Ings

I think we have all just about got over Rodgers deploying Danny Ings as a wing-back in the loss at United on Saturday, and hopefully we’ll see the Englishman in his best role up front against Bordeaux.

Christian Benteke is to be rested with the Norwich game in mind, with Ings leading the line on his European debut.

The 23-year-old will be desperate to show what he is made of in his natural position, and he will hopefully give Bordeaux’s defence a restless evening in front of the travelling Reds supporters.

Divock Origi is an alternative to Ings, but the young Belgian cannot yet be relied on as much as the ex-Burnley striker.

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No Henderson, no Milner – who captains Liverpool in Bordeaux?

Liverpool will be without captain Jordan Henderson and vice-captain James Milner for their Europa League opener in Bordeaux, after the latter was rested along with forward Christian Benteke.

Milner, who has featured in every minute of the Reds’ five Premier League games so far this season, is rested for the match in southern France, while Henderson has undergone treatment on a heel injury in the United States.

It’s expected that Mamadou Sakho, Alberto Moreno, Divock Origi and Jordan Rossiter will start the game, while Philippe Coutinho is also back available after suspension vs. Man United at the weekend.

Brendan Rodgers must pick a new captain for the game, with his options depending largely on his team selection. Sakho will replace Dejan Lovren in defence but it’s not clear if Martin Skrtel will be replaced by Kolo Toure. All of those three centre-backs are potential candidates.

Lucas Leiva could continue in midfield, making him another candidate.

Aside from those four, there aren’t too many other options, with the team likely to consist of young, inexperienced players.

Who would you like to see captain the Reds? Let us know by voting in the poll and commenting below.

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Jordan Henderson has treatment, but not surgery, on heel injury

Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has undergone a specialist procedure in America in an attempt to cure an ongoing heel problem.

The midfielder travelled to the United States on Monday to seek expert advice from New Jersey-based Dr John Cozzarelli.

Press Association Sport understands since arriving he has been assessed and has undergone a procedure which involves a series of injections but he has not had surgery.

Henderson has missed the last three matches with the problem and in his absence the team have earned just one point, in a goalless draw at Arsenal.

The side has missed his dynamism and particularly his forward running but with no date set for his return, Rodgers has to find a way of rejuvenating his midfield as the triumvirate of James Milner, Emre Can and Lucas Leiva struggled in defeats against West Ham and Manchester United.

BORDEAUX vs LIVERPOOL PREVIEW

• OPPOSITION – lowdown, tactics and key players
• DEBATE – How should LFC approach the Europa League?
• QUIZ – LFC in the Europa League

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Bordeaux vs. Liverpool: Opposition view of the Reds’ Europa League opener

As Liverpool prepare to take on Bordeaux in Thursday night’s Europa League opener, we speak to French football expert Andrew Gibney.

Brendan Rodgers will be looking for a positive response from his Liverpool side as they travel to the south of France for the first game of their 2015/16 Europa League campaign against Bordeaux.

After consecutive losses in the Premier League the Reds are left deflated, and victory at the Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux would be the first step towards improvement for Rodgers.

But what can Liverpool expect from Bordeaux on Thursday night?

We spoke to French football expert Andrew Gibney to get the lowdown on Willy Sagnol’s side.

Firstly, what do we need to know about Bordeaux in 2015/16?

It certainly hasn’t been the ideal start for Les Girondins, but the 2-0 home win over Nantes and Friday’s 2-2 draw with PSG in Paris has given the home fans enough hope that they have a chance in the Europa League.

Injuries to Cedric Yambere, Lamine Sane, Gregory Sertic and Cheick Diabate have hampered their start, but youngsters like Enzo Crivelli, Milan Gajic and Frederic Guilbert have come in and impressed.

“This is a young person who is in the midst of learning. It is only at the beginning, but I know he knows it. He has to work hard.
[…]
Enzo is one of the players [for] the future. [This] future [is] not necessarily very close but in the medium term he is a player who will bring something to Les Girondins.”

– Bordeaux manager Willy Sagnol on Enzi Crivelli, May 2014.

View image | gettyimages.com

Who stand out as key players within Willy Sagnol’s squad, and what would your predicted lineup be?

Whabi Khazri, the playmaker of this Bordeaux side, has started the season well.

If he plays well, his enthusiasm is infectious and can inspire their better performances.

He is deadly from free-kicks, and all set-pieces, but his ability to float around the attack, find pockets of space and drive at the defence will cause Liverpool problems.

It has been a good start to the campaign from Wahbi Khazri, and Bordeaux’s attacking midfield was the catalyst for their excellent performance at the Parc des Princes.

His endeavour and determination to push forward helped pile the pressure on the PSG defence. Khazri’s set pieces were a constant menace throughout the game—helping Bordeaux draw level after 31 minutes.

Then, after Trapp took too much time on the ball, it was Khazri who stole the ball off the ‘keeper to score the equaliser.

– Gibney on Whabi Khazri vs. PSG (Bleacher Report).

View image | gettyimages.com

Nicolas Pallois will be a rock in defence, and Crivelli has goals in him – and is certainly due one this season.

“With Cedric Yambere and Lamine Sane missing, Pallois took up the role of leader at the back and did a fantastic job.

His excellent display was summed up in the second half when he made two excellent blocks to thwart PSG and keep the score at 2-1. The Bordelais Wall was magnificent and a huge reason behind his team’s deserved away point.

– Gibney on Nicolas Pallois vs. PSG (Bleacher Report).

There has been no confirmed team news yet, but this would be my XI (4-4-2):

Carrasso; Gajic, Guilbert, Pallois, Poundje; Poko, Traore, Maurice-Belay, Saivet; Khazri, Crivelli

What style of play can we expect from Bordeaux at home?

Khazri will play off the front-man in a loose 4-4-2.

Expect the home side to try and keep it tight throgh the centre and hit down the flanks with pace.

Gajic will bomb down the right and Nicolas Maurice-Belay and Henri Saivet will look to hit on the break.

Bordeaux Form Guide, 2015/16: WWLDWDLWD

Liverpool’s Previous With Bordeaux: 3-0 (W), Anfield, Champions League 2006; 1-0 (W), Stade Jacques-Chaban-Delmas, Champions League 2006.

Played for Both: Tiago Ilori, Bruno Cheyrou, Albert Riera, Vladimir Smicer

Andrew Gibney is French football correspondent for Bleacher Report, FourFourTwo and Sport360, and creator of French Football Weekly. Follow him on Twitter using @Gibney_A.

• QUIZ: Liverpool in the Europa League

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Fear and loathing in L4

In the field of sports, fear is one of the most detrimental emotions which can take hold of an athlete, writes Andrew Ronan.

All of a sudden, natural mechanics and thinking can no longer be relied upon; fear has created tension and anxiety, and the brain and body are no longer in sync. Coaches and managers, too, can be prone to bouts of fear. Thinking becomes scrambled, judgement clouded, and indecisiveness takes hold. Brendan Rodgers has a bad dose of the fear right now.

His Liverpool sides have always shipped goals, and a tightening up at the back was always necessary. He seemed to have finally got around to it at the beginning of the season with three consecutive clean sheets – including a fine one at Arsenal. Only two goals from the opening three games was passed off as the result of new players bedding into the team, and finding a way to get the best from Christian Benteke.

A home fixture against West Ham in which Liverpool were expected to win comfortably ended up in disaster, though. Slaven Bilic and his men outplayed and out-thought Rodgers and his team. Some said it was a blip, others said it was proof that nothing has changed this season under Rodgers.

However, the following game at Old Trafford against one of the worst Manchester United sides in 25 years offered Rodgers a chance to redeem himself. United weren’t exactly there for the taking, but they weren’t far from it.

A great opportunity was there for Rodgers to send his side out in the belief that if they played the right way they could take three points from their bitter rivals. They didn’t have to exactly play like Barcelona, even a performance similar to the one from the same fixture last season would have surely seen Liverpool come away with at least a point.

Rodgers, though, is a man living in fear of defeats and in fear of losing his job.

The circumstances before the United game this season are different to those before the same game last season. Before last season’s game the effect from Luis Suarez’s departure coupled with Daniel Sturridge’s absence was reason enough for Liverpool’s poor start to the season. While there was some criticism being aimed at Rodgers, there wasn’t an enormous amount of pressure on him.

That was evident in the way he set his team up to go out and try to win the game. Had Raheem Sterling had his shooting boots on that day, Liverpool would have gone home with three points. Now, Rodgers knows there is huge pressure on him to win football matches.

He can’t use Suarez’s absence as an excuse, he can’t use Sturridge’s absence as an excuse, nor can he say that the integration of the new players is the reason behind poor performances. He knows he’s been backed by the club’s owners, and he knows that the patience of supporters was worn down long ago. He knows the buck stops with him. He knows that any defeat is seen as a crisis.

The loss to West Ham was hardly a crisis but it obviously knocked the wind out of Rodgers. He watched as his side who were so solid in their opening three games wilted under the pressure from an average team.

Individual errors which were rampant last season made an unwelcome return. Any ideas he had in mind for the trip to Old Trafford were shot to pieces by the West Ham defeat. He probably imagined a win against the Hammers would send his players into the United game full of confidence.

Instead, confidence disappeared. The players retreated into the shells they spent the best part of last season in. They needed their manager to get them back on their feet and fill them with belief – but he froze.

He worried about the pressure a defeat at the home of the most hated enemy would bring. The philosophy of playing attacking football which Rodgers has stood by through good times and bad since he came to Anfield was thrown out the window. He opted for a half arsed park the bus approach.

Those three clean sheets from the opening three games clouded his judgement. He believed that the West Ham debacle would have no effect on the fragile minds of his two centre halves and his goalkeeper.

Parking the bus has never been part of Rodgers’ plan, which is why he doesn’t have the personnel to go along with it. Throwing caution to the wind and attacking teams is more associated with Rodgers. If he had a gung-ho attitude towards the United game, his players could have easily won the game.

Will Rodgers have the same cautious approach going forward? The upcoming league games, at home to Norwich and Aston Villa, offer a chance to relieve some pressure – but only if Liverpool play attacking football and try to win both games. If Rodgers adopts the same mentality as he did against United the two games become potential banana skins.

Fear doesn’t always have to have a negative effect – it can also be used as a great motivator. Rodgers needs to decide whether to use it to his advantage or not. He desperately needs a run of good results to relieve some of the pressure, especially with a trip to Everton on the horizon.

If results don’t turn around before the Merseyside derby, and Everton beat Liverpool, it could be the beginning of the end for Brendan Rodgers.

MORE: Rodgers and the death of “death by football”

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Steven Gerrard takes legal advice over El Hadji Diouf racism claim

Former Liverpool player El Hadji Diouf has allegedly accused Steven Gerrard of being racist, quoted as saying “Gerrard has never liked black people.”

In his new autobiography, serialised in the Daily Mail this week, Gerrard said he had no respect for Diouf who “sealed his place at the top of the list of Liverpool signings I liked least.”

“After a while I decided Diouf simply wasn’t your usual footballer. It seemed to me as if football got in the way of his social life,” said Gerrard.

Diouf has reportedly hit back, being quoted by French paper Le10 Sport, accusing Gerrard of being racist.

“We all saw how he made life difficult for Mario Balotelli at Liverpool. I warned him. Liverpool isn’t a team that accepts black people unless they are English.

“It’s common knowledge Gerrard has never liked black people. When I was at Liverpool, I showed him I was black, that I wasn’t English, but that I’m no pushover. All the time I was there, he never dared looked me in the eye.”

The bizarre claims from Diouf continued with this:

“Gerrard is just jealous. What I have done in football, he did not. When I came to Liverpool, I came up with the status of boss and he lives there.

“I am respected in world football, the greatest football experts have appointed me among the seven best players in the World Cup, the top 100 players of the century. Several big players do not belong.”

Gerard has now reportedly sought legal advice over the matter, with his lawyer quoted as saying: “The allegations in those statements are completely false and seriously defamatory of our client,” a statement from his lawyers read.”

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Brendan Rodgers and the death of “Death By Football”

It’s time for Brendan Rodgers to get back to the attacking football of 2013/14 – drop the negative, defeatist football and get back to his own philosophy, writes Craig Hannan.

In 2013/14 Liverpool fans bought in to Brendan Rodgers. We bought in on a philosophy and a boldness I’d not seen in a Liverpool manager. The ideas, the charm and the downright naivety of a team that showed defiance towards anyone who dared attempt to score more than them, even at times to the detriment of defending.

We bought in with banners and flags and an atmosphere not seen at Anfield since Chelsea in 2005. We welcomed the team bus in a season that encapsulated everything great about supporting Liverpool Football Club.

Brendan Rodgers came closest. Some say a slip away from the title. What couldn’t be expected was a slip so far from what we bought in on. We’ve witnessed the death of “death by football”, then the decline of a relentless, unforgiving brand of play that brought success and now it’s conservatism that is so far removed from what was great about Brendan Rodgers.

The malaise may extend deeper than the managerial team but at face value, he seems to have lost the courage to instil the vision he previously had for the football club.

Out of desperation, and possibly self preservation, he has veered so far from his own philosophy and lost sight of why we all bought into. An accusation often levelled at Rodgers in the past was that he was arrogant, but the brand of football in his season of success was built on the self confidence he had in his own values.

With the fan’s faith rapidly diminishing and Jurgen Klopp’s name looming over, what irks most is that he has lost his way playing someone else’s way.

It’s the manner of defeat. Bereft of ideas, it was death by defeatism from the off at Old Trafford against a United team who were almost as toothless as us. And there’s a lack of ingenuity and a tentativeness on the ball throughout that bares an all too familiar resemblance to last season.

I like Brendan Rodgers. I like that he provided me with the most exciting season I’ve enjoyed supporting Liverpool. I had fun. The most fun.

Paint me an apologist, but there are no apologies here for taking no enjoyment in the situation our manager has become embroiled in. Like with Benitez, I’ve heard fans wish defeat on Rodgers so that he sees the sack sooner. Expect no crowd funding donations from me or bad mouthing online because he deserves more respect than that. But we deserve more than this. And we’ve been here before.

I’ve read ex-players, pundits and journalists write that he needs to ‘try something new’. He doesn’t. He needs to return to what Rodgers’ teams did best – balls out, gung-ho, high intensity football with a clear, attacking vision of how they’re trying to achieve three points.

“For me [the attraction], is to defend the principles of this great club, offensive football with tactical discipline, and to retain the values of the club. That was the attraction, the history of the club.”

— Rodgers upon his appointment in 2012

Forget about your circumstances, drop the defeatist attitude and play the football that we bought into. Breathe some direction into the team and become more than just one season of overachievement before our season dwindles into mediocrity.

The pitchforks are out and they’re being sharpened. It is last chance saloon for Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool and if he is to be removed from his job this season, then he should go out fighting in the face of criticism, with the courage and belief in how he sets up his Liverpool team: to win, and only to win.

ARCHIVE: September 2012 – “Death by football” – Rodgers explains his Liverpool vision

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QUIZ: Liverpool in the Europa League

Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool kick-off their Europa League campaign on Thursday night against Bordeaux, but how well do you know the Reds’ fortunes in the competition over the years?

Here’s 12 questions to put your knowledge to the test.

Each answer is revealed after the question is guessed, click anywhere to reveal the next question. Share your score with us on twitter:@thisisanfield

All images via Propaganda Photo. 

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Liverpool in the Europa League: How should Reds approach the competition?

Liverpool’s Europa League campaign gets underway in Bordeaux on Thursday – but how should the Reds approach Europe’s second-string competition this season?

We get the views of a selection of Liverpool personnel on how they think Brendan Rodgers should approach the competition and where it should lie among the club’s priorities this season?

The Kop Magazine’s Chris McLoughlin:

As the only Liverpool manager not to have won a trophy in his first three seasons since the 1950s, trying to get his hands on UEFA’s big silver vase should be something Brendan Rodgers aspires to.

But then we all know that winning trophies isn’t the be all and end all for FSG – qualifying for the Champions League is – so Premier League points will always be THE priority now.

That said, the Europa League winners now earn qualification for the Champions League and the six group games provides Rodgers with a chance to give his new signings opportunities to impress – and hopefully gel – so the better Liverpool do in the Europa League the more helpful it might actually be.

Thursday night football is something we could do without, but in the three seasons that Liverpool have won the UEFA Cup they’ve also won at least one other piece of silverware which suggests that momentum gained in Europe can be carried into domestic fixtures and momentum is something this Liverpool side desperately needs.

Former Liverpool boss Roy Evans:

If you’re in the competition, embrace it, go there and try your best to win it. You’ve got big squads now.

If in the next couple of years we can get back into the Champions League, all the experience playing in Europe is vital.

Last year when we were in the Champions League we performed quiet poorly, we need all the experience that we can [get].

You’ve got to try to win all your competitions. For me, I don’t think you prioritise, you just play each game as it comes.

For me I’d play the best team that I’ve got available. The team that I think can go win the game. If you can’t play two games a week, you shouldn’t be in the game. I understand now medically and nowadays sports science, but for me, play your best team and see what happens after that.

Liverpool author Simon Hughes:

For his own long-term development, Brendan Rodgers needs to take the Europa League seriously. Performances and results have been poor in Europe since he became Liverpool’s manager. The Europa League is a good competition not only for the team to learn, but the manager too.

Former Liverpool player David Fairclough:

I don’t think Liverpool can afford to have priorities in truth. I don’t think were good enough or successful enough to think ‘we can go for this’.

I think you have to take every competition at its on its merits, you have to take it as you find it. Liverpool really have to dominate their run in the Europa League this year.

Last year’s run in the Champions League was disastrous. We didn’t really seem to approach the Europa League as well as we should have done either. I think this year, no priorities, take every game as it comes and take it very seriously.

We Are Liverpool fanzine editor, Neil Poole:

The Europa League now resembles The League Cup in regards to how it’s widely perceived. Winning it comes with little kudos. However, do badly in it, and your losses will be swiftly exhibited as further evidence of your poor form and pile pressure on the manager.

After Liverpool’s abject performance against Manchester United, Rodgers needs to use other players; not because it’s not an important competition but to inject a bit of life into a season which is already becoming quickly stagnant.

Young players can compete without the same levels of pressure and one or two may be able to play themselves into a currently poor first eleven and help contribute to an upturn in fortunes. A young team will be forgiven if the results don’t go out our way and help mitigate the gloom which would occur if it was a full strength side.

In short, we need to use it to our advantage. Rodgers needs to do something, and do something quickly. He should utilise the Europa League to this end.

This Is Anfield writer Henry Jackson:

I would say it plays very much second fiddle until the knockout rounds. If we get through the group (we will) and are out of the top 4 reckoning (who knows) then it should take priority. Winning it is a serious slog.

I would play a second string team in every group game, it would be suicidal to play key players on a consistent Thursday-Sunday basis, and they should still have easily enough to progress.

It’s very much a case of assessing things as the season progresses. I can see it becoming a priority, judging by the start to the season we’ve had in the league.

This Is Anfield writer Ben Twelves:

For me we should absolutely go all-out in the Europa League for success this season. Liverpool are not in a position to pick and choose potential avenues back into the Champions League and must maximise the possible routes available.

Basel’s St. Jakob Park is host to the final

Therefore, the Europa League should be just as high in the priority list as our Premier League campaign – and way above League and FA Cup glory which are the competitions that should be passed up if any – and Brendan Rodgers should definitely be taking the competition seriously playing full-strength teams.

This Is Anfield writer Jack Lusby:

The Europa League should be much higher among Liverpool’s priorities than I imagine they will be this season — it represents as good a chance as of qualifying for next season’s Champions League as finishing in the top four in the Premier League, given the quality of domestic opposition and a poor start to the season.

In terms of what side should turn out in Europe, I’d suggest a relatively full-strength side, with the allowance for rotation, utilising the likes of Alberto Moreno, Kolo Toure, Joe Allen, Jordon Ibe, Danny Ings and Divock Origi when possible, as each is capable of performing to a high standard. Given the relatively low standard of Liverpool’s group in this season’s competition, Rodgers should be expecting to qualify for the knockout stages fairly comfortably.

Based on form and allowing for rotation, my regular Europa League XI would be: Mignolet; Clyne, Toure, Sakho, Moreno; Henderson, Allen, Milner, Coutinho; Benteke, Origi.

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Daniel Sturridge’s return is vital to Liverpool, says Steven Gerrard

Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard admits the return of striker Daniel Sturridge is vital to the club’s fortunes this season.

The England international returned to full training last week and is edging closer to competitive action after undergoing a hip operation in May.

However, despite manager Brendan Rodgers claiming the 26-year-old looks the fittest he has for 18 months he is taking a cautious approach.

But after scoring just three times in their opening five matches, the Reds are desperately short of goals and Sturridge’s comeback cannot come soon enough for Gerrard.

“I think it’s vital Daniel Sturridge is back playing and firing as soon as possible,” Gerrard, now playing in Major League Soccer with LA Galaxy, told Radio City.

“I think the key is the partnership he forms with (Christian) Benteke because if they click together there’s plenty more big games to finish high up in the league.”

The ongoing absence of Gerrard’s successor Jordan Henderson has contributed to the problems as in the three matches he has missed the team have earned just one point, in a goalless draw at Arsenal.

Henderson has this week been sent to see American orthopaedic specialist Dr James Cozzarelli in an attempt to get to the root of a troublesome heel injury.

Liverpool have missed his dynamism and particularly his forward running but with no date set for his return, Rodgers has to find a way of rejuvenating his midfield as the triumvirate of James Milner, Emre Can and Lucas Leiva struggled in the defeats against West Ham and Manchester United.

The loss at Old Trafford was an insipid performance, as without their most influential player, the suspended Philippe Coutinho, they struggled to create much.

Gerrard believes, however, with Sturridge, Henderson and Coutinho in the same team Liverpool will be a different prospect.

“Henderson has been a big miss and Coutinho’s suspension was a hammer blow, so I think they’re three big players,” Gerrard said.

“If you get those three into the team we will be fine.”

Adam Lallana has returned to training after a thigh injury, having not featured since August 17, with midfielder Joe Allen set to be eased back into things this week after a hamstring problem which has sidelined him since pre-season.

Winger Jordon Ibe has confirmed his commitment to England.

The London-born 19-year-old is also eligible for Nigeria, but having progressed through youth teams to make his England Under-21 debut earlier this month he wants to continue that pathway.

“It was my choice and it feels the right choice for me,” he told liverpoolfc.com.

“I was born here and have played in the younger age groups. I want to take it up to the first team one day.”

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