Allen and Sahin can negate Lucas' absence

When Lucas Leiva trudged disconsolately off the Anfield turf just 3 minutes into Liverpool's match against Manchester City, an audible air of concern was detectable from the home fans inside Anfield that was surely mirrored by the club's supporters watching around the globe. Lucas' absence from the side last season had an astoundingly detrimental effect on the side then managed by Kenny Dalglish and the notion of him again being injured seemingly presented the same problems that Dalglish ultimately failed to resolve last season to new manager Brendan Rodgers. Or so we thought.

Despite no signing of a like for like back up player for Lucas and the ever expanding dossier of evidence displaying Jay Spearing's inability to reach the levels required in that role, Liverpool managed the rest of the game against the Champions without a 'natural' defensive midfielder in an admirable manner. Step forward Joe Allen.

Lucas can't hind his despair at his latest injury setback 

When Brendan Rodgers splashed out £15m for the Welshman, it was assumed that he would occupy the 'second volante' position in Liverpool's new midfield trio. Essentially he would be the playmaker, slightly advanced of Lucas and behind Steven Gerrard. Lucas would be the player charged with more of the defensive responsibilities, thus allowing Allen to concentrate of getting on the ball and dictating Liverpool's play from a slightly more advanced position. It was in this particular role that he excelled for Swansea last season with Leon Britton doing his defensive work (playing the 'Lucas' role, if you like) and while Liverpool lost convincingly to West Brom on his league début for his new club, Allen produced an accomplished personal display in that position.

However, with Lucas likely to miss up to three months of the season with his thigh injury and Jay Spearing seemingly on his way out of the club, Allen will most likely now be required to be Liverpool's deepest and most overtly defensive central midfielder. Admittedly this isn't ideal, but against City, the little maestro's performance showed that he is capable of filing the void left by the unfortunate Brazilian.

Joe Allen tussles with Yaya Toure 

Aside from the outstanding retention of possession and smart, accurate passing on display from Allen last weekend, it was his interceptions, tackling and tenacity that eased the fears of losing Lucas to injury. Allen was imperious against the likes of Yaya Toure and Samir Nasri while positioned just in front of Liverpool's centre halves and never looked overawed at the complicated and slightly different role thrust upon him. For a player at a new club, in a new role in a game of that magnitude, he exuded maturity and tactical abilities that belied his tender years.

Allen's apparent versatility is looking likely to benefit Liverpool in Lucas' absence, but it is also offset with the astute loan capture of Nuri Sahin which also eases the headache that Lucas' injury has given Brendan Rodgers. Rather than having to compensate for the lack of a world class defensive midfielder with the introduction of a player of lesser quality like Jay Spearing (as Dalglish did), or trusting in the relatively unproven, inexperienced Jonjo Shelvey and Jordan Henderson, Rodgers now has the option to bring in an experienced and potentially world class player like Nuri Sahin into the side while readjusting the role of Allen slightly. Essentially, Allen can play where Lucas was meant to and Sahin can fill the gap that Allen's repositioning creates.

Nuri Sahin is an exciting prospect for Liverpool's fans

While a deep lying midfield duo of Sahin and Allen does not, on the face of it, offer quite the defensive solidity of that of Lucas and Allen in tandem, it does allow two of Liverpool's most technically gifted players to play alongside each other and help set the tempo for the side by dominating possession even more than with Lucas in the side. It is probably not the pairing that Brendan Rodgers would have preferred to have been able to select early in the season (especially with may difficult games on the immediate horizon), but the signings of Allen and Sahin now look even more inspired as it offers Liverpool greater flexibility and more options to deal with the unfortunate loss of Lucas. Rather than simply finding a less talented replacement for Lucas, Liverpool can now alter their tactical ethos slightly to incorporate a midfield trio with the outstanding technical qualities of Gerrard, Sahin and Allen. It may not be perfect and it may not click straight away but it is a mouth watering prospect that could ignite Liverpool's season.

If Allen had failed to re-assimilate himself impressively in the deeper role he was forced to undertake against City, then panic would now be sweeping the club and it's fan base. Instead, Allen's man of the match performance means that while he doesn't have the experience of Lucas at being the predominant holding player in midfield, Liverpool at least have a young man ready to step into the Brazilian's hitherto unfilled shoes and aid the midfield from the same position, albeit in a slightly different way.

If Nuri Sahin can integrate himself into Liverpool's system in the way fans hope, then Lucas' absence may not be as devastating as first feared. Allen and Sahin is a risky pairing in central midfield, but it is also a combination that cannot fail to evoke some excitement. Both players have wonderful technique and are famed for their passing styles. While Allen is busy and generally keeps play ticking over with short, simple passes, Sahin is capable of supplying much needed imagination to the team. He has an extraordinary passing range and will hopefully excel with a player like Steven Gerrard to constantly feed the ball to. If Allen can consistently replicate his performance against City with a fit and firing Sahin alongside him, then Liverpool may find themselves with a new midfield partnership that could be the envy of the Premier League.

Luis Suarez +/-

Opposites attract and for Luis Suarez's negatives, Liverpool must find a positive.

As Liverpool fans reran the horrifying opening day defeat to West Brom in their minds, they could be forgiven for silently cursing their wasteful centre forward who missed at least 3 very presentable opportunities against the Baggies. I submit, however, that this is no new phenomena and Luis Suarez will forever be the kind of player who will miss chances that his talents demand he should take. It has been evident for 18 months at Anfield and was even on show during the Olympics for Uruguay. For all his qualities and his Eredivisie exploits with Ajax, the little number 7 is no clinical finisher. Perhaps it is a problem that can only be rectified indirectly.

Rather than lamenting Suarez's near misses and shanked sitters, Liverpool should be focused on finding a solution to the profligacy of their star player from another source. Suarez will have games where he will gobble up three wonderful goals from relatively difficult chances (i.e. Norwich away last season) but then follow it up with a string of misses in the following games that lead to Liverpool firing blanks. And there is the main obstacle that Liverpool must overcome. If Suarez isn't scoring, who is?

Opening day anguish for Suarez at West Brom

For a long time Liverpool have been bailed out by clinical front men who, regardless of how they were playing in a match, would more often than not stick the ball in the net given half a chance. From Torres to Owen to Fowler to Rush to Aldridge, Liverpool have always had someone in their team that guaranteed goals no matter how peripheral they were during a game. Luis Suarez is the antithesis of this. He guarantees sparkling performances week in week out (did anyone think, finishing apart, that he performed anything less than brilliantly at West Brom last Saturday?) but he does not guarantee goals. His finishing is as unpredictable as his bamboozling twists and turns.

However, Liverpool's lack of goals is not all his fault. Suarez is what he is. He's a magician, a conjurer, a creator who people rejoice in watching and he needs a sidekick to take the weight of Liverpool's goal scoring duties from his shoulders. Perhaps a slight reshuffling of the front line would help. Maybe Fabio Borini playing centrally with Suarez filling one of the wide attacking berths would provide more for Liverpool in terms of goals. Borini is a player who does finish chances as we have seen at Roma, but he is also a player whose work rate, knowledge of Rodgers' system and game intelligence are perhaps better utilized from one of the wide forward positions that Rodgers' has placed him in thus far. If that is the case then Liverpool must find another regular source of goals, and quick.

Stewart Downing started in the other forward position alongside Borini and Suarez at the Hawthorns, but is anyone expecting more than five league goals out of him this year? It simply isn't enough for a wide attacker to contribute when the man leading the line is unreliable in terms of his finishing. Oussama Assaidi will hopefully add some much needed firepower to Liverpool this season, but that is again a huge gamble on a young player who must first find his feet in the Premier League before becoming a first team regular. Whichever way you dress it up, Liverpool don't look like a team that are going to be significantly more clinical than they were last year when they recorded just 47 league goals. It is a concern that seeing otherwise good performances being undone by wretched finishing could again be an all too common occurrence this season.

Dejected: Suarez laments another missed opportunity 

Just imagine for a moment, if you can without being sick in your mouth, that Fernando Torres had stayed at Liverpool and was currently playing alongside Suarez. Presuming that they could have dovetailed as effectively as their talents suggest they would have, how many goals do you think the Spaniard would have scored? I'll venture a guess at significantly more than the 11 that Andy Carroll has scored in his 57 Liverpool appearances thus far. The space that Suarez creates for his strike partners is immense. He is forever pulling defenders out of position and gliding past them, but too often he won't have a partner waiting to profit from his beguiling movement or the composure to finish his excellent build up play himself. Torres would have benefited hugely but alas, he is long gone from Merseyside. Liverpool need a new goalscorer. If they had a 'fox in the box' (not Franny Jeffers, mind), they would be an infinitely more frightening attacking proposition.

With Carroll still kicking his heels on the touchline so far this season and the likes of Adam, Cole and Spearing seemingly only taking up space in the bloated midfield portion of the squad, perhaps Brendan Rodgers would be best served by moving these fringe players on (admittedly at a huge loss in Carroll's case) and bringing in a proper foil for his best player to work off. Luis Suarez is a number 7, not a number 9. He's a Peter Beardsley in need of a John Aldridge to work off.

Who knows, with someone else taking the goal scoring burden off his shoulders, maybe Suarez would loosen up a bit and finish a few more of the chances that he gets. Finding an out and out goalscorer could even unlock more potential from Suarez. Just nobody mention Michael Owen. He's a negative force too far.

Sterling show brings Cole into focus

Following Raheem Sterling's fantastic goal for Liverpool in their friendly win over Bayer Leverkusen, Brendan Rodgers offered his thoughts:

"I like wingers to play with width, and by the time the ball got to Jose Enrique, he (Sterling) was in a great position. His movement off the ball was very impressive - he's made a great run and the rest was that imagination and creativity that I love when he cut inside and scored with a wonderful finish. He's shown over pre-season that from a young guy who just worries about himself, he now worries about the team and the responsibility within the team."

Raheem Sterling celebrates his first goal for Liverpool

While this may be taken at face value as a glowing endorsement of a talented youngster at Anfield, it was also a clear indication of why a vastly experienced, highly paid former England international must leave Liverpool as soon as possible. Step forward Joe Cole.

Rodgers' assertions with regards to Sterling in his post match comments should have rang like a deafening alarm siren in the mind of Cole. Essentially, Rodgers outlined exactly what he wants from his wide forwards (realistically the only position Cole would be able to play in for Liverpool) and his description was in stark contrast to what Joe Cole of 2012 can offer.

Where Cole likes to come in off the flank and play centrally, Rodger's “likes wingers to play with width”. Where Cole comes alive with the ball at his feet as is, shall we say, economical in his off the ball movements, Rodgers requires perpetual motion. Where Cole is often indulgent and lacking in work rate (and crucially, fitness) Rodgers demands “responsibility within the team.".

There is little doubt that Cole still has something to offer in his career but there is less doubt still that he can no longer regularly function in the Premier League for a team with Champions League aspirations. Despite a mildly successful season playing on loan for Lille in the more ponderous Ligue 1 last term, no one at Anfield was licking their lips with anticipation at seeing Joe Cole reborn this summer. His pre-season outings we're typical of his time at the club. He flitted in and out of games, looked tired, had the odd moment of technical brilliance and then got injured. He is simply too far gone to be considered anything more than a squad player for Liverpool these days.

A familiar sight 

Aside from the fact that his style of play is not suited to Rodgers' ideal of how his forward players should operate while his team are in possession, the main problem with Cole is his inability to work when his team don't have the ball. Since his arrival on Merseyside, the most common feature of his play hasn't been his tricks, close control or passing. It has been his propensity to drop his hands to his knees and gasp for air whenever the ball goes out of play regardless of how old the game is. His lack of physical fitness is alarming and Rodgers charges his players to consistently pressure their opponents. It is just another example of how ill suited Cole is to the new manager's plans.

In a summer when the far more productive talents of Dirk Kuyt and Maxi Rodriguez have been released by Liverpool, it is surely just a matter of time until Cole follows them out of the Shankly Gates. The playmaker still offers the imagination and technical ability that he always has and, perhaps in the right side, could yet be an effective player. Indeed, it is not too hard to imagine him flourishing at a club with lower aspirations that Liverpool. While he remains at Anfield though, he is draining Liverpool's coffers to the tune of over £100,00 per week (hello Mr. Purslow) but also losing precious time in what remains of his career. It is time for him and his club to accept that things just haven't worked out the way they wanted and agree to write off their adventure together as a failure.

Joe Cole remains an exceptionally gifted footballer but unless he finds pastures new as soon as possible he will likely be warming the substitutes bench and find himself behind the likes of Raheem Sterling in the pecking order at Anfield. If that situation is allowed to come to fruition then he will not be able to demonstrate his considerable talents any more and that would be a shame for all of us who have taken great delight in his skills over the years. Most importantly though, for a man who loves his football as obviously as Cole does, it would be a shame for him.