Liverpool vs. Southampton | Aug 17th 13:30 GMY

Sorry, couldn't wait anymore.
8:30 am here in Toronto, so hope I can be up and make the pub for it.

The team?

--------------------Mig----------------
--------Skrtel-----Gerrard---Lovren--
-Manquillo---------------------Johnson ()
--------------------Can---------------
-----Hendo-----Cou------Sterling----
-----------------Sturridge--------------

Bench: Jones, Sakho, Moreno (hopefully, if not Enrique), Allen, Lucas, Lambert, Ibe

Not in the squad: Markovic (Injured), Lallana (Injured), Coates/Agger, Flanagan (Injured), etc.

Hope Moreno's signing completed quick so he can start, because I much rather he got his debut here and not at Etihad. really don't want to go to Etihad with Johnson either.

Southampton are likely to line up:

--------------------Forster----------------
Clyne-------Fonte-------Yoshida-----Ignativ-
-----------Wanyama-----Taider-----------
-------------------Tadic---------------------
-----G. Ramirez---------------Shane Long
-------------------Pelle--------------------

maybe ? . S.Davies for Shane Long if he isn't in the squad by then.

Hoping for a quick start, a few goals. and then saving energy. Really would like Lambert to get a goal and get the monkey off his back as well.

HOWAY THE LADS !

Ah man I was going to do a write up for this

Anyways it's fine, just leave the City game for me.

I think that line up you have Sepi is exactly how we'll go.

Hopefully by City game both Skrtel and Johnson have been relegated to the bench.

Bring 'em on ffs!!!!

I like to go with

------------Mignolet------------
Manq-Lovren-Sakho-Enrique
------------Gerrard-------------
------Henderson---Emre------
------------Coutinho-----------
------Raheem-Sturridge------

Bench: Jones, Jonson, Agger, Lucas, Allen, Suso, Ricky

Soton will have a point to prove. Pelle certainly knows where the goal is, Long has a history of causing a bit of trouble.

I think we can beat them comfortably. Important to get points in this one considering we got tough away trips after this.

One thinks for certain, whoever scores or if a player potentially steals points against us, they've pretty much just signed their contract to join Liverpool Football Club.

---

Raheem to be MOTM.

Nishy wrote:Soton will have a point to prove. Pelle certainly knows where the goal is, Long has a history of causing a bit of trouble.

I think we can beat them comfortably. Important to get points in this one considering we got tough away trips after this.

Pelle is no better than Jozy, lol. He MIGHT do better if Koeman builds the team around him, but Tadic and Long will cause a lot more problems for us.

@iftikhar wrote:I like to go with

------------Mignolet------------
Manq-Lovren-Sakho-Enrique
------------Gerrard-------------
------Henderson---Emre------
------------Coutinho-----------
------Raheem-Sturridge------

Bench: Jones, Jonson, Agger, Lucas, Allen, Suso, Ricky

And kick out Skrtel literally out of Anfield??   

. I think Skrtel will start with Lovren with Sakho on the bench .

I'm pretty sure Johnson will start on the right and Enrique on the left, Manquillo playing against Dortmund being just a good way to give him a nice welcome.

Skrtel, Lovren, Gerrard, Henderson, Can, Sterling, Coutinho and Sturridge the other players.


Maybe it's amusing to say this about the first game of the season, but we really need to win this one. Southampton have been weakened so much during the summer and probably haven't concluded their transfer business yet nor gelled as a team, so it should be an ideal time to play them, at Anfield, too. Losing or drawing would be very depressing.

So, let's win.

Yeah agreed, We should be beating this Soton team, They still need a DM, CB and LB.

NO chance Sakho will play this, He has barely 50 mins of pre season experience/sessions/match fitness under his belt.

I think Manquillo will start. Since it's a home game it's easier for him to gain poise. Also, the Dortmund game means he has necessary fitness. Jonson for his part has been meh through-out the pre-season.

It's been a month since the WC and since France went out early, Sakho had additional break too. Why isn't he match fit!

Here's a teaser for you guys. Who will be the first one to come off the bench! I put my money on Allen.

Manquillo-Skrtel-Lovren-Johnson
Henderson-Gerrard-Can
Sterling-Sturridge-Coutinho

IMO. I would rather have Manquillo/Enrique but I don't see him dropping Johnson. Will probably see Lambert and Allen off the bench.

I find it weird all of you think Manquillo is going to start.

Can't be any worse than Johnson

I don't think Johnson is a great full-back, but the hate towards him on this forum has reached ungrounded levels.

He's stealing a living at the moment.

Arty, you misunderstood me. I merely stated a fact which is Manq is better than Johnson.

@iftikhar wrote:Arty, you misunderstood me. I merely stated a fact which is Manq is better than Johnson.

Based on what   

Let's see the guy play some games for us first.

@Art Morte wrote:I find it weird all of you think Manquillo is going to start.

How? Enrique hasn't had a competitive game in a year....Johnson is awful.

Manquillo will have 2 weeks of training under his belt by then, same with Lovren.

He'll totally start.

Sepi, sorry but expecting something crracking for this game from you, anyways!!!

Art, as of now, the reason can be that Man is more fit than Enrique; so it seems like a straight forward choice, unless something magical performance was given by our other fullbacks against Burnley.

You all are going to get disappointed but Skittle-Dejan will start most of the games in this season; unless skittle scores 1 costly own goal or one of them gets injured and other CB performs brilliant when given a chance.

Must win game

Sure if Skrtel-Lovren are unbelievably amazing and make no mistakes and we keep winning games without makign defensive errors then by all means hopefully the two of them lead us to glory and play every match.

But it's just not going to happen. We all know Skrtel. Sakho is going to get his chance.

@Don't call me James wrote:Sure if Skrtel-Lovren are unbelievably amazing and make no mistakes and we keep winning games without makign defensive errors then by all means hopefully the two of them lead us to glory and play every match.

.

  too much to ask for any pair of our CB really !!!

@Art Morte wrote:I'm pretty sure Johnson will start on the right and Enrique on the left, Manquillo playing against Dortmund being just a good way to give him a nice welcome.

Skrtel, Lovren, Gerrard, Henderson, Can, Sterling, Coutinho and Sturridge the other players.


Maybe it's amusing to say this about the first game of the season, but we really need to win this one. Southampton have been weakened so much during the summer and probably haven't concluded their transfer business yet nor gelled as a team, so it should be an ideal time to play them, at Anfield, too. Losing or drawing would be very depressing.

So, let's win.

Definitely a must win. If we lose on Saturday, we have no shot at top 4. Might as well not even play the remaining 37 games.

So it begins again... I missed you guys, I guess.

How dare you question the science of superstition?

What's your take on Southampton, guys!!! Some one posted their likely line-up and I barely know any. Also, how do you think their new manager will play! He prefers flowing, attacking style, right!!!

Koeman will likely line up with a 4-3-3 or a 3-5-2. Given who he has at his disposal I would think the 4-3-3 is most likely.


*Taider could replace either of these two depending on transfers and/or form.

It's not a push-over side, but they shouldn't be able to match us.