Oh You Beauty - Liverpool at Bolton 11.15.08
Nov 14th, 2008 | By Oh You Beauty | Category: Latest Liverpool blogs
7:45am, live in the US on SetantaLast 4 head-to-head:3-1 Liverpool (a) 03.02.084-0 Liverpool (h) 12.27.073-0 Liverpool (h) 01.01.070-2 Bolton (a) 09.30.06Last 3 matches:Liverpool: 2-4 Spurs (a); 3-0 West Brom (h); 1-1 Atletico (h)Bolton: 1-0 Hull (a); 2-0 City (h); 0-1 Everton (h)Goalscorers (league):Liverpool: Torres 5; Kuyt 4; Gerrard, Keane 2; Alonso, Arbeloa, Babel, Carragher, Riera 1Bolton: Davies 4; Taylor 2; Cahill, Elmander, Gardner, Steinsson 1Referee: Rob StylesGetting all the good refs! At least its not Steve BennettGuess at a squad:ReinaCarragher Hyypia Agger AurelioKuyt Gerrard Alonso RieraTorres KeaneI think there are two options in both attack and defensive that Benitez will choose from, and honestly dont know which is more likely in either case.Torres or Mascherano will probably be left out of the front six. If Liverpool plays 4-4-2, its a choice between Alonso and Masch in the middle. Alonsos on form and Bolton will mainly attack through the air, which eliminates some of the need for Mascheranos defensive capabilities.But Benitez might want to take it slow with Torres. He did look rusty against Spurs, and I wouldnt be opposed to easing him back since this isnt his first hamstring injury. Plus, there’s a midweek international break coming up, and leaving him on the bench here could give reason to keep him out of the Spanish squad. And if thats the case, Liverpool will probably line up in the 4-2-3-1 with Keane as the spearhead, as they did against Atletico and Chelsea, among others.Im hoping there are only two options in defense, but that assumes my rant about Degen after the Carling Cup match comes true, and either Carragher or Darby starts at right back. Itd probably be Carra, since coming on in the 84th minute on Wednesday is Darbys lone appearance. Also, Degen might be ruled out anyway due to the foot injury that forced him to come off in the last match.After struggling for results, Boltons won their last two against Hull and City. Those six points have pushed them up to 11th, even though the teams been goal-shy for the majority of the season. I honestly thought Elmander would have a larger impact and, hands up, so far I’ve been wrong but of course, writing this means hell probably start to make that impact tomorrow. In addition, captain Kevin Nolan will probably return from injury, and hes a player thats haunted Liverpool in the past.After a stellar September and October, results have started to slip in the past couple of weeks: two losses against Spurs (although one barely counts) and a hardly-deserved home draw against Atletico. But the league is what counts, and the Tottenham match was the only Premiership slip-up since the September draw against Stoke. A win tomorrow, in a difficult venue like the Reebok, against a gritty team thats usually tough to keep down, would keep momentum going and restore any confidence that’s been lost in the last couple of matches.
Read more about this at Oh You Beauty
Sign up for our feed

