Preview: Liverpool vs Blackburn Rovers
Following their 0-0 draw with Napoli in the UEFA Europa League, Liverpool will attempt to get their English Premier League season back on track when they take on Blackburn Rovers on Sunday, 24 October.
Regular top-four finishers Liverpool have endured a woeful start to the season by their standards, having claimed just six points from eight games to leave them mired in the relegation zone in 19th place.
Their only win of the season came against West Bromwich Albion on 29 August. They have had troubles off the pitch too, with their protracted ownership battle only being brought to a conclusion last week.
But it is in front of goal where Liverpool have really struggled. They have scored just seven times in the league and have shipped 13 goals.
Liverpool brought in several players over the summer as well as a new manager in Roy Hodgson and while it can be argued that the newcomers have to settle in, results must start picking up soon for them to justify such heavy investment on the playing squad.
Torres struggling
Liverpool’s chances of success in the Anfield clash appear to depend on the performance of Fernando Torres. The 2010 FIFA World Cup winner has struggled for fitness and form this term and has just one goal to his name, the winner against West Brom.
Steven Gerrard has also toiled in his attempts to inspire his side, but has outperformed the Spaniard in the scoring charts. The England international has netted four times in eight games, and Liverpool will be hoping their captain will perform to his best
on Sunday.
Blackburn, meanwhile, have not fared too much better in their start to the campaign. They are currently in 14th spot with nine points. Their only wins so far have come against Everton in the opening game and Blackpool on 25 September.
Blackburn's defensive frailties
The club have claimed just two clean sheets all season, bringing into focus defensive frailties that were not evident last season when they finished in tenth place. However, they have kept it tight at the back when it mattered — they have conceded nine goals
so far.
Their strikers have fared better than Liverpool’s, however, with Mame Biram Diouf having netted four goals across all competitions and Nikola Kalinic claiming two league goals.
Interestingly, the sides have contrasting fortunes when it comes to corner kicks. Liverpool have conceded three goals from the set-pieces — more than any other side in the league — while Rovers have yet to lose a goal to a corner this season.
'We have to be professional'
Ahead of the game, Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce has encouraged his side to take the game to Liverpool. He told reporters that: “We have to go and be professional and make sure we can perform at Anfield to our very best. If we can find our very best we can
cause some problems on the lack of confidence that seems to be in the side at the moment. All the pressure on the takeover and the money situation has obviously affected the team, like it affected Portsmouth last year who got relegated.
“Liverpool are below us. How often do you play Liverpool when they are below you? Very, very rarely. When we get this opportunity we have to take it if we can, as difficult as it might be.
“A lot of their players are not playing to their best and if they do start playing to their best it does make life very difficult for us. If we defend like we did against Sunderland though we certainly have a chance. It was a clean sheet with 10 men and
that almost felt like a win.”
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