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There were no doubt fears that it would merely be Russell Martin 2.0 at Rangers, although Danny Rohl has quashed the doubters following a promising start to life at Ibrox.

Saturday’s thumping comeback win over rivals Celtic ensured the German coach has now picked up 29 points from his first 12 Premiership games in charge, losing just once so far.

It has been a different story on the continent, yet Rome wasn’t built in a day, with the Gers’ latest young appointment from south of the border proving far more fruitful.

With just six points separating the Glasgow side and league leaders Hearts at the Premiership summit, now is the time for Rangers to back their man and hand Rohl the appropriate tools to mount a real title charge.

If recent reports are to be believed, such work is already underway at Ibrox.

Rangers launch enquiry over January deal for midfielder

The January window is already almost a week old, yet Rangers have yet to strike thus far, albeit with the midfield ranks seemingly one area that Rohl is keen to strengthen.

Indeed, it has been reported in recent days that Motherwell’s Elliot Watt is on the club’s transfer radar, with the 25-year-old widely viewed as the “best midfielder in the league” so far this season.

Watt, however, isn’t the only midfield man on Rohl’s agenda, with Italian outlet Il Secolo XIX – via tuttomercatoweb – suggesting that talks have been held over a move for Emil Bohinen.

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The report notes that the Gers have made an enquiry over signing the Norwegian playmaker this month, with the 26-year-old – who is currently on loan at Venezia from Genoa – potentially to seal another loan swoop in the coming weeks.

As per the piece, Bohinen is expected to make a ‘final decision’ over the coming days, with Rangers firmly in the mix for his signature.

Why Bohinen could be Rohl's answer to Matt O'Riley

Any move for the Scandinavian talent could well be somewhat left-field, although as another English-born, elegant left-footer, he could perhaps emulate the success of a certain Matt O’Riley in Glasgow.

The London-born, Denmark international was plucked from MK Dons by Celtic back in January 2022, going on to become a key figure under both Ange Postecoglou and Brendan Rodgers over the next two years or so.

In all, the relative unknown quantity went on to rack up 62 goals and assists in 124 games in all competitions at Parkhead, prior to moving on to Brighton on a £25m deal in the summer of 2024.

A left-footed, 6 foot 1 midfielder, like Bohinen, O’Riley’s key strength was his box-crashing threat in the final third, notably scoring 18 Premiership goals in 2023/24.

Perhaps, Bohinen can follow suit elsewhere in Glasgow, with talent scout Jacek Kulig having described him as a “box-to-box” asset, while likening him to current Arsenal menace, Mikel Merino.

Formerly a Norway U21 international, it’s fair to say it’s been a difficult period for the wantaway star of late, having failed to score or assist a single goal during his time with Genoa and Venezia.

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That said, he did score three times in just 12 games in Serie B for Frosinone, with the case of O’Riley highlighting why it is worth looking lower down the pyramid for a raw diamond.

Bohinen – 24/25 Serie B rank*

Stat (per 90)

Ranking

Non-penalty goals

Top 11%

Assists

Top 37%

Shot-creating actions

Top 40%

Passes attempted

Top 24%

Pass completion

Top 2%

Tackles

Top 38%

Interceptions

Top 24%

Clearances

Top 14%

Aerial duels won

Top 10%

*vs midfielders

via FBref

Of course, at 26, Bohinen isn’t exactly a player for the future, although there is real potential there if he is able to find a settled home, having once chalked up 19 goals and assists in 73 games for Oslo outfit, Stabaek.

O’Riley had to navigate his own rocky path to Celtic, after being let go by Fulham before moving to Milton Keynes in England’s third tier, with his skill set and physicality ultimately proving a perfect fit for Scottish football.

Hopefully, the same could be true for Bohinen if Rohl and co can wrap up a deal in the near future.

Related Rangers "in talks" to sell Ibrox dud who's been a worse signing than Dowell

Rangers are reportedly looking to move on from a flop who has been an even worse signing than Kieran Dowell.

Posts ByDan Emery

An “immense” manager is now willing to take over as West Ham United manager, with Nuno under pressure after the recent heavy defeat against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

West Ham's survival chances take hit in defeat at Molineux

On paper, a trip to bottom-placed Wolves, who had been without a Premier League win all season, was the perfect opportunity for West Ham to get a much-needed three points on the board, but they came up short, suffering a 3-0 defeat at Molineux.

The Hammers once again failed to close the four-point gap to Nottingham Forest, with their hopes of avoiding relegation taking another hit, and Nuno issued an apology to the fans in the wake of the defeat, which extended his side’s winless run to nine games.

The manager said: “I have to apologise to the fans. It was embarrassing.

“There’s not much I can say other than we are sorry. We are sorry because what we showed was not good enough.

“We need results, we need points. It is a tough situation and nobody expected this performance. Today was the worst performance that we have had.”

It has since emerged that the 51-year-old is now under growing pressure at the London Stadium, given that he is losing the support of the dressing room, with players being left confused by the training methods and starting XI selections.

As such, West Ham may have to start thinking about potential replacements before too long, and it has been revealed former boss Slaven Bilic would be willing to replace Nuno in the dugout, should David Sullivan & co sack their second manager of the season.

That is according to a report from the Sun on Sunday (via Sky Sports), with Bilic available immediately, having been out of work since leaving Saudi Pro League side Al-Fateh back in August 2024.

"Immense" Bilic may not be the answer for West Ham

Former Aston Villa player Lee Hendrie has waxed lyrical about the Croatian in the past, describing him as “absolutely immense”, but West Ham should have some reservations about making a move for their old manager.

Related He's keen on the move: West Ham now eyeing "incredible" £18m English ace

There has been a new update on the Hammers’ pursuit of a defender.

Posts ByDominic Lund

The 57-year-old hasn’t managed in the Premier League since his stint in charge at West Bromwich Albion, being dismissed after taking just seven points in the opening 13 games of the 2020-21 campaign.

Newsletter: West Ham managerial coverage and analysis Subscribing to the newsletter gives context-rich analysis of West Ham managerial rumours, tactical insights and club direction, plus broader Premier League perspective to help you understand what the next hire would mean.

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Since then, the Split-born manager, who prefers a 4-2-3-1 system, has also managed Watford, but he failed to deliver promotion, being sacked in March 2023, at which point the Hornets were outside the Championship play-off places.

West Ham fans will have some good memories of Bilic’s previous period at the helm, finishing in seventh place in the 2015-16 campaign, but he has failed to deliver any success in quite some time, and appointing him could be viewed as a step backwards.

Matthew Hoggard is raring to go in Sri Lanka © Getty Images

Matthew Hoggard, the England fast bowler, is hoping he can bounce back from the injury lay-off that saw him miss most of the home Tests this year. Hoggard is currently with England’s Test team in Sri Lanka and won’t have great memories of the island, having being dropped from the team on their last tour in 2003.”Being replaced by a like-for-like bowler means you are not doing your job properly or they think the other bowler is going to perform better than you,” Hoggard told the website Sporting Life. “So it was a very hard time for me last time.”I left here and the next tour was the West Indies and I had to wait a month before selection.James Kirtley came in and played the last two Test matches in Sri Lanka, I didn’t play, so I thought there was every opportunity for him to get selected and not me,” he said. “Fortunately for me, I got selected and I was fortunate enough to play ever since, for that long stretch.”Hoggard was confident, though, of a better showing this time around. “There is a lot of water passed under the bridge since then, I have played a lot more Test match cricket, been back to different parts of the subcontinent and I feel I have grown as a bowler and confident I can perform in Sri Lanka.”With Steve Harmison also likely to make a comeback after injury, England will have plenty of options to choose from, with Ryan Sidebottom, James Anderson and Stuart Broad having impressed in the past few months.”If you look at the quality of bowlers we have got it is going to be a very difficult selection for [captain] Michael Vaughan and the decision-makers,” said Hoggard. “Thankfully I don’t have to make that decision, and all I can do is keep on trying hard in the nets and push my name forward.”You need to prove yourself every time you bowl, you can’t just rest on your laurels,” Hoggard said. “You have to keep on improving and keep on performing; with the set of young bowlers we have got everybody is under pressure. If they don’t then hopefully there is someone to come in from the wings. That’s a useful place for English cricket to be in.”Hoggard made a significant contribution with the bat in the only Test he played on the last tour, when he and Ashley Giles saw out 19 balls as England saved the first Test with one wicket remaining.Hoggard admitted it was tough facing Muttiah Muralitharan, who might still be in the hunt to break Shane Warne’s record for most Test wickets during the series. “I won’t lie, it’s quite tough,” Hoggard said. “I can’t pick him, to be honest, I have no idea which way he turns the ball when he wangs it down at you, so my game plan was to get as far forward as possible and play the line rather than which way it was turning.”Because you have got the fielders in close and everyone is jabbering at you, it is just one mistake and you’re out.”England play the Sri Lanka Cricket Board President’s XI in a three-day game starting on Tuesday.

Shaun Tait’s hamstring injury will keep him from playing on the weekend © Getty Images

Victoria’s in-form one-day team has been strengthened further by the return of Gerard Denton from shin splints for the Ford Ranger Cup match against South Australia at Adelaide on Saturday. However, the Bushrangers’ fast-bowling woes have not ceased entirely, with their new find Clinton McKay forced out with a slight side strain.Shaun Tait will remain on the sidelines for South Australia as he continues to recover from a hamstring strain. Tait hurt the muscle while bowling in the Redbacks’ thrilling last-ball win against Queensland last Wednesday.South Australia, who are struggling on the bottom of both the Ford Ranger Cup and Pura Cup tables, have also been forced to leave Mark Cleary out of the side with a side strain. The fast bowler Gary Putland and the batsman Nathan Adcock return to the 12-man squad.While the Redbacks’ Pura Cup season is in tatters, they have a chance to keep their one-day hopes alive, sitting only one win behind Tasmania, New South Wales and Western Australia, all of whom have played at least two more matches than South Australia.South Australia squad Daniel Harris, Matthew Elliott, Nathan Adcock, Cameron Borgas, Mark Cosgrove, Darren Lehmann (capt), Callum Ferguson, Graham Manou (wk), Ryan Haris, Jason Gillespie, Dan Cullen, Gary Putland.Victoria squad Michael Klinger, Jon Moss, Brad Hodge, David Hussey, Cameron White (capt), Aiden Blizzard, Rob Quiney, Andrew McDonald, Adam Crosthwaite (wk), Gerard Denton, Mick Lewis, Darren Pattinson.

Eddie Barlow: one of the most significant members of the mighty South African side of the ’60s © Getty Images

Ali Bacher, the former CEO of the South African board, mourned the death of Eddie Barlow, the former South African allrounder, who died after a long battle against illness. Bacher acknowledged Barlow as being one of the “significant” members of the triumphant South African side of the 1960s and hailed his positive attitude, which permeated through the team.”If you look at the ’60s – including the 1969-70 tour of South Africa by Australia – it was the most successful decade in South African cricket history,” Bacher, who captained at that time, was quoted as saying in News24.com. “We beat Australia eight times, here and in Australia. “In an era that was blessed with some brilliant cricketers – Graeme and Peter Pollock, Barry Richards, Mike Proctor, to name but a few – Eddie’s role was probably the most significant, not only because of his outstanding allround ability, but because of his positive attitude, which permeated throughout the team. It instilled in all of us a feeling of confidence in our own ability, and in the team, and a belief that we could compete with, and beat, the best in the world.”Bacher added that Barlow had played for South Africa under four captains – Jackie McGlew, Trevor Goddard, Peter van der Merwe and himself. “We would get together from time to time, at various cricket functions, and we all agreed that Eddie was a person who gave his captain 100%, every time.””He was a superb athlete,” Bacher continued. “He played rugby for Transvaal, and if he had continued playing rugby, he may well have gone on to play for South Africa. As a cricketer, he was very successful as player, captain and coach.”

ScorecardA five-wicket haul by Kerry Jeremy, the medium pacer, was the highlight of the second day of the seventh round match between Barbados and Leeward Islands. Jeremy finished with 5 for 53 and Carl Simon, another medium pacer, snapped up 4 for 53 as Barbados were dismissed for 204 in reply to the Leeward’s 195. Early in their innings Barbados were wobbling at 52 for 3 when Kurt Wilkinson and Ryan Hinds, who both top-scored with 41 each, added 71 for the fourth wicket and staged a recovery. But once they were seperated, Jeremy and Simon wrapped up the lower order. Barbados, though, gained a slender lead of nine and struck back late in the day as Leewards finished on a precarious 64 for 3.
ScorecardTrinidad & Tobago were tottering at 219 for 8 as Windward Islands stood on the verge of gaining the first-innings lead in the seventh round of the Carib Beer Series. Jean Paul, the Windards fast bowler, snapped up four wickets and was supported by Rawl Lewis, his captain, with 3 for 41. T&T lost wickets at regular intervals with only Lendl Simmons and Denesh Ramdin crossing 30. Earlier, the Windwards extended their score to 346 as Deighton Butler, the allrounder, produced a plucky 66.
ScorecardThe second day of the top-of-the-table seventh round match between Guyana and Jamaica was abandoned without a ball being bowled. Guyana were set to resume at 221 for 3 but persistent showers prevented any play.

Steve Harmison: two late strikes © Getty Images

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ScorecardIt promised so much, but the opening day of England’s inaugural Test against Bangladesh at Dhaka ended up as a damp squib, with only 15 overs and approximately an hour’s play possible. It all started to go according to plan, but a thunderous downpour 20 minutes into the match effectively put paid to a day in which Bangladesh eventually crawled to 24 for 2, with Steve Harmison taking both wickets to fall.After the heavens opened, the ground was littered with puddles within minutes, and the umpires had four inspections during the afternoon. They eventually decreed that play could resume at 4.15pm (1115 GMT) and, after some persuasion, England returned to the soggy outfield in the evening floodlit sunshine for what should have been 19 overs, although in the event only 11 more were possible before the light closed in.And Harmison began to make up for lost time by taking the wicket of Javed Omar for 3. Harmison and Matthew Hoggard kept things tight with probing lines outside off stump with a hint of awayswing, but it was the old-fashioned short ball which did for Omar. Harmison banged one in and Omar could only fend it straight to Rikki Clarke in the gully (12 for 1).Harmison then had a good lbw shout against the new batsman Habibul Bashar turned down by Asoka de Silva, but Bashar was soon on his way when he edged Harmison to Marcus Trescothick at first slip. Harmison again got some bounce and movement, and Bashar played an ugly angled drive which flew to Trescothick at head height (24 for 2).

Tip-toeing through the mud at Dhaka © Getty Images

Hannan Sarkar, meanwhile, impressed in the short time he was at the crease, scoring the first four of the innings with an edge through the slips off Hoggard, much to the delight of the sparse crowd. He would have had two more boundaries if the outfield hadn’t been so slow when he clipped Harmison through the on side and drove Hoggard through the covers, both shots bringing three runs. But even though the floodlights were on, Sarkar and Rajin Saleh readily accepted the offer of bad light at 5.05pm, to bring a forgettable first day of the series to an end.England were boosted by Mark Butcher passing a late fitness test following his throat infection, and as expected they included two uncapped players, Rikki Clarke and Gareth Batty. They fielded only two out-and-out seamers – Hoggard and Harmison – with Clarke the third seamer, and Batty and Ashley Giles to provide the spin. Bangladesh, on the other hand, gave a debut to Enamul Haque junior, but the batting looks a bit light with Khaled Masud pencilled in at No. 6.

It might only be a speck in the Caribbean covering no more than 600 square kilometres, the population might be less than 160,000 in total and the island may never have produced a Test cricketer, but St Lucia is destined to become the next venue for international cricket.When asked about Test grounds in the West Indies, there is no shortage of historic venues that slip off the tongue. The Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica, are evocative names conjuring up vivid images of the great West Indian quicks pounding away at touring sides, or visiting bowlers struggling to keep Lara, Richards, Greenidge and Haynes in check.However, Caribbean cricket is not so steeped in history that it cannot contemplate change. A new Test venue appeared in 1997 when the picturesque Arnos Vale ground in St. Vincent hosted West Indies against Sri Lanka. A new ground was opened in Grenada in April, 1999, but that has yet to reach Test status.Now St. Lucia’s contribution to Caribbean cricket heritage is scheduled to be completed in March 2002, with two one-day internationals planned in May when the West Indies take on India. Test cricket will, hopefully, follow and then there is the 2007 World Cup when St. Lucia’s new facilities will form an integral part of the programme.This is going to be a state-of-the-art ground, set in the Beausejour Hills of Gros Islet, not far from the tourism centre at Rodney Bay to reflect the easily recognised link between international sport and tourism. But while the St. Lucia National Cricket Ground will provide modern, clean amenities, it will not be a clinical, sanitised venue without atmosphere. It will still have all the colour, noise and passion without which West Indian cricket would be so much poorer.Such facilities do not come cheaply. The project has a budget of EC$35 million, financed primarily through the national lottery on the island with supplementary funding coming from the government of St. Lucia. This is not seen as an outlay but as an investment, bearing in mind the link between tourism and sport mentioned earlier.It is interesting to note that this project was the initiative of the government through the Ministry of Education, Human Resource Development, Youth and Sports. Ernest Hilaire, the permanent secretary, is directly responsible and, with a committee comprising the St. Lucia Tourist Board, organisers of the world-renowned St. Lucia Jazz Festival, and the St. Lucia National Cricket Association, have promised a cricketing weekend in May 2002 unseen before in the West Indies.Add to that the fact that the new ground was promised in the Labour Party manifesto prior to the 1997 elections, and you can see that there are some powerful forces behind its construction. Work commenced in early 2001, after the plans had been formulated in 1998.Of course, it would be the last part in the jigsaw if the island itself could provide an international player to be able to claim that he is playing “at home.” It might be able to do so as far as the women are concerned, for St. Lucia have been women’s champions for the past three years and can boast at least five members of the West Indian women’s team, including the captain.However, there is a distinct hope that a St. Lucian could be representing the West Indies on his home ground during the 2007 World Cup. Darren Sammy will go to the youth world cup in New Zealand in January as a member of the West Indies Under 19 team. It would be just perfect if he comes through to the full side in time for that date in 2007.

The match between Logan Cup leaders Manicaland and favouritesMashonaland appears to be heading for a draw at the Mutare SportsClub, with the visitors 116 runs behind on first innings with sixwickets in hand at the close of the second day’s play.Contrary to local fears, the day dawned fine in Mutare, with playstarting half an hour earlier in an effort to make up for losttime. The pitch continued to give no help to the bowlers and theoutfield none to the batsmen. Neil Ferreira and Gary Brent tookthe total to 139 with some steady batting before Brent (19) wasyorked by left-arm spinner Dirk Viljoen.Guy Whittall, in his one Logan Cup match for Manicaland beforetravelling to the West Indies next weekend, provided his kneecontinues to hold up, was soon batting fluently. Even he foundit difficult to reach the boundary, although he did pull a lowsix over deep square leg. Ferreira continued to accumulate assome of the Mashonaland players got rather frustrated, and if hebecame concerned at being bogged down at times he didn’t show it.At lunch Manicaland were on 218 for three (Ferreira 89, Whittall46) and seeming set for a dominant score.The score passed 250 without any trouble, Whittall opening uponce he had reached his fifty with a drive for four and pulls forsix and four off successive balls from du Plessis. He wasrapidly catching up Neil Ferreira, creeping up through thenineties, when he on-drove a catch off Viljoen straight toEverton Matambanadzo to be out for 80. The score was now 256 forfour, and this was the turning point of the innings.Steve Lawson suffered an inexplicable dismissal, without scoring,hit full on the thigh by Anton Hoffman, but the ball somehow wentstraight on to his leg stump. Stuart Matsikenyeri scored 7before being yorked by Hoffman, then Andrew Whittall (1) swung ata full-pitched delivery and was given out caught at the wicketoff Viljoen.It took Ferreira 65 minutes after lunch to score the 11 runsneeded for his century, his second in three Logan Cup matches.Trying to increase the scoring rate as he ran out of partners, heskyed an on-drive immediately after the drinks break, to becaught by Everton Matambanadzo off Viljoen for 106. Dan Peacockat last took a wicket, having Leon Soma caught at the wicketwithout scoring, and last man Terry Denyer was adjudged lbw toViljoen, the bowler’s sixth wicket, for 2. Dion Yatras wasunbeaten on 6. Manicaland had collapsed to 287 all out, theirlast seven wickets falling for 31 runs.Gavin Rennie and Darlington Matambanadzo opened very solidly forMashonaland, and the runs slowly began to come until the score attea was 28 without loss (Matambanadzo 15, Rennie 13).Once Rennie got into the twenties, he began to open up,especially against Andrew Whittall, hitting him for two fours inone over, a cover drive and a pull, and then pulling him for fourand six in the next over. Whittall tightened up and the scoringrate dropped. Despite using his feet well to the spinners,Matambanadzo became bogged down, and eventually moved down thepitch in the off-spinner Lawson’s first over and yorked himselffor 23. The opening pair had put on 70 together. Rennie reachedhis fifty but was then caught at the wicket prodding outside offstump to Whittall.Whittall was soon in the wars again, as Trevor Madondo drove himpowerfully for six over long-on, shortly followed by another. Itwas a typical Madondo cameo, full of superb strokes, looking verydangerous, but destined to be ended before reaching fullpotential with a mishit. On 32, he tried once too often againstthe accurate Lawson and skyed the ball to backward point, whereit was safely held by Brent.Viljoen took over the role of aggressor, especially relishingsome medium-paced long hops served up by Yatras, whose two overswere to cost 27 runs. The pavilion at Mutare Sports Club issituated just beyond long leg; Viljoen hit a six on to the roofand the over the top. In the next over he dove him straight toreach his fifty and then hit another six over midwicket. At theother end Craig Evans, struggling for form, was given out lbwimmediately Brent replaced Yatras, and possibly this normallyaggressive batsman has never before had the experience of scoringjust 3 runs of a partnership of 38.Don Campbell arrived but the light went, with Mashonaland on 171for four (Viljoen 62, Campbell 0) with a slight advantage, butthey will have to work hard, or Manicaland play badly, for aresult to be possible tomorrow.

Liverpool looked to have picked up one of the bargains of the January transfer window when they signed Daniel Sturridge from Chelsea, but after an extremely bright start to life at Anfield, he seems to have gone off the boil in recent weeks, with manager Brendan Rodgers seemingly unsure how best to use him, calling into question quite where he fits in the side in the long-term.

Whenever signing for a new club, it’s important to hit the ground running, and if you’re a striker, preferably bag an early goal to prove the doubters wrong and Sturridge did exactly that, getting off the mark in the team’s 2-1 defeat away at Old Trafford before following that up with one more in the 5-0 hammering of Norwich at home, which added to his debut goal in the FA Cup against Mansfield made him the first Liverpool player to score three goals in their first three appearances for the side since Ray Kennedy achieved the same feat in 1974.

Already the talk was centred on what a great deal Rodgers had pulled off and why Chelsea, with just Fernando Torres and the recently signed Demba Ba, felt the need to ditch such a clearly talented player. The question marks over his application and work-rate were dispelled by a series of vibrant attacking displays, full of creativity, awareness and tactical versatility and he seems to be striking up something of a relationship with fellow forward Luis Suarez.

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However, flash forward and there’s a case to be made at the moment that the system has evolved without him during his recent short spells on the sidelines with niggling thigh and hamstring injuries. He’s missed three of the team’s last seven league outings due to injury and during one of those games away at Wigan, Suarez managed to grab a hat-trick.

That can be no coincidence and in his first five appearances, of which the club scored 15 goals, Sturridge recorded an impressive 89% pass completion rate, created 11 chances for his team-mates and scored four goals with a shot accuracy of 62%, all evidence of a player clearly in form.

In his last three outings, the team have picked up four points, scored just four goals and the 23-year-old England international looks to have gone off the boil to a degree, with his pass accuracy dropping to 79%, his shot accuracy way down at 57% and the simple fact that he failed to find the back of the net. Peaks and troughs in form are inevitable consequences of niggling injuries, so it’s effectively difficult to tell which is the Sturridge the club have got on their hands for the next few years, while it can’t be easy to transition to a completely new side mid-season, so in that respect he deserves a great deal of credit.

Nevertheless, it’s his starting position that is the most troubling issue to ponder, because the current Liverpool side looks a lot more balanced without him and starting Philippe Coutinho and Stewart Downing either side of Suarez down the flanks, both looking to drift inside in a role that Rodgers usually refers to as ‘inverted wingers’.

During the game against Southampton, a 3-1 defeat against Mauricio Pochettino’s side who are quickly carving out a reputation for themselves as a team to watch for the future, Liverpool seriously struggled against their high pressing style and weren’t at the races all day, with the back four and midfield both abject in what looked to be the team’s worst performance since Rodgers took over in the summer.

But it’s when you realise that the side switched to something approaching a more traditional 4-4-2 formation, certainly more so than at any other time during Rodgers’ short tenure so far that the situation arises where the team’s shape is being compromised to fit in Sturridge. Coutinho and Downing both started on the flanks again, but much further back than usual, with Joe Allen and Steven Gerrard taking up the central positions.

The result was a disjointed and toothless attacking display, with Suarez unsure of whether to drop off Sturridge or continue to act as the main man in the lone central role through the middle. Whereas before the two dovetailed beautifully, now they were playing like strangers, miles apart from one another and unable to pool together any sort of coherent threat. It was painful to watch.

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With that in mind, considering Suarez is currently the Premier League’s top scorer with 22 goals and is enjoying the finest season of his club career in England, is messing with a system that’s brought the best out of him really the ideal scenario? Would it not be better to fit in Sturridge around him for the time being, possibly taking up a wider role similar to the one he occupied at Chelsea?  Much like the midfield conundrum has resulted in something of a mess, Rodgers seems puzzled as how to best integrate him in the side again at the moment.

You have to wonder with little more then local pride still to play for, with a Merseyside derby coming up and David Moyes’ side sat a place above Liverpool in the league, whether it wouldn’t be worth trying Sturridge in a new role. His tactical flexibility after all was one of the main reasons he was targeted in the first place, at least until he finds his feet again in the starting eleven, otherwise he may continue to flounder and frustrate in equal measure.

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