You'll have plenty to celebrate when you subscribe to the Liverpool FC newsletter Sign me up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

This week we speak to Michael Sweeting (@M_Sweeting) who writes for the independent LFC website @thisisanfield.

1) What was your assessment of the Newcastle game? Liverpool should have probably been out of sight but almost let the visitors back in?

In general it was a solid performance that could have been a bit of a battering for Newcastle had we made the most of our dominance for the first thirty-five minutes.

We have made a bad habit out of missing good opportunities this season and unfortunately that does not appear to be changing anytime soon, although obviously our ability to score goals will be affected by starting matches without a recognised striker in the team.

The disappointment is that despite a good attacking display against a poor team somehow Dejan Lovren and Glen Johnson still managed to stand out as woefully below the standard required. It’s a major concern and better sides would have punished us with those chances before half time.

2) How concerned are you about the latest off the field Raheem Sterling revelations?

It’s obviously not the professional image we would like our players to portray and as such it has to be a concern.

Rodgers has said he will speak to Sterling about it and he has a good history of getting his head back on football quickly when outside influences have threatened to impact on his career.

At the end of the day though Sterling is a young man who will make mistakes, he hasn’t broken any laws with what he has done and seems to be on the end of a bit of a campaign by some people now to highlight his every imperfection.

The bigger concern for me is the group of people he associates himself with going forward. I believe he’ll sign a new contract eventually but he will need more reliable and professional influences in his friendship groups, not to mention his agent, if he is to maximise his potential as a footballer.

3) Could Philippe Coutinho be a viable long term option as a ‘false’ number nine?

I don’t see Coutinho as a long term option in the ‘false’ nine position but it is nice to see that flexibility and versatility in his game to become the frontman and do it effectively.

With Sturridge struggling for fitness and no real alternatives on the bench – Lambert, Borini and Balotelli have done nothing to suggest they could force their way into the team – then we may see more of it before the end of the season.

Ultimately I think Coutinho will not provide enough goals to be a long term option as the false nine, in the same way that Sterling doesn’t score enough goals to be a replacement for Sturridge (at least not yet anyway), but for a short term fix in a highly flexible front line it can work.

4) How do you see the FA Cup semi-final going? The Reds have a good record at Villa Park but they’ve been a bogey side at Anfield in recent seasons.

A few months ago this tie would have been seen as a sure fire win for Liverpool but Tim Sherwood has revitalised Villa to some extent.

The threat of Christian Benteke cannot be underestimated especially as he thrives in Sherwood’s cross-heavy system and Liverpool have had major problems defending against strong and tall strikers.

If Lovren starts it has to be considered an area of weakness on current form and a return to a back three is possible, allowing us to match up Skrtel, who looks far more comfortable in the three man defence, against Benteke.

This game will surely come down to who can be more clinical, Liverpool have been wasteful this season but should be the ones creating the majority of chances. If we bring our shooting boots then the final awaits us but I fear us going a goal behind as scoring twice in one game has been an enormous effort for us this season.

5) How important is it for Brendan Rodgers to win a trophy this season? Would a top four place be better for the club?

I think most Liverpool fans have probably made peace with the fact that top 4 looks difficult for us now although it would clearly be much more important for the club to gain that Champions League position.

However, I don’t believe that Rodgers has to win a trophy this season to keep his job, this season was always going to be difficult after the sale of Luis Suarez and despite the league position Rodgers deserves praise for his continued evolution of the team.

Last season was a massive over achievement, this one has been more realistic in terms of where we are as a club. I think if I had to choose between the two options I would still take a top 4 finish but as a fan I’ll be greedy and ask for both!

6) What other business would you like to discuss?

I’m an avid follower of the Academy teams and as such have been very excited to see players getting into the first team recently.

However, I was baffled by Brendan Rodgers decision to bring on Rickie Lambert in the 89th minute while Cameron Brannagan was left kicking his heels as a substitute.

It appeared to be the perfect scenario for Brannagan to make his debut, 2-0 up at home to a ten-man Newcastle team who had given up long before Sissoko’s stamp.

Instead of getting to see another academy product we were ‘gifted’ another five minutes of lumbering centre forward play by Lambert. I think Rodgers likes to give Lambert some minutes, especially at Anfield, as he thinks Liverpool fans see the Scouser as relatable and ‘one of our own’ but I haven’t heard many complimentary things about Lambert recently.

His story is worthy of a film but his time in the limelight is quickly running out. It’s time to stop the sentimentality and look to the future instead.