While Luis Suárez remains Liverpool's most valuable footballer, there is an increasing suspicion the side is more cohesive without him. Since Brendan Rodgers took charge, Liverpool have played seven Premier League matches without the striker, collecting six victories and one draw.

Suárez's main weakness is his insistence on doing everything solo. Last season he attempted to dribble past opponents 95 times and had 187 shots at goal – in both respects, more regularly than any other player in the Premier League. It is frequently successful and often spectacular but sometimes frustrates team-mates.

The Uruguayan's single-minded approach was understandable in the first half of last season. Fabio Borini's injury problems meant Suárez was starting alongside Suso and Raheem Sterling, two untested youngsters, so he had a huge amount of responsibility.

The January signings of Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge, however, provided Liverpool with two new attacking weapons that function perfectly together – the Brazilian's speciality is sliding pinpoint through balls between defenders, while Sturridge excels when playing high up against the opposition's backline, sprinting in behind.

The duo's first game together without Suárez – when he was starting his ban for biting Branislav Ivanovic – was the 6-0 victory at Newcastle. They combined perfectly for the second goal: with a casual pass using the outside of his right foot, Coutinho slipped the ball through the defence for Sturridge, who passed to Jordan Henderson to tap into an empty net. For the third goal, they combined almost identically, with Sturridge providing the finish himself, and in the midweek Capital One Cup win over Notts Country, Coutinho again assisted Sturridge.

The striker particularly likes working the inside-right channel, and given Nemanja Vidic's past struggles at Anfield, Rodgers will be hoping the combination of Coutinho's through balls and Sturridge's pace proves crucial yet again. This fixture could do without Suárez's antics for once – and so far this season, Liverpool aren't missing him either.