Well we're going to switching the 'tactics' up for West Ham and apparently Roy has not even considered Johnson for right wing and never will
I do like to defend Roy because he is our manager but sometimes he does make it damn difficult.
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Roy Hodgson took five minutes out of his preparations for this evening's clash with West Ham to chat to radio journalists about midfield options, the importance of Jamie Carragher and his thoughts on Glen Johnson as a winger.
Here's what the boss had to say.
On the loss of Steven Gerrard...My hope is that because Steven is such a quick healer and is so desperate to get back quickly, it won't keep him out for as long as people are fearing. With injuries like this you can't take chances so it will be really important that the people who play in his place put in some excellent performances. He's been very good for us this year and was a big factor in the three straight wins that we had. It's a huge blow to be without him. That's in terms of his inspirational leadership, his energy, his enthusiasm and what he brings to the team in terms of technique.
On Glen Johnson's return and the prospect of using him on the right side of midfield...I believe football is relatively total these days, so a full-back can move one step up and someone who plays wide midfield can take one step back. Glen Johnson has the qualities to play lots of positions but I have not even considered it because there is no reason to do so. We have other players in the wide positions that we can use. For me, he is a specialist right-back and a very good one too. If you have someone like that then there is no need to consider changing his position.
On what will be Jamie Carragher's 650th appearance for the club against West Ham...I don't think he gets anything like the credit he deserves. A defender doesn't capture the headlines in the same way that forwards or attacking midfielders do. Jamie has been a superb servant for the club. From my point of view, in the five months I have been at the club I don't think I have seen him have a bad game for us. Furthermore, he's had to move between different positions across the backline, even playing at left-back. It's great he's made 650 and I know he would be very happy to catch Cally's record - but there's still a long way for him to go. With the Barclays Premier League being as intense as it is then he's going to have to keep himself very fit for the next few years.
On the importance of Carra's leadership...His major qualities are his ability and his understanding of the game. His desire to win is a very palpable one and it is obvious to everyone. Those types of players can help the team because they can drag other players up with them. Steven is a quieter person but very inspirational with his play. Hopefully Jamie will fire people up out there, although the ones who can do that the most will be the 45,000 fans inside Anfield. When they get behind us like they did against Napoli, Blackburn and Chelsea then you really do feel that 12th man. But to get that 12th man you need to produce the goods on the field of play. If we can play well enough then they can make life very difficult for opponents.
On the tactics he will deploy without Gerrard...We will probably have to change tactically, especially in the absence of Lucas and Jay spearing. These are possible replacements for Steven and we will have to reconsider our options. Having said that there is very little difference between playing 4-4-2, 4-3-3 and 4-2-4. Often the differences are what sort of positional play the players adopt on the field and how much they are prepared to leave those positions and create space. We've done quite a lot of work on that. People may describe the formation differently but I'm still hoping we'll cause the same problems to defences by the movements from the midfield players and those in the forward positions.
On Raul Meireles and whether he can take on the mantle of Gerrard...Raul is a quality player who is still adjusting to the demands of the Barclays Premier League. It will still take him a bit of time to really show us what he is about. If you are talking in terms of technical qualities I think he is the closest (to replacing Gerrard) but if you mean the type of athlete he is then you may be looking at Jonjo Shelvey. He has quite a lot of Steven Gerrard in him. He can hit a long pass and get forward to score goals. He has the athletic long strides across the pitch, so I think that in Jonjo, we have a player that in the years ahead can be compared to Steven. I'm not sure you can really compare Steven and Raul because they are such different types.
On the opportunity the skipper's absence can offer other players...One hopes that we will play well without him and others will step up to the plate but there's no doubt we will miss him a lot in the games to come. I'm disappointed and frustrated about the situation because my interest in Steven Gerrard is what he does for Liverpool Football Club. We shall miss him and would have a much bigger chance of winning the game today with him. But that isn't to say that I don't believe in the players that will take to the field today.
On midfield options and the injury to Jay Spearing...Midfield is an area of the squad that we are better stocked than in other areas. Now that Fabio Aurelio is back from injury we are only missing Agger in defence, so we aren't as badly off as we have been there in recent weeks. Now we've found out that Jay Spearing is going to be out for up to six weeks. On a positive note, Lucas will be back after serving his one-match suspension today. The most important thing for Steven is to get fit as soon as he possibly can. He's determined to do that and he has already been in to the gym, working with the sports science people. They will have to make the decision on when it is right for him to come back because the last thing we want is for him to return too soon and be ruled out again.
On whether the team have enough match winners...Well we have Fernando Torres and he is a definite match winner. We have David Ngog who has scored some important goals for us this year. We also have Meireles who can score too. Then there is Dirk Kuyt who has chipped in with important ones over the years and then there are the likes of Soto and Skrtel who can be dangerous when they come up from the back. So I'm not that concerned in that respect. I know we haven't scored enough goals. We haven't always made the most of our possession in the final third of the pitch. Let's hope that will improve over the next few games.
