"Who should replace Gerrard and Agger for the final two games?"

The general feeling amongst the fanbase seems to be that the derby result has nailed us down in seventh position in the table but, as the great philosopher Lenny Kravitz once said: “Baby, it ain’t over ‘till it’s over”. Lenny almost certainly wasn’t thinking of Everton having to get more than a point from games against West Ham and Chelsea but he’d definitely agree that there’s chance for them to mess it up yet. Even before the news that Moyes had been lined up for the Old Trafford hotseat there was more than an outside chance of those games being tricky encounters, now they positively scream Devon Loch.

Given the above, it would be criminal to see the next two matches as anything other than lovely opportunities to give the end of the season a little shot in the arm and sprinkle a little more positivity on the summer. It is tempting to want to bring Andre Wisdom in for Agger but I’d be more inclined to offer Skrtel a shot at some redemption and a chance to prove that he shouldn’t be rolled up in a carpet and thrown in a lake this summer. A good performance  would give him the chance to suggest that might not be necessary (we might decide on the less drastic action of just selling him).

In the place of Gerrard it would make sense to drop Jordan Henderson alongside Lucas and offer him the chance to prove that his recent good form can be extended and he is capable of shining in his favoured position. He’s got the range of passing and the energy to do the job and this could be the perfect time to allow him to show he’s developing the bravery and the confidence to dominate the middle of the pitch.

That would leave his berth on the left-hand side of the pitch available and plumping for Fabio Borini makes a lot of sense. He brings the same attributes that Henderson has been bringing to that position in that he can press high up the pitch and move inside but has the added bonus of offering more of a threat in behind defences. The idea of Coutinho looking to slip the ball through to him is one that has winner written all over it. So, there we have it. Two games, six points, sixth position and we all go and get a Cornetto. Happy days. 

Stu Montagu

This is the best season we've had for a while out of Steven Gerrard in terms of injury and probably the best we've got to date out of Daniel Agger, so the club deserve a lot of credit to that extent, we've managed to deal with a lot of the niggles.

But now the season is effectively dead (barring a hilarious Everton collapse and let's face it, finishing above them is nothing to crow about) we've taken the decision to let them both rest up and get their ailments attended to. 

Who do we play in their absence? It's only two games but it gives the manager something to look at. Centre half is going to be a position that needs a lot of work over the summer months and we're possibly in a position where we need to sign two or three. It's a huge overhaul to a key position and we need to get it right. 

But for the rest of the season I'd like to see Andre Wisdom given the game time. Kelly is going to replace Carragher and in an ideal world he'd play but he's still in the later days of his rehabilitation. Wisdom impressed in the team at right back and he has played a lot for the youth levels as a centre half. He's probably going to be a central defender long term and I'd like to see him play alongside Carragher for a couple of games and see how he copes as a Premier League centre half. We've got nothing to lose because if he makes a mistake, so be it. It's not going to cost us anything.

Midfield is a different proposition altogether. The balance in central midfield isn't right still, there's still something missing and we still get walked through far too easily. But Gerrard has had a good season in there for us. You'd probably say Shelvey would get the nod, and I'd be OK with that but I get the feeling that his time at Anfield is up and he'll be moved on in the summer. 

I'd probably like to see Suso get the nod over him but there probably isn't room in the team for both him and Coutinho. Which is understandable because we're a light touch as it is. It'll probably be Shelvey but I don't think that will benefit us long term, but our options there are limited.

Dan Thomas

Since the draw with Everton has locked us into seventh place, and there’s nothing to play for in the final two games, it’s actually quite prudent of the club to work on the fitness of two players who have a history of long term absence. The new fitness team that came in during the summer has done wonders getting Agger fit for the majority of the season so the move to take him out of the line up to get him ready for next year seems practical. It would also appear that whatever happens with the middle of the defence next year, Agger will be the lynchpin of it. 

The stat of Gerrard playing in every minute of every game until the Newcastle game is remarkable given his recent injury history. It’s also transpired that he’s been suffering with a similar shoulder injury to Joe Allen, so great credit must be given to Gerrard for playing through it and for playing to such a high level.

Taking both out of the team plus the absence of Suarez means that team will take on a very different look for the final two games. Add into that mix the end of Carra’s extended lap of honour and I feel there’s an almost melancholic air to the team that finishes the season.

Who replaces Agger is a more interesting question than who replaces Gerrard, because it seems that the back up centre backs are on their way out in the summer. How true that is no one knows for sure, was Skrtel’s cameo against Everton an indication that he’s not as out of favour as we thought? It’s only minor press reports and fan speculation that gives any indication that he is leaving. Carra’s performances haven’t warranted being dropped so it’s not like Skrtel can claim to have been overlooked in favour of a player in worse form. Let’s say for argument’s sake that Skrtel and Coates are leaving this summer, we should probably be looking at some of our youth prospects. Wisdom is the one that stands out, he’s acquitted himself well when played at right back and his natural position is meant to be in the middle. Having an experienced, vocal player like Carra alongside him will also ease him into that role. Plus we’re hardly playing long-ball, grock teams in our final games so he won’t be under too much duress. Kelly shouldn’t be considered, his injury means he shouldn’t be rushed back and he the same rules that are applying to Agger and Gerrard should be applied to him.

In the middle it’s a shame that Allen is injured since it would be interesting to see him play in the more advanced role that he did so well in against Zenit and Sunderland, I suspect that we’ll probably see more of the next year though. Either we could drop Downing back into midfield and put Borini up front or we could swap out Gerrard for another midfielder. Henderson already plays as an advanced attacker so his role shouldn’t change in Gerrard’s absence. If Shelvey comes in then maybe you ask Henderson to play a little deeper just to see how he copes with the lifting and carrying that Gerrard does so easily. 

Another suggestion is again to bring through a youth prospect who has had limited first team experience. Whilst in theory this would work, I just think playing alongside a Lucas who is still struggling for long term form and Henderson who has only recently asserted his position would make us too flimsy in the middle. Coady seems to be the natural choice but I’d rather see him get a few sub appearances ahead of starting games.

I want to win our final two games but these are risk free games so if Rodgers wants to promote some young talent and give them a go I’d welcome it; everyone loves seeing young players coming through. For me though I’d probably bring in Shelvey and Wisdom to deputise for the senior players with some of the young lads on the bench to get 30 minutes at the end.

Julian Richards

To me this comes down to who is in the manager's plans beyond the end of this season.  For example, there are three potential replacements for Agger, but there are huge question marks over the future of two of them. 

The best option to replace Agger is clearly Skrtel, but what if the plan is for him to leave this summer?  Then you have Coates, who may be in the same boat as Skrtel.  And finally Wisdom, who has played well at centre back at all levels below the first team but has only played full back at senior level.

Earlier in the week I wanted Wisdom to get an opportunity alongside Carragher so we can see how he copes with playing centre half at the top level.  With what's happened at Everton in the last couple of days though, it's not inconceivable that they may fail to beat West Ham and that would open the door for us to maybe still make a run at catching them.  So I'd pick Skrtel for the Fulham game and then revisit it for QPR depending on whether we still have a shot at overtaking the Blues.

If 6th place was beyond our reach, then I'd give Wisdom a run out on the final day, as long term he has a real shot at being a very good centre back.  It's a position where experience is vital though, and a strong case can be made for sending him on loan next season to a club that will play him at centre half every week.  Coates is an interesting one, he can clearly play but in order for him to develop he needs games and we can't give him that.  Even next year that seems unlikely to change as it's expected that we'll bring in another couple of centre backs this summer.  So Coates either needs to be sold or loaned out, as another season like this one is no good to him or us.  I don’t really see much point in picking him in either of the final two games. 

As for replacing Gerrard, assuming we continue to play the system then either Henderson or Shelvey will take his place alongside Lucas.  If it's Henderson, then someone else will need to come in to fill the role he's been playing.  Borini seems the most likely if that happens, certainly for the Fulham game anyway.  I can't say I'm thrilled about that, I'd go with Shelvey myself.  If 6th place is gone by the time of the QPR game, I'd start with Suso and I'd give Ibe some minutes off the bench.  And I’d also bring Coady in for Lucas as he’s had a fine season at u21 level and deserves an opportunity.

Dave Usher