4-3-3
With Suaréz playing on the left of a front three, with Torres as the central striker and Kuyt as the right winger, he would be encouraged to cut in on his right foot, creating both space for an attacking full-back, Aurelio when fit, and allowing him self regular shots on goal. This position would also allow him, when cutting inside, the chance of pulling a centre back away from Torres, giving his strike partner greater space (or the defender sticking where he is and Suaréz being granted the space).Gerrard, playing on the right of a centre midfield paring, would be in a perfect place for cross field balls to Suaréz and through balls to Torres should the space open up. He would also benefit from the space opened up by the opposing fullbacks having their hands full from the wings, allowing him to moving into the trequartista role he played in 2008/09, free in the knowledge he has Lucas covering.
Defensively, with the wide men asked to play high up the pitch, the 3 central midfield players would be required to provide cover, with Merieles protecting the left and Gerrard the right, should a Liverpool attack break down. With Lucas acting as 'midfield sweeper' or picking up any attacking midfielders.
Liverpool have being playing in a slightly deeper version of this formation since Dalglish was appointed Manager, with Maxi Rodriguez in the inverted left-winger role (which suits him so much more than the right wing, due to his lack of pace and crossing ability), which has allowed Liverpool to be more adventurous going forward, with Fernando Torres not lacking in support in the first half of the Merseyside derby, for possibly the first time this season. Suaréz has played on the flanks of a front three many times for Ajax and Uruguay, notably in the World Cup, Scoring 3 goals form 6 games (and only one infamous on-the-line handball and subsequent massive celebration at the penalty save that followed). Also with Liverpool's woeful defensive record this season, it would actually be safer to have greater attacking impetus, putting the spotlight on the opposition defence. Attack the best form of defence etc.
4-4-2
Playing a 4-4-2 with Suaréz in the second striker position, which I suspect would be Suaréz's preferred choice, would certainly seem like a strong tactic going forward. On paper it would read like one too, with Suaréz's 49 goals last season, and Torres' 63 goals in 100 league games for Liverpool. But I actually think this would be the wrong move for Liverpool.4-4-2 has been the tactic employed by Liverpool for the majority of this season, and it hasn't work for many reasons. Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, is the affect a conventional strike partner has on Torres as, like the naughty boy he is, he doesn't play well with others. Maybe it's just coincidence but I have some examples. In EURO 2008, when Spain won, Torres played upfront with David Villa, with Villa gaining most of the plaudits. It wasn't until Villa was injured in the semi-final did Torres click into club form, scoring the winning goal (only his second in the tournament) and being voted man-of-the-match on the Final. Also in this summer's World Cup, Torres was again paired upfront with David Villa. Playing below-par, and being carried by the team, he lost his place mid-tournament to Pedro. And in the Liverpool shirt this season Torres hasn't been anyway near top form, looking disinterested while balls are just punted up for him and Ngog to chase. That is until, the last two games. Against Blackpool, upfront alone, he scored within 4 minutes. Against Everton, he was voted Man-of-the-match.
Also 4-4-2 opens up the question of who plays in the central midfield two. Merieles and Lucas's partnership has been the only positive to come out of Roy Hodgson's tenure as Liverpool manager, and Merieles has been one of our better players this season. This would make it hard to find a place for Gerrard in the team. Either he replaces Meireles in centre midfield (presuming Lucas would be kept in the team for defensive balance) or he's moved to right midfield, which he seems to be against (even though arguably he is better suited to playing there). This formation also causes a problem due to Liverpool's lack of left-footed wingers, Maxi & Cole obviously inclined to move inside which can clog up the centre of midfield, 'getting in the way' attacking wise of Meireles/Gerrard/Lucas. It is also easy for the opposition to defend against, with the back four being able to go man-to-man, with three central midfielders able to outnumber the two CM's in 4-4-2, allowing them to keep possession.
