text: Do you think there’s a picture that could sum up Brendan Rodgers better than this? Granted, he’s not sitting cross-legged, but sitting down, offering education - not training, because as you know you train dogs, not footballers - to a young player, earnestly, imparting knowledge. The essence of the boss who’s your friend first, employer second.
  
  He might have been telling Sterling that he’ll be given a rest this weekend, as he’s trying to be careful of running the young lad ragged so early in his career. As Andy Hunter’s preview for this game says:
  
  The Liverpool manager said: “Some managers would take a stance of ‘I don’t care’ because they might only be in a job for three, four or five years and so make sure he plays as much as he can for you. But I have welfare for the boy. That is vital for me.
  
  “I think it is critical that, in 10 years’ time, he is approaching his peak as opposed to having played his best games. If he gets to 28 and has got too many miles on the clock and is burned out, that is something we will have to look at. He is a big talent. He broke into the team at 17. As a club, we have managed him quite well but it is hard when you are such a good player and you keep performing. Both your club and your country need you.”
  
  Of course, it hardly matters what Sterling, or anyone else does, because Mario Balotelli will probably be the headline, whether he does anything or not. If he doesn’t touch the ball at all and Liverpool win 7-0 some will opt for the headline ‘Balotelli disappointing as Liverpool win’, before frowning articles wondering whether he has the attitude to succeed again in the Premier League.
  
  Undermining the point somewhat by continuing to discuss Balotelli, he might well be at the perfect club, because as we saw from how Luis Suarez was treated, despite his assorted transgressions, Liverpool fans will basically support anyone who plays in red. And whether on a moral level you think that’s OK is, in terms of Balotelli’s game, basically irrelevant, because unconditional love is the thing that both those who know him and armchair psychologists suggest is the way to get him performing. If the Liverpool fans backed a man who was found guilty of racial abuse and bit a chap, then they’ll probably get behind someone who sulks a bit and loses his thread every now and then.
  
  Liverpool v Villa seems to be one of those quintessential Premier League games, largely because both teams have been part of this whole money-drenched farrago from the off, and has seen some pretty memorable moments. For example, Ronny Rosenthal unluckily crashed that shot against the woodwork all those years ago in this fixture, an occasion that celebrates its 24th anniversary next Friday. Presumably there will be some sort of ceremony to commemorate it before this game, black armbands for the loss of a goal, the works.
  
  Villa, for so often a dreary puddle of nothing who were just competent enough to never go down, not competent enough to really challenge, not stupid enough to be really entertaining, have actually been pretty life-affirming this season, because a team whose summer signings included Joe Cole, Kieran Richardson and Philippe Senderos absolutely should not be near the top of this nascent Premier League. That’s just stupid. But it does confirm what we already know, is that this game makes absolutely no sense and isn’t confined by anything as prosaic as logic. And that’s the sort of thing that keeps us coming back, keeps us interested, keeps us obsessed. Long may ludicrous stuff like this continue.
  
  And boy, are Aston Villa giddy about being here for this one. OMG! Can’t believe we’re here!
  
  We're here! #AVFC #LFC #AVFCLIVE pic.twitter.com/FlRXRY6he3
summary: Minute-by-minute report: A first-half goal from Gabriel Agbonlahor was enough to give Aston Villa a surprise 1-0 victory over a lacklustre Liverpool at Anfield.