Liverpool’s recent embarrassment of a performance against Braga in the Europa League highlighted a couple of issues that have been around in the side for years.
I picked on Jamie Carragher a couple of weeks back, focusing on his inability to pass the ball with any more imagination than a Sunday League player.
Thursday, for me, not only amplified this problem due to the presence of Andy Carroll but showed that JC is not alone.
Liverpool are suffering at the moment not from a lack of depth in the squad, but a lack of positive philosophy.
The key to any creative team is who the people at the back are and we have some outstanding footballers at Liverpool, but they don’t play enough. Daniel Agger and Fabio Aurelio are technically superb and when they play the team looks completely different. We need players who can step in to the team and continue the style of play that we should be employing.
When they don’t play, which is far too often, we suffer from a lack of imagination that not only makes us simple to defend against, but simple to attack. It’s easy to run in to the gaps when you’re playing against a team from The Subbuteo Premiership.
When Skrtel, Krygiakos or Carragher have the ball, there’s only two things that each find themselves doing. Give it to Lucas 10 yards away, or hoof it long. Hitting it long almost always guarantees a surrender of possession and it’s something I feel Kenny Dalglish should address in the summer with some tough decisions.
I have no problem with the pace of Lucas’ play, which is slow and safe, but the sloppiness of those around puts far too much pressure on a player who’s job is to break up opposition attacks and give the ball to better players. Unfortunately, we don’t have many players who can use the ball better than Lucas and this is a damning indictment of the team as a whole.
The past few years have seen an exodus of creative players who have been replaced by mules and workhorses. Even those who could frustrate the Kop at times could often use a little imagination to swing a game in our favour.
Alonso, Aquilani, Garcia, Riera and Benayoun have all been shipped out and not replaced adequately. They were players who tried things, and who were dangerous in the final third.
Now Liverpool rely on Suarez and Meireles to pull something out of the bag and for two players who don’t have a year between them in the Premiership that’s too much to ask on a game by game basis.
Liverpool need a model. A constitution which defines what Liverpool is in the long term and how we play and ultimately, who we sign. We’ve a team full of scrappers starting from the back and if you want a team to be an effective unit at breaking down defences instead of breaking down attacks then you need to look at ball players throughout the team.
Of course every team needs a bit of steel, all the greats have it. Even Barcelona have Puyol and Busquets, but both can play too. Liverpool have persisted for too long in buying players with no brains and no willingness to adopt the famous ‘Liverpool Way’.
There are players in the reserves and youth teams who’re definitely being groomed in the right way, but by the time they reach maturity Liverpool could be in Premiership oblivion. Trapped between Europa League and Nowhere.
The time, as ever, in football is now. Lets hope Mr Comolli, along with Kenny Dalglish are planning a proper inquisition into the fundamental problems that exist at this club.
Dalglish identified it after the Braga game when he said we have no flair, but I hope that despite all the calls for wingers, which is of course necessary, attention is paid to creativity that starts at the back.
We already have the most creative goalkeeper in the world, now we need to strengthen the most important part of any team that wants to compete at the top, the brains.
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