Whilst Liverpool thumped four goals past Arsenal to start the new 2016-17 Premier League season, Sadio Mane, Philippe Coutinho and company got all the well-deserved credit, though one man in particular, was given plenty of criticism.
Alberto Moreno has been a source of many a fan’s wrath. The young Spaniard came to Liverpool as a much-heralded youngster and Europa League winner with Sevilla, and with bursts of pace and the odd spectacular goal, Moreno looked a coup.
No defender created more chances last season than little Alby, not Spain rival Azpiulequetta, nor media darling Kyle Walker, and I think that’s worth something.
Alas, with his offensive instincts come his defensive naivety. Now I’m not trying to sugar coat it, he needs work defensively, but criticism is starting to become a little blind. That’s where I want to shed some light
There are two “incidents” that highlight Moreno’s play. Arsenal’s first goal and the penalty decision.
On the penalty, I honestly feel for the lad, some players have the courage to attack the ball in the penalty area and never let it bounce, Jamie Carragher made a career out of it. Alberto doesn’t make clean contact with the ball (he does make contact) but he does make contact with Theo Walcott who like all modern strikers, goes down.
Now these are the challenges I want to see him clean up, but at least he’s going for them, if he lets the ball bounce, Walcott has the jump and pace on him to go around him, in what I imagine would have been a similar move that Lallana actually scored from later, and I’m not sure I like that option either.
This is an example of Moreno’s gung-ho attitude that will hopefully get better with maturity, but ultimately isn’t always bad either.
For the Arsenal goal it’s absolutely classic Moreno, he’s tight with the back four, makes a nice defensive play, blocks the ball going through (which critics are conveniently forgetting), which is then recycled to Coutinho who makes a pass to Lallana, who in turn loses out to an admittedly great challenge from Francis Coquelin. As this is all happening, Moreno does what he does best, bursts down the left-hand side past the sleep-walking Walcott to the vulnerable and vacated Arsenal right side, as Coutinho shifts into the middle.
This, I’m sure, is not by accident or a brainless run, it’s what he’s in the team to do as Coutinho wants to drift inside, Alberto has the flanks to cover. Unfortunately, this back fires spectacularly as Walcott’s inability (or unwillingness) to track Moreno back meant he could run through on Ragnar Klavan and slot past Simon Mignolet.
Moreno actually impressed me on this move because he makes his run before Coutinho even has the ball, showing his tactical awareness and really busts a gut to try and recover the ball from Walcott, showing his desire for his defensive duties, which he is so often criticized for.
He even stares right at Lallana and puts his hands up in despair, knowing that it’s going to be a long season if his runs are cut short by a quick loss of possession in our half.
This is a move that Moreno would get away with in Spain, where midfielders aren’t pressured as much and don’t lose the ball in their half nearly as much as in the Premier League, and where wingers like Walcott play so tight to the sidelines that he wouldn’t get a full run on the net, more a cross field run with no direct goal threat.
Whether you think he is rash or daft defending the ball, his effort, tactical awareness and offensive power are an asset to this team, and I believe Klopp thinks so too.
What was more worrying to me was Arsenal’s second goal as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain beat Lallana and Nathaniel Clyne, can often rightly lauded fullback, too easily goal side and then Dejan Lovren gets down on one knee and turns away from the ball on the six-yard line, deflecting it past Mignolet.
Now, I can’t for the life of me see how that’s more acceptable than Moreno’s actual attempt to win the ball before Walcott ran through.
At 24-years-old, not many full-backs with as much offensive intention as Moreno have their defensive game up to par. Kyle Walker was exposed time and again against Everton on Saturday, he’s also two years his senior, yet he was heralded as England’s best player at the Euros and all that didn’t stop him whipping in a cross for the Lamela equalizer.
I think that’s exactly why Klopp has persevered with him, and hopefully why he’ll improve into a more well-rounded full-back.
Then again maybe that’s just the optimist in me.
