As we have come to expect from Liverpool’s footballing weeks – we don’t normally talk that much about football. A lot was made of Suarez’ moment of madness, one of many such moments. The club’s no.7 was slapped with a ten game ban that was met with proportionate outrage and agreement.
The anger from Liverpool fans may have stemmed from the fact that the club finally had a chance of having the Premier League’s top scorer among their side; a saving grace and something to brag about with the Evertonians who are likely to finish above us. What is more frustrating is the fact that with all of Suarez’s antics and FA’s inconsistencies, Suarez has missed some 20 games just through bans. But whether you look at it through red-tinted glasses or not, what Suarez did has no place on the football field and he was rightly punished; the length of it a bit harsh, but a deserving ban nonetheless.
So unsurprisingly, all the talk before the Newcastle game was about Luis Suarez, as it so often is. Brendan Rodgers’ needed the focus to be shifted back to the football; and his players didn’t let him down. A fantastic response following three consecutive draws, despite it being against a horrendous Newcastle side, we got a glimpse of what Liverpool can do without Suarez and what needs to be done in the summer.
Squad depth has been a problem for Liverpool sides, and its no different for Rodgers. But with a little bit of variation and alteration, an effective system can be devised to deal with life without the Uruguayan, until the summer atleast.
The most apt direct replacement is Daniel Sturridge. The Englishman’s move has been revolutionary for his career, and he’s making a pretty good case for himself with Mr.Hodgson for England’s senior team. He’s picked the right time to showcase his abilities, with just about a year left until Roy announces his England team for the World Cup.
What makes Sturridge such an exciting option is his dynamism. He has the ability to play like your traditional centre forward, his self proclaimed best position. The former City striker was left frustrated at not being give the opportunity to play in his natural position at Chelsea. Rodgers’ has utilised him well in this central role. But in hindsight, being forced out-wide by AVB and Di Matteo at Chelsea helped Sturridge to develop his dynamism and versatility.
It’s hard to get a pertinent replacement for a player of Suarez’s class. But what makes the top scorer so difficult to play against is his positional variation. You can’t make a player like Suarez play a particular position, he doesn’t play rigidly in a central role; in fact he has the ability to function across the park in the attacking third. Inability to mark the most potent attacking threat of the opposition leaves the defence with a weakness, get too close to him and he’ll turn you. Not every player can do this effectively. What makes Sturridge so good is that despite not being as fluid and creative as Luis Suarez, he moves across the front three positions constantly, enabling him to lose his marker. This part of his game he owes to his ‘ill-fated’ time at Chelsea.
The difference between Suarez and Sturridge is their position in the central area. Daniel doesn’t drop as deep as Suarez and often sticks to the defender which allows him to play more significantly inside the box. In fact, Sturridge can usually be seen dropping deep only in wider areas, he is naturally attracted to the box as he moves forward. With Sturridge, despite his movement, you always have a red shirt in the box, the creativity though is lacking.
This is where our other January signing comes in. Coutinho is a fantastic little magician with the ball. He has been an immense signing and showed what he is capable of against Newcastle. Often played wide in attacking zones, Coutinho was seen moving more centrally yesterday and much of his creativity developed from here. Dropping deep and taking the ball forward, deft touches, and cute little through balls, Coutinho resembles our Uruguayan striker in a deeper role. It remains to be seen if Rodgers’ permanently shifts Coutinho to a central role or leaves the Brazilian to his own devices, allowing him to naturally move narrower. But his creativity is significantly withered when played out wide. With Suarez gone, and with him his creativity, Coutinho is the perfect replacement behind Sturridge to maintain the ingenuity.
Suarez’s loss also allowed Rodgers to adapt his side based on the opposition, a move he has tested in various games. Henderson, was another young player who has had a ground-breaking season. After being criticised by fans, like midfielders before him, the England U-21 captain has done a fantastic job of getting back into the side and establishing a starting berth. His position is similar to what Coutinho would play if placed behind the striker, his role though differs. Henderson lacks the creativity, often missing in young Englishmen. Henderson is more of a work-horse, he’ll press the opponents; make late runs into the box, reminiscent of a young Steven Gerrard; and help in distribution of the ball in higher areas of the pitch. He’s having his best season in terms of goals, but his defensive capabilities in attacking areas is what makes him so good. In an attack, on the counter, Henderson can step in. But when faced against an attack, one with a deep lying playmaker, Henderson can be the main man to neutralise the attack, chasing the man down and forcing errors. He can be used to mark a deeper creative player while in a defensive phase and contribute to the attack with his effort and vigour.
The drawback here is, if Rodgers were to shift Coutinho to the center, Henderson would have no place in the side as Gerrard/Lucas/Allen can do a better job in deep midfield areas. Dalglish had used Henderson in wider position, to little effect, and crosses being an unpopular avenue of attack, playing him there makes no sense.
Suarez’s ban could provide opportunities to young Jonjo Shelvey and Fabio Borini. The latter has had a forgettable first season at the club, ravaged by injury. And his goal on his return will do him the world of good. The best spot for Italian would be out wide. He provides something different to what Downing currently does, as his experience as a striker gives him the ability to move into the box and become a more goal-scoring threat. For Jonjo, it seems unlikely that he’d play any significant part. His decision making is poor and he doesn’t contribute defensively. Creatively he can’t do any better than Coutinho and for hard-work and work-ethic: Henderson is a more suitable option – as proved yesterday.
Fans will expect activity in the summer, but have to realise that Liverpool doesn’t hold the same weight in the market anymore. Competitiveness in the transfer market has increased while quality of potential options has reduced. Defensively changes have to be made and Rodgers’ may not prioritise increasing the attacking avenues. Despite the club seemingly making long-term changes, the frequency of player turn-over and signings tells a different story. The club can’t afford to make constant changes, and unless Suarez is sold in the summer (god forbid!), the kitty may not be large enough to ‘revamp’ the squad once again.
Life without Suarez may be difficult, but one that Liverpool can deal with, as a unit.
Comments.
Loading comments…