Sitting here thinking about what just happened on transfer deadline day for Liverpool and wonder if this could cost Rodgers his job down the line.
I really hope it does not but what has become clear from the first 4 is we needed a finisher.
You can say many things about Andy Carroll but he certainly was a good finisher. He was not all that mobile and probably did not fit that well into Rodgers system but what he did do is finish well. Both with his left foot and with his head. When Rodgers let him go I think there was a few things that played into it.
1) we needed to try and maximize the value we can get for him or minimize the loss (depending on which way you look at it)
2) The best way to do that is by loaning him out to a club that is going to play to his style but also is good enough to get him a decent number of goals (expect big Andy to be the new Kevin Davies)
3) For the above mentioned reasons this serves LFC's long tern interests best in 2 ways
a) If he has a great season and we get over 20M quid for him which by the way was not possible in this transfer window.
b) The younger players like raheem sterling, Adam Morgan and oussama Assisi will get more playing time. Even that you German prodigy (u17 winger we signed yesterday) may come good or get some valuable playing time. That may pay off in the long run with value for those players as well.
4) But could it also have helped us short term. How?
Andy does not strike me as a player who would upset and run the dressing room. But over time that can change. When not playing as much as you like partly because you are not the type of player that fits into the style your manager wants you to play, partly because you have not played a lot and lack confidence and trust from your manager you have to come on and impress when given minutes, it simply isn't an environment that you thrive in. It reminds me of the situation with Torres last yr and with Babel a few yrs back. Some strikers and to a certain degree goal scoring wingers needs confidence from their manager and the belief that they can make mistakes or have a few bad games and still be in the team. I think Carroll was like that, Torres admitted an interview recently that he was like that (needed the confidence of a manager) and I think Babel was like that. Speaking of Ryan Babel there is a talent I would take back in a heartbeat because I think Rodgers would make him a much better player. Even Adam Johnson spoke about this phenomenon of getting an arm around your shoulder and feedback (both positive and negative) from your manager in an article on the Guardian today about why he chose Sunderland. To me that is just good man management and part of why the best coaches are the best. I think Jose morinho is that way (you see it from how much players love him when he leaves), I think Brendan Rodgers is that way (numerous comments and interviews and the way former Swansea players seem to listen to him) and I think Ferguson have that quality (just mainly cause he has had extended success). Moyes is another one (just look at his record and how many poor runs of results and records he has come through despite limited resources). Even harry redknapp have those man management skills. I do not however think manchini has that quality and maybe not certain others either and when the times get tough and you need to grind out wins and for your players to work their socks off for you, that is when the man management and the relationships matter the most.
Other circumstances come in to play like finances , fitness and sometimes luck and ability to pick the right squad and giving enough playing time to the right people etc. but man management is extremely important if you are going to have long term success.
So having said this (sorry a bit of a long tangent there), how does Andy carroll leaving help us in the long term. Well I think getting rid of players that may upset the dressing room if they do not get the desired playing time or get in an argument with the coach or are not motivated to give 110% for the team or the manager in the games they come in I think that can hurt the winning spirit and the hungryness and freshness of a team that is needed considering how many games and how tough a full seasons schedule can be.
5) The fact that Andy Carroll was not a "Rodgers type of player" would indicate even less playing time even though he would probably deserve it based on effort on the training ground and endeavour. He would probably not get the games also based on pricetag/pedigree that he may deserve and the usefulness (when needing a different game plan than pass and move) and despite perhaps scoring and playing well and having success in previous games. Mainly because he simply is not that mobile. Rodgers is trying to get get in quick and comfortable on the ball type of players to play his quickly win it back pressing game (preferably high up the pitch) when not in possession and pass and move and possession game when we have the ball. Even if that means less through passes, patience and a lot of drop passes or passes that go backwards and around to find the openings. Carroll could have been useful but is too expensive at £35M to sit on the bench most of time time and the point I am trying to make above in this paragraph is that he would be limited to primarily substitute cameo appearances in the games that matter (PL and EL and maybe only get proper minutes in other games).
6) Carroll was better than nothing but I think Rodgers expected we would be able to bring in at least one of Dempsey or Sturridge. I think we really could have done with a poacher and someone that is a good finisher but also a bit selfish at times. I think he could have made Sturridge a better player but for whatever reason it did not work out. Perhaps in January when he has not played that much. We can only hope. I think right at the death, Ian Ayre maybe let us fans and Brendan Rodgers down a bit.
Now we are left relying on some of the younger talent up front in Sterling, Morgan, Borini and that Suarez' finishing gets better is crucial now cause he is going to have to bare a lot of the goal scoring burden.
The reason I said what I did up front with Rodgers is not because I believe it. I have seen enough that I think he will make this team click but I think the next 4 months can be very difficult.
The younger players and primarily Sterling may be variable in his performances simply due to lack of experience. Bags of talent and I think he is the one that over this season will become more and more important for us. He has got a lot to learn in his defending (as we have seen with giving away silly freekicks against both Hearts and Man City) but when analysed and when working with the coaching team I think he will get better in this part of his game as well.
I just worry about Suarez being used too much and same with Borini which in the end leads to fatigue and also sometimes to the star man to consider his options. I think Torres was an example of that and I worry as Gerrard gets older Suarez becomes more and more of the star man that we have to rely on for goals.
What I am happy about is that Brendan Rodgers has said that we need to see goals from midfield but we have yet to see it. Gerrard has missed the target a lot although we know he can score goals. Shelvey I believe can chip in with a few goals (has a great shot and should use it more) but we need to see it from more guys. Allen can get some goals and I think there Henderson also has got that ability to get in the right positions. By the way I thought henderson looked better playing through the middle against hearts the other day and I think over time we are starting to see him develop. More control in his passing game, getting rid of the ball quicker and less misplaced passes. I hope this is a tendency of things to come from many players.
Notice today that we also got rid of Adam and he was another player that lacked pace and that ability to move quickly for to get open for a pass but also close down a man quickly. These are qualities that are key to the way Rodgers wants to play.
I though from Gerrard's at times lacklustre defending in the City game, (although he had a better game than against WBA), in the 2nd Hearts game we saw urgency and speed in his closing down and we saw a desire to chase back and tackle a guy to win the ball back the way we have not seen for a while from Gerrard. I chose to believe that this is down to Brendan Rodgers and his teams ability to sit down and analyse and go through the previous games and each players performance from the previous games.
I have faith but we are short on recognized and proven strikers and wingers in the next coming months. I hope I am proven wrong but I feel Sturridge would have gone a long way to improving the starting 11 and the squad and it would be another recognized international who has come through at the youth level first at City then proven himself at Chelsea (via a season at Bolton under Owen Coyle) and that he would have been another great player to learn from for the younger exciting players that are coming through.
To be proven wrong possible solutions I see are these:
- Gerrard gets turned into an out and out striker when Suarez needs rest and we needs goals from others.
- Borini plays more centrally and starts banging in goals with Sterling, Morgan (who both keeps developing) becomes better and contributes with goals.
- Joe Cole comes back and provides more help in midfield. Mobility again I believe is an issue.
- We just simply get our midfield to contribute with more goals. How you ask? Well, in my opinion we still do not arrive with enough guys into the box (something kenny did really well in his first 6 months back when taking over from Hodgson as interim manager).
- In addition to the previous point we need to coach someone to arrive at the right time (Maxi style), taking up the right positions in the box. Pealing off the defenders at the right time to get open in the box. Robbie Keane did this well in his prime, if you watch Jelavic he does it to perfection despite lack of pace (and did it perfectly against Villa for his third goal on the weekend). I think this movement was the main reason why certain players come in goal scoring positions so often (Thierry henry was like that). Sheringham was a master at it (cause he never had pace).
I wonder if he moved somewhere today actually. I think a few clubs were after him.
In conclusion, unfortunately considering how well we did earlier in the transfer window today was pretty big disapointment. We lost two useful players (Adam and Carroll) and one that we needed to get rid off (Spearing) and were not able to bring in an extra striker which will hurt us in the short term.
Maybe in the long term it may benefit us and maybe I will be proven wrong because Rodgers will surprise.
One can only hope.
YNWA,
Stian
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