Guardian club by club Premier League previews

[Cunny]

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/08/...ew_no9_liv.html

 

Premier League preview No9: Liverpool

 

Anfield's nearly men won't get any closer to the title this season

 

Paul Doyle

 

August 8, 2008 7:52 AM

 

guardian.co.uk writers' prediction: 3rd Odds: 6-1

 

Everyone has one: a mate who spends ages in front of the mirror before heading out on Friday evening, dousing himself in deodorant and preening like a wannabe Casanova despite the fact that it's obvious to all that he's not going to pull. He'll return home later that night, alone as always, and, ahem, get a grip of himself. His whole sorry routine is an unwitting tribute to Liverpool in the Premier League.

 

But this time it will be different! It really will!

 

Well, it might be.

 

Certainly Liverpool seem intent on playing more attractively than at any other time under Rafa Benítez. Anyone who doesn't expect Fernando Torres and Robbie Keane to strike up a joyously fruitful partnership is a begrudger or a fool. They are both highly intelligent and hard-working performers whose different skills should prove perfectly complementary.

 

Of course, if they are to sustain a challenge for the title beyond Christmas, Liverpool will have to develop the offensive diversity and unpredictability to turn last season's costly draws against smaller teams into victories. It would have been useful to keep Peter Crouch as an extra option, but the club's finances forbade that and instead the cameo role of lanky frontman who's not very good in the air will have to be entrusted to David Ngog, who does have abundant potential (and speed), even if PSG primarily used him last season as a substitute or a right-midfielder. Liverpool, then, will still find themselves resorting to the sort of improvisation that is beneath Chelsea and Manchester United.

 

But are they really forced to? Could Benítez really not make better use of the money available to him? The case of Gareth Barry suggests he could. Liverpool's pursuit of the wannabe former Villan is puzzling. Presumably the manager doesn't intend to buy him just so he can boast to United and Chelsea that he can afford £18m squad players (when he clearly can't); similarly it seems improbable that he envisages using him as a left-back (that'll be Andrea Dossena's role, surely). Which means Barry will be deployed in midfield alongside Javier Mascherano, with Steven Gerrard edging closer to the right in a 4-2-3-1. The thing is, that will aggravate Liverpool's biggest problem: they will have even less width.

 

Granted, the gifted Ryan Babel can be expected to progress even farther this season (once he returns from the Olympics) and carry a growing threat from the left - even though he seems more suited to a central role - but the right will be rendered even more inadequate. Jermaine Pennant and, in particular, Dirk Kuyt have hitherto offered a partially effective sort of nuisance value but, obviously, not enough to win the Premier League; neither is likely to start regularly if Barry comes (indeed, Pennant may be about be sold) but putting Keane there would be to restrict his interaction with Torres. Gerrard can be very effective out there but lacks the discipline or inclination to actually stay there.

 

The full-backs won't compensate. Alvaro Arbeloa is a tidy defender but he's no raider in the style of Bacary Sagna, Jose Bosingwa or even Wes Brown; Philippe Degen, as you might expect from a freebie, is not up to their class either, though he would offer more going forward than Arbeloa does, albeit at the cost of slack defending. On the left, Dossena is an improvement on Jon-Arne Riise but, again, inferior to Patrice Evra, Gaël Clichy and Ashley Cole.

 

In short, Barry's arrival, while introducing greater thrust and variety through the middle, would spell even more limitations out wide. It's not easy trying to overtake United and Chelsea when you have to sell to buy, but if Liverpool do manage to flog Xabi Alonso for the inflated fee they seek, or if the owners manage to piece together £18m despite the credit crunch and uncertainty over the club's new stadium, wouldn't Benítez be better off buying at least one top class wide man, particularly for the right? Instead of bringing in Barry, who, accomplished though he is, isn't really that much of an upgrade on Alonso anyway.

 

Defensively, at least, Liverpool will again be sound. As hinted above, suggestions that Barry's arrival would mean a switch to 3-5-2 are probably misguided, though that would at least have the merit of showcasing the club's three solid centre-backs. More likely, Benítez will deploy a back four safe in the knowledge that he can't go far wrong regardless of which two he picks from Jamie Carragher, Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel. Behind them, of course, is Pepe Reina, a quality keeper who has the concentration level required for the least busy custodian in the division: last season Liverpool restricted opponents to just 90 shots on target in the entire league campaign, the meanest rate in the country. They also allowed less crosses than any other team (go on, guess how many - and go out and get some fresh air if you knew it was 653). But this season must be all about attack for Liverpool.

 

If taking a respectable tilt at the title means squashing all the small fry, then actually winning it entails doing something else Liverpool failed to do last season (albeit because of obscene refereeing when Chelsea came to Anfield): namely, beat at least one of the big boys in the league.

 

They'll have a prime early opportunity to do just that in Game 4, when Manchester United will travel to Anfield without Cristiano Ronaldo (and possibly also Wayne Rooney). Victory for the visitors, even another fluky one, would intensify suspicions that this is going to be another fruitless domestic season for Liverpool.

 

IN: Philipp Degen (Borussia Dortmund - free), Andrea Dossena (Udinese - undisclosed), Vincent Lucas Weijl (AZ Alkmaar - undisclosed) Diego Cavalieri (Palmeiras - undisclosed), David Ngog (PSG - £1.4m), Robbie Keane (Tottenham - up to £20.3m)

 

OUT: Peter Crouch (Portsmouth - £11m), Harry Kewell (Galatasary - free), John Arne Riise (Roma - £4m), Anthony Le Tallec (Le Mans - free), Scott Carson (West Brom - £3.25m)

[Hassony]

How does he know that Dossina is "inferior to Patrice Evra, Gaël Clichy and Ashley Cole."?

[sean]

Rubbish.

[Cunny]

Agree re the comment about dossena, who knows how he compares to those players?

 

Paul Doyle does know his French footy though, so interesting about Ngog playing a lot on the right for PSG. So, his goal return can be explained.

[Conor M]

Agree re the comment about dossena, who knows how he compares to those players?

 

Paul Doyle does know his French footy though, so interesting about Ngog playing a lot on the right for PSG. So, his goal return can be explained.

 

Taking the positive view, if we had beaten United twice and turned the home Chelsea draw into a win (which it should have been) last year we would have won the league. Given all the G&H upheaval going on that wasn't a bad outcome. So all things considered I think the league is ours, and the above can be disregarded.

[sean]

The tiny matter of beating United twice you mean?

[Spion kop]

How does he know that Dossina is "inferior to Patrice Evra, Gaël Clichy and Ashley Cole."?

i was also thinking this.

[Conor M]

The tiny matter of beating United twice you mean?

I did say "taking the positive view"

[Dan]

Who is the top class wide right midfielder he should have signed?

Edited August 8, 2008 by DS77

[Rimbeux]

Fair enough for the outsiders point of view, good grasp of the tactical situation and the choices, it's up to us to prove it wrong

[Stevie H]

doyle's an arsenal fan, really doesn't seem to like us for some reason.

[psl]

Can't really argue with too much of that, the Dossena comment aside.

Edited August 8, 2008 by psl

[Gomez]

The tiny matter of beating United twice you mean?

 

We weren't that far away, Torres missed an open goal (and you don't see that very very often) at 0-0, they were flukey in winning that.

 

And had Mascherano not been given Ashley Cole's red card who knows what would have happened, though I guess a draw would have been the best we could have hoped for away.

[Jarg Armani]

doyle's an arsenal fan, really doesn't seem to like us for some reason.

 

is he? i thought he was a blue. who's the guardian's bluenose then? i'm hugely confused.

[Knox_Harrington]

is he? i thought he was a blue. who's the guardian's bluenose then? i'm hugely confused.

Paul Wilson of the Observer is a Blue. Not sure about Doyle. You sure Steve?

 

He hated Houllier so much which made me think he supported us.

[Jarg Armani]

that's the one. knew it was a paul.

[Cobs]

We weren't that far away, Torres missed an open goal (and you don't see that very very often) at 0-0, they were flukey in winning that.

 

And had Mascherano not been given Ashley Cole's red card who knows what would have happened, though I guess a draw would have been the best we could have hoped for away.

 

have we scored against them yet under Benitez - in the League? ( i remember Crouch scoring in the Cup)

[Jarg Armani]

if we'd have beaten united home and away we'd have probably bottled it in the run in, but it would've been nice to be involved in a run in.

[Chili Palmer]

have we scored against them yet under Benitez - in the League? ( i remember Crouch scoring in the Cup)

 

yeah, but it wasn't one of our players.

[Guest PaulMcC]

He's just saying what most non Liverpool fans think. Even some Liverpool fans have said the same.

[Des]

have we scored against them yet under Benitez - in the League? ( i remember Crouch scoring in the Cup)

 

An O'Shea own goal at Old Trafford in 04/05. That's it.

[Gomez]

He's just saying what most non Liverpool fans think. Even some Liverpool fans have said the same.

 

I am also fed up with the cliche "Liverpool fans going on about how this is to be their year, every year"

 

It is just not true.

[Des]

I am also fed up with the cliche "Liverpool fans going on about how this is to be their year, every year"

 

It is just not true.

 

It is if you're Huyton Red.

[Hassony]

I am also fed up with the cliche "Liverpool fans going on about how this is to be their year, every year"

 

It is just not true.

f***ing annoying that

 

at least this guy has given Reina so long over due praise

[Cobs]

An O'Shea own goal at Old Trafford in 04/05. That's it.

'kinell