Why it’s going wrong for Andy Carroll

He moved from North-East to North-West on deadline day, part of an amazing carousel of big bucks and big names moving between Premier League football clubs on the last day of the window.

Newcastle fans were distraught, this was 'their boy' abandoning the dream that they wanted to share with him, and live through him. The more broad-minded of Geordies accepted that this was a good move for the player, Liverpool may not be the power-house of English and European football that they were in the 70s and 80s, but they were a recognised member of “The Big four” group of clubs. Regularly competing in the Champions League – even winning it five years previously. And it was certainly a good move for the club. £35 million pounds for a player who was still proving himself in the top division, and in fact had not managed 20 goals in the Championship during their promotion year. Begrudgingly, some wished him well. The home-grown successor to the heroes of yesteryear Jackie Milburn and Alan Shearer had flown the nest, and he even issued statements about how he had wanted to stay. There was a tit-for-tat exchange between player, manager and football club as to whether Carroll had handed a transfer request in to force the deal through, or whether he had been ordered to. He clearly cared about the club and the Geordie faithful.

An accusation levelled at Liverpool was that they had panic-bought. Certainly they needed a marquee signing to appease fans angry at the departure of Fernando Torres. Liverpool brought in Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez. That was still good business wasn’t it? Forget about £35 million for Carroll, that’s what English clubs have to pay for young English players. And this kid had potential – young, and strong, on the cusp of the England squad, and a breath of fresh air in the Premier League.  He’d scored 11 goals in 19 league games, so had managed the step up to the Premier League, and his style of play was a nostalgic throwback to good old fashioned English centre forwards. Another player famously associated with both clubs, Kevin Keegan, had described him as “probably in the top three headers of a ball [he had] ever seen in football” – never one to get carried away with things is our Kev.

Fast forward 12 months – to now. Liverpool sit 2^nd in the table, 2 points behind Manchester City. Andy Carroll tops the goal scoring charts, level with Fernando Torres. The Kop chants Carroll’s name if he’s playing or not, pundits joke about Liverpool still being a one-man team but it’s not Gerrard they’re talking about. The first name on Fabio Capello’s team sheet is Andy Carroll and the question posed by deep-thinking journalists and bloggers is “Who to partner Carroll?” at the Euro 2012 tournament.

It’s not entirely inconceivable is it? Perhaps it is…. But it wasn’t 12 months ago. And all because Old Biff fished Gray’s Sports Almanac out of a bin and stole the De Lorean.

In reality Liverpool sit 6^th in the league table, 13 points shy if City having played one more game. Andy Carroll has scored 2 goals (As has Fernando Torres), level with Martin Skrtel and behind such luminaries as Stephen Ward and Anthony Pilkington. The Kop chants Luis Suarez’s name, whether he’s banned for making racist comments or not, pundits joke about Liverpool still being a one-man team and it’s still Gerrard they’re talking about. Carroll is barely in contention for the England Squad – people like Danny Welbeck and Daniel Sturridge have leapfrogged him and the question posed by deep-thinking journalists and bloggers is “Where has it all gone wrong for Andy Carroll?”

At Newcastle, despite his young age, the team was built to his strengths. Conventional, if limited, wingers such as Wayne Routledge and Jonas Gutierrez scorched the flanks, firing crosses for Carroll to steam on to and head home. Carroll led the line, either up top on his own or assisted by Shola Ameobi or Leon Best. Both Best and Ameobi like getting the score sheet themselves, but just look at how Demba Ba is getting along this season to see how they are players who get the best out of strike partners. Joey Barton not only provided him with quality service, but kept the hacks off his back by playing the greatest game of hooligan one-upmanship since Oasis ruled Cool Brittania and the Gallagher brothers competed to see who could get the most scandalous stories printed about them (Oh, they still do that?).

Carroll was the big fish in a little pond. That’s not meant as a disrespect to Newcastle FC – a big club, but one which had just been relegated and promoted. He liked it that way, cock of the walk. Liverpool have their own home-grown heroes, and are not a team geared up to play to Carroll’s strengths.

Tactics

Kenny’s tactics in fact may be hindering his expensive forward. Recently he’s been trying out playing Downing on the right (More about him later) and Bellamy on the left. Inverted wingers (those who play on the opposite side to their natural foot) are perfect for cutting in and playing little nippy-nappy intricate triangles, but no so good for hitting the byline and whipping crosses in. That’s the sort of service Andy Carroll needs. Bellamy is a converted striker himself, he’ll always prefer to cut in and look for a scoring opportunity himself than to lay on service for another player – Kuyt too. Needless to say, both Kuyt and Bellamy do an awful lot of work for their team, but it’s not the sort of work that Andy Carroll needs them to do. Dalglish has even been playing Glen Johnson of the left sometimes – instead of his typical overlapping runs, he’s also had to cut inside onto his stronger foot.

The chalkboard above shows all of Downings successful passes during the 74 minutes that Carroll was on the pitch against Manchester City. Downing has only got within 18 yards of the byline twice, and only found Carroll with a pass three times. That's just not enough. That's just an example of one game. There has been times that Carroll has been taken off just as Downing has cone on. Or one has player, but not the other - once Downing even came on in place of Carroll. Best crosser and best header of the ball should play together more. As it is, Carroll is struggling for goals, and Downing has not made one single assist. They've only played about 1/3 of available game time both on the same pitch.

Liverpool’s short passing game just doesn’t suit Carroll, he’s a very talented player at what he does. But he won’t get much joy swapping positions with more versatile and mobile team-mates, as Suarez can do with wingers or players “in the hole”. He’s a number nine, full stop. Powerful, aggressive and single-minded. He's not the sort of player to go on a mazy run or play intricate 1-2s with three team-mates before backheeling a lob over a befuddled keeper.


Whilst not wanting to resort to humping long balls up to the big guy up front, Liverpool need to mix it up a bit and alter the way they approach the opposition goal if they want to see a good return on Andy Carroll.


He showed at Newcastle that he's competent enough to lead the line on his own, he's certainly physical enough. But he does still need support. If he's going to be up there as a target man, he needs players making runs around him to flick onto or otherwise bring into the game. Against Manchester City in the recent Carling Cup win over Manchester City, Carroll looked so isolated and dejected, it was bordering on unpleasant. Every long ball that went up to him was a waste of time. If he won the ball, there was nothing to do with it. Admittedly, Liverpool were defending a slender lead against the most expensively assembled squad in English football, so they weren't too adventurous, but it must have been a long afternoon for Andy.

Fitness

Carroll was signed injured, and didn't make his debut for Liverpool for a number of weeks. When a player is as big as Andy Carroll, injuries do take a time to get over. Any man on the street of a similar physique would struggle to regain fitness after a fairly long injury lay off. Big man, means big muscles, means big problems especially if it's the thigh that's injured. He was apparently told by management at Liverpool that he needed to shed a few pounds before he'd even kick a ball for them.

Carroll stands at 6'3" and has never been lean, but if you care to compare images of his Newcastle playing days with a recent photograph, he's clearly put on a bit of timber. A lot of people 'fill out' in their early twenties, few of them are professional footballers though.

Luis Suarez

Luis Suarez, currently banned for 8 games, has been such a revelation since hitting these shores that team-mates have been looking for him more than they have Carroll. Not that there is very often the choice. Suarez and Carroll have only started a third of league games together, and only both finished the 90 twice - against Everton and Blackburn. They therefore still have a lot of work to do before they can call themselves a partnership of any note.

Confidence


The injury-delayed start was far from ideal, the wait for the first goal didn't help either. But, sometimes watching Andy Carroll play football is downright awkward and it shouldn't be that way. It's affecting his game. Even the things that he should be good at, he is starting to doubt himself. The suspension of Vincent Kompany put Carroll up against Stefan Savic - and most people expected him to fill his boots and Savic's. But he didn't, he was outmuscled by a gangly beanpole. He was kept quiet. Simply running with the ball became too much for him that game, he tripped over himself, bouncing the ball off his thigh - to jeers of derision from the crowd.


It shouldn't be forgotten that this is a young man, after all. He's falliable, he's competitive, and he's human. Poor form can become somewhat of a self-fulfilling prophecy. If a player lets it affect his head, then it's almost guarenteed to continue. The huge £35 million price tag hasn't helped either in this regard. Expectation are so high for Andy Carroll, perhaps he needs to go through this perjury and come out of it phoenix-like, the other side.




Stewart Downing, Jordan Henderson and Charlie Adam

As mentioned above, Stewart Downing and Andy Carroll have only been on the pitch together for about a third of possible minutes played. But, even when they have played together nothing has happened between them. On paper, Downing is the best crosser of the ball in that Liverpool squad, and Carroll is the best header of the ball. Everyone knows that football matches aren't played on paper, but it's like they've never met...


Jordan Henderson has had a similarly unimpressive debut season so far with the Reds. In fact, Henderson and Downing seem to be doing their best to make Carroll's price-tag look reasonable.


Charlie Adam. Not an impressive start for the supposed playmaker signed form Blackpool after a long and flirtatious pursuit. Not being burdened with an eight figure price-tag may have helped Charlie settle on Merseyside, because he hasn't been as woeful as the other recent signings, but there seems to be a lack of invention, perhaps a lack of subtlety in his game. Guile - that's the word. Adam's passing has been lacking the vision and guile that is expected of him.


A good example of this is to contrast his passing with that of Steven Gerrard in the recent Premier League loss to Manchester City. Steven Gerrard came on as a sub for Charlie Adam after almost an hour, and played 35 successful passes out of a total of 43 attempts, compared to 32 successful passes out of 43 for Adam. In roughly half the time, he had completed more passes than the man he replaced. Not many players compare favourably with Steven Gerrard in a Liverpool shirt, but that's astonishing. It is compounded when the positional data is looked at.

As the chalkboards show, Charlie Adam played twice as long as Steven Gerrard but completed fewer passes - and none going forward in the final third of the pitch. (The only completion seen on that top chalkboard is a throw in). Charlie's central midfield colleague managed two forward passes in the final third of the pitch - but then he did play 90 minutes. Liverpool have missed thier talismanic captain, and no-one moreso than Andy Carroll.

Written by Tom Nash @ffootballer

Premier League Week #9-Chalkboards

Kenny Dalglish Struggled to Find Answers Against Norwich


Dalglish started with two inverted wingers. The left footed Stewart Downing employed on the right, and right footed Craig Bellamy on the left. Downing was profligate, giving the ball away many times, his crosses not hitting their mark often enough. After Norwich’s equaliser, Dalglish attempted to change things about, and brought Henderson on for Bellamy, and switching the wingers back to their more natural sides. If Downing had been wasteful on the right, Henderson was woeful. Nearly half of his passes went astray. The chalkboards below show Downing on the right up until the introduction of Henderson, from which point he switched to the left, and in comparison. Obviously Downing has far more time on the pitch in that position, but playing percentages – Henderson 64% pass completion, Downing 74% completion. Neither of which are acceptable at home for Liverpool, but it’s clear that the change didn’t pay off.

When the second of Dalglish’s substitutions is considered – the old Big Man up front brought on to batter a weary defence, and brings off Stewart Downing. In effect he’s set Andy Carroll up to fail. By giving him 10 minutes at the end when both the best crossers of the ball (on paper at least) on the pitch that day have been withdrawn.

In the last ten minutes, Liverpool humped long balls up to Carroll, and tried to find him with crosses, ultimately with no joy.
The chalkboard below shows just the incomplete passes in the last ten minutes.

After buying so many central midfielders over the summer, the question was always going to be who would make way once Steven Gerrard returned to fitness. Jordan Henderson was thought to be the one at risk, his versatility perhaps hampering him from making a bold claim on any of the positions he can play in. Against Manchester United, Gerrard made his first start in a midfield partnership with Charlie Adam, and Lucas Leiva playing as a shield in front of the back four. Dalglish can perhaps be accused of underestimating Norwich – he left out Leiva to afford himself two up top. Luis Suarez had one of those games where on another day he’d have got four goals - but you don’t get anything for coming close, however many times you do so.
Gerrard’s performance wasn’t match-winning, but he got himself all over the pitch, and this game will have done his fitness no end of good. A few of his passes went astray, but sharpness will return, and he was Liverpool’s best passer on the day.

Chelsea Vs QPR

It’s often said that playing against 10 men is harder than against 11. Often said…. But rarely actually true. Playing against 9 men? Surely an easier task? It didn’t seem that way for QPR against the 9 men of Chelsea after Jose Bosingwa and Didier Drogba got their marching orders. The chalkboards here show Chelsea’ shots (First half – top picture). Off-target shots are shown in red, blocked shots as grey and shots on target are indicated in blue.
Chelsea failed to get a single shot on target in the first 45, and yes – that’s a shot from Drogba skewing off for a throw-in.
In the second half, despite having 9 men, Chelsea produced far more attacking threat. QPR rose to the challenge, putting in 4 blocks.

Contrast this with QPR’s performance, in terms of shots on goal in each half. Drogba was the second man sent off in the 41st minute. Yet QPR’s only two shots on target came in the first half. Helguson’s goal from 12 yards in the tenth minute, and Tarrabt’s free kick in the 34th minute. Therefore, QPR didn’t muster a single goal attempt on target from open play during the entire match.

Warnock is a canny manager, he knew that despite his team being two players to the good, Chelsea were still dangerous, and will also have had in mind that the Chelsea players will have felt incensed by refereeing dec isions that they felt had gone against them, and would be putting pressure on the referee constantly. Further evidence of this can be seen by looking at the chalkboards for the tackles QPR put in against Chelsea.

As you can see QPR were forced back into their own half far more, and made more tackles deep as Chelsea, despite being down to 9 men, pushed for an equaliser. The three points will be seen as a bonus by QPR and Warnock, who would’ve probably taken a draw from this weekend having seen the fixture list.

Written by Tom Nash of The Frustrated Footballer. you can follow Tom on twitter @ffootballer

Javier Hernandez-Catch Me If You Can!

Picture Courtesy-David Vandepeer

Javier Hernandez's goal against Liverpool rescued a point for Manchester United. Hernandez was the lone bright spot in an otherwise poor afternoon for United.The finish was easy for the Mexican,but his movement before the goal to get rid of his marker was exemplary. Martin Skrtel was left with twisted blood as Hernandez ran a circle around him to head the ball into the net.

No doubt Hernandez is a great finisher,but his movement is even better. Always looking for space and trying to avoid defenders,the below video by JohnGME clearly shows his ability to avoid defenders and his knack of finding space.

Liverpool v Manchester United Preview

Whilst Liverpool haven’t been in a position to realistically challenge for the league title for some years now, this game is still the one most fans of both clubs look for when fixtures are announced at the beginning of the season. Of course the Liverpool – Manchester rivalry goes back well beyond Premier League times, and in fact goes well beyond football too. During the industrial revolution, when Great Britain was the superpower of the world these two cities battled for supremacy as Lancashire’s industrial powerhouse. Manchester had its factories and drew wealth from the manufacture of cotton amongst over things, and Liverpool was one of the greatest ports in the world. When the Manchester ship canal was built, trade could bypass the docks at Liverpool and go straight to Manchester. This caused unemployment and deep resentment. The fiercest rivalries often have far more about them than simply football; such as Portsmouth and Southampton which grew not only from proximity but also from a story of changing fortunes hundreds of years old; and such as the two giants of Glasgow, whose rivalry stems from different Christian denominations.

Aside from historical one-upmanship, the two city’s teams are the most successful in English history, and it is currently the time for Liverpudlians (and fans the world over) to watch with envy at the successes enjoyed by their bitter rivals. A Liverpool fan can gain some consolation from the pain of a pot-less season by beating Manchester United. Manchester United now have one more league title than Liverpool, but still fall short on the European front, having one three less than Liverpool’s five gained in their pomp (And not forgetting the miracle of Istanbul).

Manchester United may have won the league last year, but honours have been even in the recent league ties. Both teams have recorded two home wins each in the last two seasons.

So what of this year? Kenny Dalglish has announced that he has a full squad to pick from, giving him some selection headaches. Glen Johnson might return in place of Kelly at right back, if he does he’ll find himself up against one of the most inform wingers in the division in the shape of Ashley Young.  Steven Gerrard shows that he has a sense of occasion, and is  also set to make a return, perhaps at the expense of Jordan Henderson.  Liverpool have done well without setting the league on fire so far, and look to have bounced back from their abysmal showing at Tottenham with wins against Wolves and Everton. Aside from the 2-0 victory over Arsenal, Liverpool have lined up in a 4-4-2 formation, with Downing picked on either wing, sometimes with Kuyt or Henderson on the other flank. The midfield pairing of Adam and Lucas Leiva has looked solid, so this leaves Dalglish with decisions to make regarding the deployment of Gerrard. It would be a surprise if Adam was benched, a defensive midfielder such as Leiva is vital in games such as this, but it may well be him making way for Stevie G.

Liverpool’s 3-1 victory at home last season over Manchester United came courtesy of the brilliance of Luis Suarez, and a hat-trick from Dirk Kuyt. Liverpool lined up in a 4-4-2 that day, and are expected to play that same formation on Saturday. Andy Carroll may find himself benched for this huge game, as his physical game will not bother the likes of Phil Jones and the fit again Nemanja Vidic. Fans favourite Kuyt may get the nod to play alongside Suarez up front.

Manchester United have been even more tactically consistent that Liverpool, also favouring the classic 4-4-2. Rooney will start, almost certainly partnered by Hernandez, but perhaps Ferguson will show faith with Danny Welbeck. Both have looked sharp this season, but Chicharito’s goals ratio is just too impressive to leave him out. Chris Smalling and Phil Jones look to be a not just great prospects anymore, but  top class players already. A back four of Evra, Jones, Vidic and Smalling is probably Ferguson’s strongest available selection, and probably the best defensive unit in the league. Rio Ferdinand is short of match minutes, but Ferguson might just turn to his tried and tested centre back partnership of Ferdinand and Vidic now that both are available, experience is vital in derby games, and those two have played together for years. Certainly, Alex Ferguson will be glad of the return to fitness of his defenders, this is no place for Antonio Valencia to fill in at right back – not with Glen Johnson overlapping every time Liverpool have possession.

United have conceded an awful amount of shots on goal so far this season, this is probably due to the lack of defensive midfield cover. Anderson is having his best season in United colours so far in his career, and Tom Cleverley has emerged in a very short time to be an influential midfielder for United. He will challenge Darren Fletcher for a starting place, Ferguson will probably go with the work-rate of Fletcher for this away game, and Cleverley might make an appearance from the bench as part of a managed return to fitness after that nasty injury sustained at Bolton.

If both teams line up in their expected 4-4-2, then Manchester United look to have the edge, the personal battles all over the pitch will be vital in deciding the game, and the majority of them – on form – will go in United’s favour. Gerrard vs Cleverley will be of interest to Fabio Capello if young Tom plays, as will the manner that the Englishmen in United’s defence deal with the unquestionably world class Suarez.

All eyes will be on Rooney (When are they not?) following his red card in Podgorica, but despite his infamous short fuse, Rooney has never been sent off in a game against Liverpool, unlike his team mate Vidic, who seems to always see red. Rooney will be looking to bounce back from his disappointing England game, and will relish the opportunity to play against Liverpool.Rooney will be getting involved in the game as much as possible, dropping deep to pick up the ball from midfield, or even from defense. Hernandez or Welbeck will be the spear head of a 4-4-2 that will seem to be a 4-4-1-1 when not in possession.

If Nani is used in preference to Valencia, expect to see the wingers switching flanks to confuse their markers, indeed when United attack, there's lots of fluidity and interchanging between the attacking players.

Goalkeeper David De Gea has come in for some unwarranted criticism, he’s actually played very well, but Liverpool will look to test his long range stopping skills form the outset, and pile the pressure on the young Spaniard as much as they can. He’s quite slight of frame, and Dalglish will definitely think about involving Andy Carroll at some stage.

This is a tough game to call, recent league games between the teams have always ended in home wins, but the way Manchester United are playing and scoring with such frequency, that could change. Both teams are likely to mirror each other’s formation, it will be a scrappy, tight game which may well be decided by a flash of brilliance from either Rooney or Suarez.

Alex Ferguson has implied that this game means more to Liverpool than Manchester United these days, and looking at the league table at the moment, it’s certainly true. A win for Liverpool will bring them within 3 points of United, whereas a loss will leave them a huge 9 points adrift very early in the season. Dalglish more than anyone else at Liverpool knows the importance of this game, and the importance of not losing, but any instructions to play for a draw will be banished from the players’ minds as soon as they head down the tunnel.

Written by Tom Nash of The Frustrated Footballer. you can follow Tom on twitter @ffootballer

Andy Carroll Needs To Get His Act Together

Picture Courtesy-David Vandepeer

After a bizarre deadline day of January 2011,the biggest doubt hung over Andy Carroll's move to Liverpool and whether the Geordie was worth 35 million pounds.But in the subsequent months the spotlight was not on him as the man who he replaced at Liverpool,Fernando Torres made a horrible start to his Chelsea career.Kenny Dalglish further protected his number 9 by saying Carroll wasn't fully fit,and he at his age was more of a buy for the future rather than the present.


Certainly Carroll needs to work harder to contribute more to Liverpools's overall build up play like Suarez,especially when Craig Bellamy is fit and raring to go.Also Steven Gerrard's return to fitness should prompt Dalglish to play a 4-2-3-1 with Suarez up top and Gerrard supporting him.Carroll was certainly more than a big man striker at Newcastle as Tom Nash points out here.His linkup play at Newcastle was excellent,you wouldn't expect a "big man striker" like AC to drop deep and link with his midfielders but as the article above points out,he was more of a all round striker at Newcastle.He even had a tendency to tackle and he has a good success rate too.

But in the recent games against Everton and Wolves he has rarely been involved in the games as we can see from the chalkboards,although he did get the goal against Everton.

Especially against Everton he was barely involved and there was a joke going around that Clattenberg sent Rodwell off so that becomes 10 V 10.Compare this to last season's games for Newcastle with Man United and Arsenal.You can clearly see the difference.And his problems don't end there,his drinking problem has been criticized by the man below,Fabio Capello and with the emergence of Danny Welbeck and Daniel Sturridge,his ticket to Euro 2012 is far from assured.So Andy Carroll needs to get his act together and fast.

Picture Courtesy-Graeme Bandeira

Premier League Week #2-Chalkboards

Picture Courtesy-Graeme Bandeira

David Silva-Premier League's best Playmaker?

Now that Cesc Fabregas has gone back to Barcelona,the best playmaker in England title is up for grabs,David Silva against Bolton showed that the title is most likely to be his.More importantly he was full of energy during the game against Bolton and the chalkboard below shows that he was all over the pitch. There is no particular area of the pitch where his passing is concentrated.

Arsene Wenger has a lot to worry

Both the Arsenal wingers had a horrid time against Liverpool.Walcott and Arshavin,neither of them managed to have any effect on the game.The Arshavin of Euro-2008 is long gone and exciting new talent like Ryo and Oxlade-Chamberlain puts his future in doubt.The Chalkboard below shows that none of their crosses into the penalty box managed to find the target.
 Note-The First top Chalkboard is of Arshavin's and not Theo's as shown below.

Some reason to cheer for Wenger

Emmanuel Frimpong had a great game before being sent off.He is exactly the kind of player whom Arsenal desperately have been missing all these years.
Note-The first chalkboard shows the interceptions of Frimpong and not the tackles as mentioned.

 



Bosingwa-A Natural Wingback

The following chalkboard illustrates how much a natural wing back like Bosingwa contributes to the attacking play of Chelsea.The period when Bosingwa was injured,Ivanovic played at right back,although a reliable player he doesn't have the same attacking thrust as Bosingwa. Chelsea since the days of Mourinho have relied on their wing backs for width.(this chalkboard courtesy a certain 'personalfowl' from the guardian site)

Charlie Adam has become more responsible

Just last week we mentioned on our blog,about Adam becoming more responsible at Liverpool and stop hitting those long "hollywood" balls.He certainly has adjusted his game and slowly but surely he is changing his game for good.

Pennant Vs Etherington

Even though Pennant is enjoying a new lease of life under Tony Pulis,Stoke's attacks mainly come from the left as shown below in the second chalkboard.And in the match against Norwich,we see that the passing is more on the right side,this is due to the fact that Pennant was injured and Etherington shifted to the right.


 by Guardian Chalkboards

 

Arsenal Vs Liverpool-Report

-Ihsan Budaly

Liverpool recorded their first ever win at the Emirates after a good display against an under-strength Arsenal. Missing the likes of Gervinho, Wilshere and Djourou, Wenger had to field youngsters Carl Jenkinson,Emmanuel Frimpong and the (maybe) outgoing Samir Nasri. Kenny Dalglish, meanwhile, chose to leave Luis Suarez out of the starting line-up.

Arsenal were immediately in trouble as Laurent Koscielny came off with a back complaint, adding to their injury woes. Spain under-19 international Ignasi Miquel came on for his league debut, but he and Jenkinson looked shaky under pressure from the Liverpool forwards. Arsenal were kept in the game for a long period due to towering displays from their experienced defenders, Vermaelen and Sagna, while Emmanuel Frimpong provided energy in front of them on his first Premier League start.

But Liverpool undoubtedly had the better of the first half. They played what could loosely be called 4-4-2, but very fluid with lots of drifting from Kuyt, Henderson and Downing. Kuyt in particular was impressive, often dropping off into the channels while working tirelessly off the ball as always, sometimes occupying both Miquel and Sagna. However, Liverpool failed to create any clear chances in the first half, with their best effort being Andy Carroll’s header from Jose Enrique’s cross.

Arsenal are not used to the away team dominating possession at the Emirates and didn’t offer too much threat on the counter. Their trio of attacking midfielders failed to create much; Walcott was quiet, Arshavin was off-colour, though Nasri was bright and looked as likely as any Arsenal player to make an impact.

In the second half, Arsenal started to have spells of possession but still didn’t create much. Their best chance of the game came when the otherwise mediocre Arshavin won the ball of Martin Kelly and squared for van Persie, who should have done better.

But Liverpool still looked the more likely to score, especially after Frimpong’s sending off for a second booking on 70 minutes. Suddenly, Arsenal had less protection for their defence, which was exacerbated by the introduction of the energetic Meireles and Suarez for the tiring Kuyt and Carroll, injecting the fluidity back into Liverpool.

The immediate beneficiary of Frimpong’s exit was Charlie Adam, who slipped through a couple of glorious through balls to Downing and Suarez; both denied by the impressive Wojciech Szczesny. But the breakthrough did come, with the Liverpool substitutes combining. Suarez played a one-two with Meireles, which was intercepted by Miquel, but ended in heartbreak for the debutant whose clearance cannoned in off Aaron Ramsey.

The substitutes combined again for the second goal; Lucas marauded forward and found Meireles running into the box, before he squared for Suarez to get an easy tap-in. The exclusion of Suarez from the starting line-up may have been something of a surprise, but it paid dividends as he came off the bench to give Liverpool the win.

Liverpool will have been delighted to not only defeat Arsenal but effectively dominate the game, finishing with 55% of possession. Charlie Adam contributed to this; look at his chalkboard for this match compared to last week’s outing against Sunderland. He seems to be playing more simple, effective passes instead of the “Hollywood” balls he’s been lambasted for, and his pass completion rate is better (78%, up from 70%). With him and Lucas confidently keeping the ball moving, the Reds’ midfield could be a real force to be reckoned with.

 by Guardian Chalkboards

Premier League Week #1-Chalkboards

Using the Guardian's Chalkboards we look for interesting statistics from the weekend's games and put them here for you guys.
Found an interesting Chalkboard?Just comment below,we will make sure it is added here!

Tom Cleverley has a great future

Looking at the above chalkboard,the first thing on notices that Cleverley has been all over the place.He is mobile,composed and doesnt give up possession easily.Just 6 of his passes over 90 minutes failed to reach the target.One stat which is not shown above is interceptions and tackles,and Cleverley showed us yesterday that he was quite good in the defensive department too.

Charlie Adam should show more responsibilty

 All the "hollywood" balls which Adam tried out failed to reach their target.Agreed that he was one of the players who impressed and also has an assist to his name,Adam should realise that he doesn't have a free role at Liverpool and he may be better off with shorter passes rather than the long ball as he is surrounded by players of higher quality

David De Gea's Distribution

 

This was pointed out by a certain Caramero25 over on the Guardian website that many commentators said that De Gea's distribution was excellent.But it looks like that the Spaniard has to work on that aspect too.Compare it with the present third-choice Spain goalkeeper it looks real bad.

Note-The Upper Chalkboard is De Gea's distribution although it says it is Reina's.

Young needs to improve his crossing

 

Although Young fitted in brilliantly in United,especially his understanding with Rooney augurs well for England too,none of his crosses managed to find a player in red.He may be better off in taking a shot or cutting back inside and passing

Liverpool Vs Sunderland-Tactical Analysis

Liverpool gave league debuts to no less than four of their summer acquisitions, left-back Jose Enrique joining midfielders Charlie Adam, Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson in the famous red of Liverpool for the first time. Sunderland themselves have brought no less than 10 players in the summer, and Steve Bruce gave debuts to Wes Brown and Sebastian Larsson, with David Vaughan made to wait until the 80^th minute to renew acquaintance with fellow Blackpool old-boy Charlie Adam.

Somewhat surprisingly, Liverpool lined up in a 4-4-2 formation. Charlie Adam partnered Lucas Leiva in central midfield, with Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson working the wings. Fans’ favourite Dirk Kuyt surprisingly relegated to the bench. The back four was also not what had been expected. New boy Jose Enrique, ink still wet on his Liverpool contract wore the number 3 at left-back, and at right back John Flanagan was preferred to Martin Kelly.

In truth, Liverpool’s formation was far more fluid than suggested by their line-up. Lucas and Adam both sat pretty deep, with Adam pulling the strings – although he played far less of his “Hollywood” balls than he did with Blackpool. Perhaps the reason for this is the better quality of his team mates, Adam felt less need to try the more audacious of his ideas. Stewart Downing started on the left, but was all over the pitch, and his most telling contribution came when cutting in from the opposite flank, striking the crossbar with a rasping shot after an impressive run. It has been expected that Carroll would play target man up top, but Liverpool linked with him far more successfully along the ground than by pumping high balls for him to challenge for as they did towards the end of the game as Liverpool searched for a winner. He was overshadowed yet again by Luis Suarez, already looking a fantastic piece of business, but to be fair Carroll was unlucky to have a goal ruled out for a foul. Replays showed the lightest of touches on the back of Anton Ferdinand. Carroll and Suarez both came deep to find the ball. At time Liverpool’s 4-4-2 evolved into 4-2-3-1, with either Carroll or Suarez taking their place at the pinnacle of that formation – Carroll actually had more deep touches than Suarez.

Sunderland in contrast deployed a 4-2-3-1 which could also conceivably be described as 4-4-1-1. Gyan supported by Benin international Sessegnon from an attacking midfield position. In reality the two formations are very similar but 4-4-1-1 is seen as far more conventional, it’s merely a 4-4-2 with one of the forwards withdrawn. Sunderland’s was probably more of a 4-2-3-1. The two central midfielders Cattermole and Colback are not the most attack minded of players, and they player with wingers high up the pitch.

The Curious Case Of Alberto Aquilani

- Tom Nash

At the moment, the Anfield future of Alberto Aquilani hangs in the balance. His agent Franco Zavaglia has made more u-turns than the coalition Government in Westminster – often only a matter of days after a statement declaring that Aquilani will definitely stay, another statement is released to the contrary. Another season long-loan has been mooted, and the absurdity of that discussed widely – even if his wages are paid by the club loaning him in, surely his value will only diminish as his contract runs down? Moneyball must have a chapter on this!



When Alberto Aquilani signed for Liverpool in August 2009 for £17 million, it must be said that not much was known about him. This is despite him being a full Italy international, and a key component of a Roma team that finished 2nd in Serie A the previous season. It must also be said that 2 years down the line, not much more is known about him than was then.

It also appears that Rafa Benitez might not have known much about him. Aquilani was supposedly bought as a replacement for the departed Xabi Alonso, who had moved to Real Madrid, but they actually play very different roles within the bracket of central midfielder. He is perhaps closer in style to Steven Gerrard, playing higher up the pitch and breaking into the box during attacks. And seeing as Liverpool’s talismanic captain is 31 years of age, looking for a replacement is something that might have to be done soon. Gerrard isn’t one of those players who will last forever, his high tempo powerful game has taken its toll on his body, particularly his knees. But, so it was – Alonso went to Madrid and Liveprool signed Aquilani. It must be very difficult to replace a fans’ favourite, particularly one who is talked about by those who say they know about football as probably more important to Liverpool’s performances in recent seasons than even Gerrard. An injury delayed debut only heaped more pressure on him, and his fitness was often questioned. He made 26 appearances in the 2009-10 season, some as substitute. The season before his move to Liverpool, Aquilani played a mere 20 games for Roma, and his injury record over the previous 3 years definitely puts him in the box marked “prone”.

Roma, alongside most major European clubs, played a variant of the currently popular 4-2-3-1 formation, and Aquilani was for the majority the focus of the three-man attacking trio, although he’s displayed some versatility by being used on either flank, sometimes as one of the double-pivot holding midfielders, and also as the trequartista when Roma witched it up a bit. He has scored a few spectacular and important long range goals for Roma and his reputation in Italy is significantly higher than it is in England.

In 2009-10 Liverpool also generally played 4-2-3-1, but Aquilani was generally used as one of the two holding players, and even then was third choice at best behind Javier Mascherano and Lucas Leiva – a tough double act to break up, especially if it is not your favoured position. The preferred players in the attacking trio behind Torres were Kuyt, Gerrard and Babel/Maxi/Aurelio/Riera.

Still, 26 games for an injury hit debut season isn’t too bad, and it’s often the case that a player brought in from another league takes a season to adjust to the style of the Premiership. There was a feeling among Liverpool fans that the best was yet to be seen from Alberto Aquilani. However, Benitez made way for one of the most unpopular managerial appointments in recent years – the doomed Roy Hodgeson. Hodgeson decided that Aquilani should be sent out on loan, back to his mother country in order to gain match fitness – obviously not putting much faith in the physiotherapy and physical training facilities at Melwood. He went straight into the team at Juventus, where he played in the middle of a 4-4-2, as the more creative of the central pair alongside Felipe Melo, a defensively minded player.

Since his return to England, Aquilani has been making the news simply because people are finally finding out that he’s not a bad player. You don’t get to represent Italy at all levels from under-14 upwards if you’re a bad player. Owner John W Henry misspelt his name on twitter, such was his urgency to declare Aquilani as Liverpool’s “missing link last year”. Strange comments from an owner who has just forked out a medium-sized fortune on Jordan Henderson and Charlie Adam. They’ve now got about 8-10 central midfielders, depending on who makes the first team squad. To put that into a perspective that the average man might understand, that’s like your boss buying two new computers for the office, then finding one under his desk and saying it’s the best model. Add into the mix Assistant boss Steve Clarke praising fellow Chelsea old-boy Joe Cole, and you’re left wondering if they’ll bother with defenders or attackers in the coming season.

With Liverpool generally reckoned to be playing either a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3 (or somewhere in between) next season, you’d have to say that competition for places is going to be fierce.

Looking at further length into the likely starters in a 4-2-3-1, it’s probably fair to say that the double pivot of holding midfielders will be Lucas Leiva and Charlie Adam. Leiva fulfilling the destructive element of that pairing, and Adam playing as a deep-lying playmaker, in the mould of Andrea Pirlo, or indeed Xabi Alonso. Back-ups to these positions would be Poulsen if he’s still there, and at a push Spearing and Meireles. The make-up of the attacking trio behind the main striker is a little harder to speculate. On the wings there are the options of Aquilani, Downing, Henderson, Joe Cole, Rodriguez, and of course Kuyt has been used there, as has Luis Suarez – even Steven Gerrard could do a job there, although he’ll probably be nailed on to play the central role of that attacking part of midfield. The position behind the front man, Aquilani’s favoured position, is also one that could be assigned to one of many. As I’ve said, Gerrard will get the most starts there, but if he remains at Anfield, Aquilani is certain to be a contender for that place, given Gerrard’s poor showing last year, and the question marks over his fitness now. Other contenders for that job are Joe Cole again, and perhaps Jordan Henderson.

What Liverpool are doing here is assembling a squad of players who are specialists at one position, but have the versatility to play one or more others. This gives them quality cover for injuries, options for rotation, and intense competition for places to motivate the players to perform consistently. They do not yet have the strength in depth that was the hallmark of the Manchester United and Chelsea title winning teams of the last decade, but their not far off. So, whilst I wouldn’t say that Aquilani is the player who will win them a Premiership title, he’s the kind of player you need in your squad to have the strength to challenge.

How Will Liverpool Set Up in 2011/2012?

Liverpool’s form dramatically changed last season when the unhappy reign of Roy Hodgson ended and “King Kenny” was promoted from Head of the Academy to Manager of the first team. Most believed that Dalglish was going to implement the 4-4-2 he favoured when he was in charge of Blackburn. However, Dalglish knows this formation is outdated especially at a higher level and so chose to switch to the 4-2-3-1, one of the more popular formations in recent years.

So with Liverpool being active in the Transfer Market,how is Dalglish going to change his tactics next season.Here in this article we look at two formations both of them which Dalglish used last year,the 4-2-3-1 and the 3-5-2.




4-2-3-1

The first formation is classic 4-2-3-1. It became Dalglish’s favoured formation at the end of last season. This formation is well suited to this Liverpool side especially Gerrard, Lucas Leiva and Glen Johnson. With the transfer of Charlie Adam imminent as well, I think we may be watching a very Benitez style double pivot (Alonso/Mascherano), with Adam as the creator and Lucas as the destroyer. If this does happen Gerrard will probably be pushed further forward with one of the front four dropping to the bench.

However I’m not sure how new signing Jordan Henderson will fit in this formation as he has only really be seen in a 4-4-2 for Sunderland, and was poor for England u21’s this summer while playing in a pivot. Another midfielder who has been missed out from my starting line-up is Raul Meireles. His form rose at the same time as Liverpool’s last season, but has been rumoured to be leaving, with Dalglish putting an onus on home-grown talent.
Dalglish emphasises attacking football and a free flowing front 4, with the width getting provided by the full backs. For this to happen the front man needs to have good movement into either the channels or by dropping into the midfield. Kuyt arguably did this the best last season. In his hat-trick against Manchester United, Kuyt did everything which Dalglish would want him to do, moving into channels, holding the ball up, dropping deep and also making runs behind the defence to stretch the play and to make space for Suarez. Whether Carroll can do this as effectively as Kuyt is still a doubt for me because he lacks the same mobility. However, arguably what Carroll lacks in mobility, he more than makes up for with his aerial strength.
Lucas is a key man in this formation. Voted as Liverpool’s player of the season last year, his tackling and passing are superb, and this allows Liverpool to have the time to go from their defensive form to their attacking form. Essentially it will allow the midfield to get into position and allow the full backs to get into the oppositions half.
A positive with this formation is the numerical advantage in midfield. This allows Liverpool to keep possession more easily. Another advantage though which was highlighted in the game against Wolves away, was that this formation allows runners from midfield which can be very hard to track if the opposition only has 2 central midfielders compared to Liverpool’s three. If the striker drops off
the central defenders to become a false nine, it opens up gaps in the defence which midfielders like Gerrard, or in the case of Wolves, Meireles, will more than happily exploit.


3-5-2


Another formation favoured by Dalglish is a 3-5-2 or a 3-4-2-1. This formation was used notably against Stoke when Dalglish felt he needed the extra height needed in set plays so played more centre backs. Although this formation will mainly be used as an alternative to the favoured 4-2-3-1 it still has many positives.
A key component in this formation is the wing backs. Johnson has the energy and pace for this but I do not think Insua or Aurelio do. This position is definitely an area which needs improving and the attacking capabilities of Baines or Enrique would be better suited here. Kelly and Flanagan both performed admirably when called upon but both are still too young for the responsibility in these positions as starters. They will still provide adequate cover though when called upon.

Yet again Dalglish uses a double pivot and as previously discussed he has a wealth of choices here, even the forgotten about Aquilani may push for an occasional start, as well as the hard working Jay Spearing. The midfield shape can also change. An example of this, is the switch into a midfield diamond when away to Chelsea, in this case Dalglish used this to match up with Chelsea’s formation in midfield. As a result, Liverpool nicked a 1-0 win and Torres and Drogba were anonymous as they were kept quiet by the three man defence. This is another example of Dalglish’s emphasis on fluidity in his formations, a key component if Liverpool is to be successful next season.
Expect the front three to be fluid again, with Rodriguez, Gerrard, Kuyt, Suarez, Henderson or Meireles all able to do a job in these roles. Whether Dalglish decides to rotate these players, or settle on a definitive starting line-up will be interesting as he has a host of big name players which he needs to keep happy for any chance of success.
Do not expect these formations to be the only ones which Dalglish uses, as he has shown by how he lined up against Chelsea he is more than willing to change the set-up of his side to stop the opposition, especially away from home.
With players and fans all seemingly excited by next season and now happy to be associated with the football club again it would be wrong to rule out Liverpool next season, especially with Liverpool’s intelligent back room staff including Steve Clarke and Damien Comolli. Therefore, if Dalglish brings in a left back, I really think that this squad has the ability to break the domination of Manchester United and Chelsea in recent years.

-Greg Cooper (itsaballnotabomb)