First Team Report

By cynicaloldgit.

Well, the dust has settled on another season at Anfield and, for the second year in succession, we have no silverware to show for our efforts. The season has been promising but frustrating in equal measure: a good start was followed by a slip and then we recovered to just about cling onto the leaders’ tails in the league, at least until a certain day at Old Trafford. We went out of the Carling Cup at the quarter-final stage at Stamford Bridge, on an evening when our side was weaker than Chelsea’s, and then inexplicably got dumped out of the FA Cup on home soil by Barnsley, in a result even worse than the defeat, in the same competition, by Burnley in 2005 (at least that one was away from home). After a faltering start in the Champions’ League, we went on a dazzling run which only ended with a fighting display at Stamford Bridge in the semis, although the tie was effectively lost when we failed to take our chances in the first leg at Anfield.

All in all, then, it’s been a good, if not spectacular, season but we’ve been let down by small things. Football is a team game, of course, and it would be churlish in the extreme to attribute, say, our Champions’ League exit to John Arne Riise, no matter how hapless his attempted clearance in those dying seconds was. Mascherano and Arbeloa should have done more to prevent Kalou’s cross coming in, for example. Still, any chain is only as strong as its weakest link and this has been evident in the league this season: when Rafa has rotated, some of the players brought in simply haven’t been good enough for a title-winning side in the modern game. There is a dedicated thread on the manager’s failings, so I won’t go into detail here. However, some of those who say that certain players aren’t good enough sometimes appear to be in denial of the fact that it is Rafa who either bought or hasn’t sold the players in question.

When assessing the players, I have tried to take into account their experience, both in the English game and at Liverpool itself, and other factors such as injuries and off-the-pitch matters. I have also tried to factor in some idea of how players have progressed compared to previous seasons. As well as these considerations, players’ roles within the squad have been taken into consideration: there’s a difference, therefore, between an “A” for an established member of the first eleven and the same grade for an untried youngster, just breaking into the first-team set-up. It is worth noting that I have used a scale only ranging from A to E, as none of our players deserves anything lower than that and the “A+” grade is just an artificial construct necessary to reflect declines in the standard of education. It’s obvious that not everyone will agree with the individual assessments, let alone the more subjective grades awarded, but I would hope that this review generates some good discussion. And please note that these summaries here are not meant to be exhaustive analyses of each players’ strengths and weaknesses: if I were to do that, each entry would run to several thousand words and the whole piece would be enough to send you all to sleep. So those who are going to nit-pick (you know who you are), remember that I’ve almost certainly (although nobody can think of everything) considered whatever incident or point you’re going to mention but haven’t included it in the final piece for brevity’s sake.

Pepe Reina This is Pepe’s third season at Anfield and he has firmly established himself as not only our number one but one of the best ‘keepers in the Premier League. Pepe commands his area and there seems to be a great deal of trust between him and his central defenders; furthermore, his distribution, which was erratic in his early days at the club, has improved considerably (to the point where he now often starts breakaway attacks) and he has become noticeably more vocal, no doubt as a result of a natural progression in his English. Where Pepe still fails to convince, however, is on crosses. Not only is he sometimes spotted dithering about whether to come out for one or not, but he often flaps when he does get there; all of us can think of goals we have conceded when Pepe hasn’t dealt adequately with a high ball into the box or when under pressure from an attacking player. Pepe may be very agile but he isn’t the most physically imposing of goalkeepers and teams often try to muscle him out of things (legitimately, of course) at set pieces. As an aside, Pepe’s legendary penalty-saving ability let us down, especially against Chelsea, this season. Still, we won’t hold that against him. A-

Charles Itandje A newcomer signed from Lens for one of those mysterious “undisclosed” fees, the French custodian has been a bit hit-and-miss, to say the least. He made his competitive debut at Reading in the Carling Cup and combined some flapping which brought back memories of Sander Westerveld (which isn’t a good thing) with some very good reflex saves. That set the tone for the rest of his season, which was an often hilarious mixture of the good, the bad and the Gary Neville-like ugly: to pick one notable example, Itandje seemed to go down in instalments when Brian Howard scored the winner for Barnsley, which didn’t impress many. I can see why Rafa bought Charlie boy, as he’s both quick off his line and very agile and seems happy to play second fiddle to Pepe, but I’m not sure that I’d have great confidence in him if our number one (well, twenty-five) were out injured for a long time. C+

Alvaro Arbeloa After his top-notch display at the Camp Nou in February 2007, when he kept a certain Senor Messi very quiet, and while playing on the wrong side, to boot, Arbeloa looked set to establish himself as a quality full-back. Defensively he is very sound, although maybe not the best in the air (which is why the (thankfully shortlived) experiment to try him at centre-half seemed a bit perplexing at the time), but he doesn’t add that much going forward. Yes, he gallops upfield when the opportunity arises but there isn’t really much of an end product. He needs to work on his crossing and his awareness in the final third if he wants to step up to the next level and establish himself as a regular starter. I like him, as he’s a diligent pro and very hardworking, but I’d be disappointed if we start next season with him as a first XI staple: he’s more a first-choice substitute in my eyes. B-

Steve Finnan Mr Reliable has been out of form this season, his plight not helped by niggling injuries and advancing years. Still, he made twenty-one league starts over the course of the season and odd flashes of the old quality have still been in evidence, notably his foray forward and fine ball into Torres in the home draw with Wigan; however, such contributions have been few and far between. Whether due to his declining physical abilities or his manager’s instructions, Finnan has generally been content to play a lateral or backwards pass once he reaches the halfway line. The Irishman has been a loyal servant to Liverpool, and has reportedly retired from international service in order to prolong his club career, but it appears as though his best days are behind him, so rumours of a transfer this summer don’t really come as much of a surprise, although I’d be happy to retain him as experienced back-up. C

Daniel Agger A season blighted by injury for the 2006-07 TCAA Player Of The Year. According to reports, our medical staff didn’t exactly cover themselves in glory dealing with Agger’s foot problems: he should have had surgery before Christmas, not in March. Let’s hope that he returns in top shape next season, as we could do with his quality and composure on the ball. No rating.

Jamie Carragher When’s he’s at the top of his game, there isn’t a better out-and-out defender than Jamie Carragher in the world of football. He somehow gets back at attackers who outpace him, his tackles are immaculately timed and his organisation of the back four is unmatched. The problem is that he hasn’t been anywhere near his magnificent best this season. Yes, the indomitable spirit is still there and Carra gives his colleagues as much grief as he has ever done, but there have been more mistimed tackles this season than previously, leading to costly penalties conceded, while the way he turned his back on Brian Howard’s late, late strike in the Barnsley game was a shock: Carra on his best form would have thrown everything at that ball and blocked it. It is also worth noticing that Carra’s distribution hasn’t improved much, at least when he’s playing at centre-half. He has put some excellent crosses into the area when playing from the right-back position, so it’s perplexing quite why he just hoofs it when he’s back in the middle. Could it be that Carra has reached his plateau and is now on the downward slope? Of course, Jamie is such a model professional that he will try his best to improve next season but the return of a fit Agger would give Rafa a real headache, one which could result in our Scouse stalwart starting more games from the bench. B-

Jack Hobbs After playing well in the Carling Cup victory over Cardiff, the big centre-half made his Premier League debut in December, replacing the injured Jamie Carragher after 41 minutes of the 4-0 trouncing of Bolton Wanderers at Anfield, and then started our next game. Unfortunately for him, he looked all at sea as Reading ended our unbeaten run in the league 3-1 at the Madejski and he was soon sent out on loan to Scunthorpe. Hobbs is a towering presence and a willing grafter but he needs to work on his positioning and distribution if he is going to make the grade as a Red. With Hyypia signing an extension, it looks as though the former Lincoln man may be sent out on loan again next term. C-

Sami Hyypia What can be said about our defensive stalwart that hasn’t already been written a million times? He’s reliable, devoted to the cause and a model professional. And he just keeps going: if I had a penny for every time the big Finn was written off, both in the media and by our own fans, I’d have enough money for a bag of Pick ‘n’ Mix by now. Despite his advancing years, Sami has been terrific this season, with his composure and reading of the game more than making up for his non-existant pace. He has recently signed an extension to his contract and he fully deserves it. A-

Martin Skrtel He may look like an escaped convict and be as hard as one (as the advertising hoardings at the Kop end will testify) but there is more to the Slovak’s game than brute force. He is assured on the ball, rarely wasting a pass, and comfortable in bringing the ball out of defence. He has good recovery pace and is excellent in the tackle, while his no-nonsense approach stands him in good stead in the hurly burly of the Premier League. I haven’t seen anyone handle Drogba with such ease as that Martin showed in the first leg of the Champions’ League semi-final and there aren’t many more physically challenging forwards around than the Ivorian. Skrtel’s injury in the second leg may well have been crucial, as Drogba imposed himself on Hyypia and Carragher afterwards. It wouldn’t surprise anyone to see Skrtel and Agger form a fantastic partnership at the heart of our defence in years to come.One other thing: many were quick to slate Skrtel after his shaky full debut against Havant & Waterlooville, despite the fact that he was returning from holiday (the Russian season finished in November) and he was only just adapting to English football. Perhaps people ought to wait a little longer before passing judgment? A-

Fabio Aurelio The man of a thousand injuries had a slow start to the season (due to, erm, injury) but established himself as our number one left-back by December. He is adept at surging forward and a competent enough crosser of the ball but hasn’t lived up to Rafa’s initial statement that he was a better passer than Xabi Alonso. He clearly has fine technique, though, as his sublime first goal for the club, in the away win at Bolton in March, demonstrated, so it’s disappointing that he hasn’t been able to contribute more from dead-ball situations and in open play. Defensively solid, if unspectacular, Fabio has good stamina and can get up and down the left flank all day long; it will be interesting to see how he fares if he can stay fit for an entire season, as the ability has always been there. B-

John Arne Riise A couple of seasons ago, Riise appeared to be a player reborn, having shaken off the lethargy which had afflicted him for a while (he had had some personal troubles, which have been well-documented) and returned to something like the excellent level of his first couple of seasons at the club. This term, however, John has taken another turn for the worse and it could be terminal, as far as his Anfielld career is concerned. Not only has Riise failed to score for us all season, he has also contributed two disastrous own-goals. The first, at Luton in the cup, was a misjudgment but to repeat the feat a second time was astonishing. Now, as I said in the prelude, our failure to reach Moscow can’t just be pinned on one man but the Norwegian simply hasn’t been playing anywhere near well enough to retain his place in the squad of late. Own-goals are part and parcel of the game (just ask Jamie Carragher) but a player has to be playing well if he is to atone for those unfortunate and costly slip-ups. Riise’s passing has been poor, his crossing shocking, his shooting would bring shame on Stevie Wonder and his defensive game has been below standard. He also appears to have lost a fair bit of conditioning (even if he had scored this season, I doubt that the six-pack would have been on show). It is strongly rumoured that he’ll be off this summer; if so, let’s try to remember him for the good moments rather than the bad. He’s scored some cracking goals and had some excellent games for us over the years; furthermore, he hasn’t ever had a bad word to say about us in the media. I wish him well if he does leave us. D+

Emiliano Insua Arguably the player of the season at reserve level, “Emmy” has done reasonably well in his three end-of-season run-outs. Always willing to get forward, he plays neat one-touch football and can certainly cause his opponents problems. He needs more experience in order to hone his defensive skills and isn’t the tallest player in the world (although a lack of inches is less a disadvantage for a full-back than it would be for a centre-half, obviously), but the signs are encouraging. C+

Xabi Alonso The burning question for many Kopites this summer is: will Xabi be sold? There are strong rumours emanating from Spain that both Real Madrid and Barcelona are interested in acquiring the midfielder and many think that the fee mentioned, somewhere in the region of £19 million, would represent excellent business for a player who has “been out of form” for the last two seasons. It’s worth noting that the player himself has poured cold water on those rumours today, however. Xabi Alonso in full flow is a glorious sight: the hypnotic passes, the delicate touches, the nimble turns. The problem is that he hasn’t done it regularly this season. Injuries have played their part but Xabi was slow to get back up to full speed on his return. Still, he was easily man of the match in the Champions’ League semi-final first leg, a game in which he looked back to his imperious best, and has turned in several other good performances too. He has been caught, uncharacteristically, dallying on the ball in and around our penalty area and this leads those who open their mouths before thinking to surmise that he is “too slow”. What they fail to recognise is that Xabi’s speed is in his mind. Name me a more intelligent player. Name me one who can control the tempo of a game so effortlessly. Name me one who is even half as good a passer. If Xabi leaves, it’ll either be of his own volition, following the birth of his first child, or because our skinflint owners need to raise money through player sales. If he stays, and let’s hope that he does, there’s no reason why he can’t regain his previous level of form. I don’t know if he’s been instructed to sit deep, given fears about his lack of recovery pace, but Xabi could be used further up the pitch with Mascherano behind him. Given better wide targets (our full-backs don’t get forward often enough, while Babel’s first touch is erratic and Kuyt’s non-existant), Xabi can once again start spraying those passes around and launching our attacks. He hasn’t been at his best this season, but form is temporary…. B-

Lucas Leiva The young Brazilian arrived with big expectations, as the reigning player of the year in that country’s league and captain of his national under-20s side. After all, if he’s highly rated in Brazil, he must be good, right? Lucas has found it difficult to adapt to the physical demands of the Premier League but has still acquitted himself with credit. He would have secured instant legend status but for Phil Neville’s goalkeeping heroics at Woodison and has performed well on numerous other occasions. To my eyes, at least, he needs to develop a little physically and mentally (he’s backed out of a few challenges this season) and it would also help if he were given a definite role in the side. I can understand, if not agree with, the theory that young players learn from playing in different positions but Lucas has been deployed as a holding midfielder, a box-to-box player and on the left flank thus far. I see his long-term future as an understudy to Gerrard, in a more attacking position, assuming that we stick with the current formation. He needs to brush up on his passing and finishing but his ideas are usually bright and he looks a good prospect. B

Javier Mascherano After arriving at Anfield on loan in January 2007, Mascherano’s first full season as a Red has been magnificent. He has limitless energy and his positioning is excellent: he always seems to be in the right place at the right time. His tackling is hard but fair and his passing generally good. Furthermore, he is capable of bringing the ball forward at pace, demonstrating very good close control. Mascherano is already probably the best holding midfielder in the world and can only get better. All he needs to do is learn to control his temper: we all know that he blotted his copybook at Old Toilet but there have been other instances where he’s been a little too remonstrative with the ref for my liking. A few more goals wouldn’t go amiss, either… A-

Damien Plessis Another star for the league-winning reserve side, the young Frenchman made an excellent debut at the Emirates, showing discipline, composure and solid technique. His subsequent performances haven’t been quite as impressive, although by no means bad, and he obviously has time on his side. A tall, rangy individual, Plessis will be some presence once he fills his frame and, with more experience, could well establish himself in the first-team squad for years to come. C+

Dirk Kuyt Dirk suffered the loss of his father before the start of the season and this clearly had an effect on him.It says a lot for the man that he was still able to not only play but give his all after the death of someone so close. There aren’t many players who divide opinion as much as the former Feyenoord man. All supporters appreciate his hard work and limitless stamina but, while that is enough for some, there are many who argue that a player needs more in his armoury than just endeavour. Those who remember (or wish to look up) discussions on this forum before we signed the Dutchman will know that I saw no point in his purchase. I will happily say that I have changed my mind in that respect: he brings a formidable workrate to the side and never lets anyone down. The problem remains, however, that he simply isn’t good enough to be anything more than a squad player. Three goals in 2201 minutes of Premier League football is not what you’d expect of one of your main attacking players. And two of those were penalties. Dirk fared better in Europe, contributing some very important goals, but even then the end product of all of his huffing and puffing wasn’t anything to write home about. His pace is limited, his first touch abysmal and his finishing often woeful. Yet he is so immensely likeable that it’s difficult to have a go at the guy. It’s clear that he’s popular with many fans and I can see why; however, I also fully understand those who would like to see him sold on. I’d keep him as back-up, unless we get a really good offer for him. B for Europe; D for the league, so it averages out at C.

Jermaine Pennant A regular in our first XI in the early part of the season, even after his stupid dismissal in our Champions’ League game in Porto, Pennant started our first eight league games and generally performed creditably. What makes his contribution all the more meritorious is that he was playing with a stress fracture to his right tibia which necessitated intensive treatment between matches. After limping off in our defeat at Besiktas, the winger finally had an operation on the injury and returned in the new year. He played some reserve matches while recuperating, and stood out at that level, but couldn’t re-establish himself in the first team once we switched to 4-2-3-1. Excellent late-season displays against Fulham and Birmingham showed that the former Arsenal man is capable of ripping apart weaker Premier League defences when he is on song, but can he perform against sterner opposition and with more consistency? It’s a pity that he was struck down when he was playing well and that we had moved onto a new system by the time he was ready to play again, but I’d like to see him given a chance on the right in the new system before making any decisions on his future. B

Nabil El Zhar Scored a cracking goal against Cardiff in the Carling Cup but was brought on too late to make any real impression against Chelsea in the next round of that competition, although he worked hard. He has blown hot and cold in the reserves but is clearly a talented player. Whether or not he’s good enough for Liverpool remains to be seen but he scored another blinder on his full international debut and may benefit from going out on loan to a smaller Premier League club next season. C

Yossi Benayoun The Israeli international perhaps hasn’t featured as much as he would have liked this season. He’s caused havoc against poor defences, bagging hat-tricks against the likes of Besiktas and Havant & Waterlooville, but he hasn’t been quite so much of a threat against the better teams. That being said, he hasn’t started many of the bigger games and it would be unfair to knock him for that: Gerrard is undroppable, Babel has played fairly well and Kuyt is one of Rafa’s favourites, so it’s not Yossi’s fault if he doesn’t get picked. He seems happy to come on for Babel in the latter stages of a game and carry out the manager’s instructions, so I’d like to keep him on as a back-up player. C+

Steven Gerrard Plenty of goals and plenty of assists, a developing partnership with Torres and even the occasional smile! There really isn’t anything new which can be said about Stevie G: he is just about the best all-round player in the game today and would walk into any squad. Quite what his best position is, though, remains a mystery: yes, the easy answer is to say that he’s ideal where he is, but is he really an attacking midfielder in the same class as Kaka or Riquelme? For one thing, Stevie is pretty mediocre with his back to goal and is far more productive when running onto a through ball. He lacks the absolutely top-end skill and vision to unlock top quality defences on a regular basis, hence his appalling record against certain teams, although it’s hard to quibble with his output. I’d still prefer him to be deployed from the right in a 4-4-2, but it looks as though that is no longer an option. All in all, it was another excellent season from the captain, although he once again went AWOL against Manure and Chelsea. And he still lacks something as a team leader, tending to give his colleagues surly glances when they f*** up, rather than words of encouragement. A-

Ryan Babel One of the joys of the internet is that anyone can, if so inclined, visit other teams’ websites to see what their fans make of certain players. When we signed Ryan Babel last summer, many Ajax fans were surprised that he had not joined Arsenal, the team he supports and one whose style of play would, they reasoned, suit him better than does ours. There were also raised eyebrows at the lofty fee involved, although that’s part and parcel of the modern game. So were those concerns justified? Babel has pace and strength but he seems very raw at the moment. He has been deployed on the left in order, one would assume, to acquire more savvy. Babel has generally been a decent enough outlet on that flank but there has been a frustrating unwillingness on his part to really use his physical attributes to full effect. Instead of taking on his opponents for pace (and I can’t think of any right-back in this league who could keep up with him) and outmuscling his man, Babel has all too frequently decided to cut inside, onto his right foot. This has brought a few goals and some near misses, but it seems wasteful to persevere with him on the left flank next term. I’d rather see him in the attacking right position or, if Torres is sidelined, through the middle. The potential is there; let’s hope that Ryan has the right mental attributes to unlock it. B-

Harry Kewell Another season blighted by injuries but even when he played Kewell looked sluggish and disinterested. I’m not going to dwell at length on Harry here, but his time at Anfield is at an end. E

Sebastian Leto A player who has drawn eulogies from both Gary Ablett and Fernando Torres in training, the young Argentinian winger has looked outstanding in the reserves but no more than reasonable in the first team. Leto was another player to be unfairly treated by some of our know-nothing “supporters” this year: he may not have shone in the home defeat by Marseille, but who did? Those who booed the youngster that day clearly have short memories, as he had played well in our Carling Cup win at Reading only a week earlier, an accomplished performance crowned by a delightful through-ball for the first of Fernando Torres’ three goals that night. He has been unavailable for several months, due to irregularities in his paperwork, but is rumoured to be going out on loan to Espanyol next season. The opportunity to accrue experience at a UEFA Cup-level side shouldn’t be sniffed at and, while it would probably have been more beneficial to play in this country, I assume that he can’t do so until his paperwork matters are resolved. C+

Peter Crouch There are rumours that the England striker wants to leave Anfield this summer and I, for one, can understand his frustration. Okay, he’s not as good as Torres but he is the second-best striker at the club (5 goals in 938 league minutes is not a bad return at all) and ought to be the one to benefit when El Nino is rested or injured. Sadly, he has often been overlooked in favour of Kuyt and/or Voronin, which is fine now that we only play one up top but perplexing to say the least when we were playing with two strikers. The problem is that Crouch has his international ambitions to think about and needs to play regularly for that reason. He’d be an automatic starter for any team outside the top four and it wouldn’t surprise me if he moved on before next season. It’s a shame, as Crouchinho has excellent touch and good vision; his workrate is very high, although he lacks the stamina of Kuyt and is therefore wrongly perceived to not be trying as hard by some. His finishing with his feet is excellent, although his heading is dismal for a man of his height, and he seems like an honest professional. If he does leave, I’m sure that he’ll do well with his next club. B

Fernando Torres Words cannot do justice to El Nino’s contribution this season. Considering that he’s in his first season in the English game, he has been simply remarkable; indeed, it’s fitting that he beat Ruud van Nistelrooy’s record for the number of goals scored by an overseas player in his debut Premier League season. If there is a criticism, it’s that he still misses too many one-on-ones, but no striker puts every single chance away. And the best thing is that the lad will almost certainly get even better in years to come. A

Andriy Voronin The not-so-divine ponytail made a reasonably promising start to his Anfield career, playing well in pre-season and scoring a corker against Toulouse in our Champions’ League qualifier first leg before injuries started to set in. He has been unfairly castigated by many: okay, he isn’t Zidane but he was free, doesn’t command high wages and is happy to be a back-up player. What more could you want of a fourth-choice striker? He passes well, has good vision and has put away the sort of scrappy chances we usually fail to convert, although he can at times appear disinterested and does bottle a few challenges. Anyway, it’s not his fault that he got injured, is it? I’d be happy to see him stay as back-up next season, although there are rumours linking him with a return to the Bundesliga. C+