HomeZ OLD CATEGORIESChelsea (NN)Why Villas Boas Can Succeed at Liverpool, Whilst Failing at Chelsea

Why Villas Boas Can Succeed at Liverpool, Whilst Failing at Chelsea

Why He Can Succeed at Liverpool

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THE CURRENT SQUAD

Much has been said about how Liverpool’s squad is a ‘blank canvas’. It is a squad in need of a direction and a philosophy. It is also a young squad, with the age groups being able to be broken up into three sections:

o Past Peak – Carragher, Gerrard, Maxi*, Kuyt*, Bellamy, Aurelio*

o Peak – Reina, Agger, Skrtel, Johnson, Downing, Enrique, Adam

o Not Yet Peaked – Lucas, Suarez, Carroll, Henderson, Shelvey, Kelly, Coates, Spearing, Eccleston

(* almost certainly moving on)

Also, the Academy is in full motion, producing talents such as Sterling, Coady, Wisdom, Flanagan, Robinson, Morgan, Adorjan and Suso.

This squad, whilst with less quality than Chelsea, is in contrast to the one Villas Boas inherited. It is predominately a peak/young squad, whilst the Chelsea squad was more past/peak squad.

SUITABILITY TO THE SYSTEM

o The High Line – Liverpool’s back five (including GK) suits a high line to a tee. Reina is a naturally aggressive sweeper keeper, having been brought up in the Barcelona Academy, whilst the CB pairing of Agger – Skrtel suits an aggressive pressing game.

o Lucas – He would be a key player in the system should Andre Villas Boas take over at Liverpool. He is the epitome of a Brazilian ‘volante’, who using the literal term is the ‘steering wheel’ or ‘metronome’ of the team. His style is to keep the ball moving and break up opposition attacks

o Right Wing – For Uruguay, Suarez plays on the right of a front three. Whilst playing either as a lone forward or as part of a front two, he frequently drifts into space to allow him to turn and run at defenders (as seen by the 1st Goal vs. Chelsea recently). In a RW position here, he would occupy the ‘Hulk’ role where he can drop into gaps and pick up the ball, linking with the central striker.

o Gerrard’s New Role – Where has Gerrard has the most impact as a Liverpool player? Under Gerard Houllier, Gerrard frequently played in a two man midfield with Didi Hamann. Once Rafael Benitez took over, initially Gerrard was deployed in a wide right role and then later in a free role behind Fernando Torres. There is no denying Gerrard is best suited in positions where he can utilise his attacking prowess, and also he is Liverpool’s best crosser of the ball. For this reason, Gerrard could be suited to the RCM role used under Andre Villas Boas. Jordan Henderson would also be suited to this role as he has tremendous stamina, but would need to work on his confidence in the final third.

o Potential for the Future – even though they may not be immediately ready to slot in, players like Suso, Adorjan and Sterling would be suited to this formation. For the Reserves/Next Gen Series, Suso has often been deployed as an inverted right-winger, as his goal against Wolves shows he is very effective at cutting in, although he plays nothing like Hulk or Suarez, I would say he is more similar to Guti (though hopefully with a better attitude). Adorjan would be a suitable player to play as a midfield playmaker, but he may have to mature more. Finally, Sterling has the pace to attack any space left either in behind defences or in between the RB and the CB, allowing him to either shoot or link up play with the striker (as he is a natural right footer).

POSSIBLE NEED FOR IMPROVEMENT

Left Wing – Moving into next season, Liverpool’s realistic options on the left-wing are Craig Bellamy and Stewart Downing (assuming the club doesn’t cut their losses). There is also the potential for Raheem Sterling to play a few Europa Games and other cup competitions. This position would almost certainly need strengthening due to Bellamy’s injury problems/age and Downing’s inability to seemingly score or assist, essential for a player in a front three. An example of a player who could be bought would be Iker Muniain/Lucas Moura or maybe a more realistic option in Junior Hoilett

Centre Midfield – A couple of additions would be needed to strengthen the midfield area. Firstly, an alternative to Lucas would be needed, as Liverpool’s form crashed once he became injured. This new midfielder could be either an alternative to Lucas if he were to be injured or suspended (or heaven forbid never return to his pre-injury form) or he could also be the midfield playmaker. A dream option would be Javi Martinez/Joao Moutinho who are world-class but also flexible, whilst a more realistic option would be Borja Valero who plays for the just relegated Villarreal (even though he did already struggle in English football) or Seydou Keita who has been linked with a move to Liverpool.

Also, a higher quality playmaker would be required. Charlie Adam’s form was awful after the injury to Lucas highlighted his flaws, whilst Jordan Henderson and Jonjo Shelvey may be too inexperienced to play this role all season. Luckily, Liverpool has a player who plays this position already on their books, Alberto Aquilani, whether they will use him or flog him off cheaply is another question.

Striker – Andy Carroll has found some form towards the back-end of the season, however if he was to become injured the only option would be for Luis Suarez to move centrally. More depth is needed here, where options such as Klaas Jan Huntelaar (on fire for Schalke but possibly undervalued due to age and spells at AC Milan and Real Madrid), Nilmar/Rossi (from Villarreal, though Rossi has a long-term injury), Dimitar Berbatov (leaving Manchester United) or Bojan Krkic could all prove to be ‘moneyball’ style signings.

Left Back – back up to Jose Enrique may be needed. Fabio Aurelio will be leaving when his contract expires and Jack Robinson has had his injury problems this year (whilst still being very inexperienced). Two possible stop-gaps would be Glen Johnson and Daniel Agger, but an experienced back up may be bought.

IN CONCLUSION

Andre Villas Boas would seemingly fit right in to the squad and style of Liverpool. With all Academy/Reserve teams playing a 4-2-3-1 or similar variation, it would be easy to continue a progression from the Academy to the first team. Also, Liverpool’s potential new structure with the Director of Football’s role being broken up into two or three sub-roles, it would be near impossible for veteran players to undermine his job and his future plans.

Finally, Andre Villas Boas has previously been looked at by Fenway Sports Group who looked at him just before Kenny Dalglish took over as caretaker manager 18 months ago and his youth and flair fit into the image which Fenway Sports Group look to.

A massive thank you to Kate Cohen for allowing us to publish her blog on EPLIndex.com. You can visit her blog at http://katecohensoccer.wordpress.com/ or follow her on twitter: Kate_LFC_SFC.

Page 1 Quick Link: Beginnings at Porto

Page 2 Quick Link: Problems At Chelsea

Kate Cohen
Kate Cohenhttp://katecohensoccer.wordpress.com/
A football enthusiast from Sydney, Australia. You can read more of my work on katecohensoccer.wordpress.com and also follow me on twitter (@Kate_LFC_SFC)
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