Ian Rush: Liverpool Can Cope With Injuries as Transfer Window Nears
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As expected, Liverpool are through to the knockout stages of the Champions League as Group B winners, but for me the most rewarding thing about the 2-0 win over Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night was seeing a bit of experience back in midfield.
The sight of Fabinho starting alongside Jordan Henderson was a welcome one and Thiago Alcántara coming on with half an hour to go was also a nice boost on what was a very positive night at Anfield.
Thiago’s return is much-needed because Jurgen Klopp had lost a bit of experience with the recent injuries to Fabinho and James Milner in particular, especially in Europe where Thiago is very experienced and knows what it takes at that level.
But it takes time to get up to speed and if there’s a lack of sharpness amongst the more senior players as they return to the side then there’s an opportunity for younger ones to step up. I’m looking at the likes of Curtis Jones and what he can contribute to the team.
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You only get so many chances at the highest level and you’ve really got to take them when they come along so let’s see what Curtis can do if he gets more chances in the coming weeks.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain got his chance from the start against Atletico and completed 78 minutes. The problem with The Ox is that he doesn’t get enough game time to build any momentum.
He’s great to have around the squad but sometimes he only gets 10 or 20 minutes to show what he can do and that’s not always enough to be able to get your match fitness up and play to your full potential.
I think he needs a few more starts and perhaps a couple of 90-minute performances under his belt before we can see him back to his best – maybe we’ll see that in the next few weeks.
Liverpool January Transfer Talk
As always, there’s a few rumours flying about around who Liverpool might look to bring in once the January transfer window opens.
Whether Liverpool look to improve their resources this January probably depends on injuries, but you should only buy if you can bring in someone who is better than what you’ve already got.
I think Liverpool can cope with what they’ve got, if I’m honest. I always think it’s better to buy in the summer rather than January anyway as there’s more time to blend in and a lot of January buys are panic buys. That’s not really Klopp’s style so I don’t see him going in for anyone out of the blue.
It will be interesting to see who’s available in January and who we’re linked with, but Klopp doesn’t buy for the sake of it, if he plans to bring someone in it will be a measured and planned decision and one that has probably been looked at for the best part of two years.
Brighton Deserved Their Point
The 2-2 draw with Brighton in the Premier League last weekend was a difficult one to take, but talk about a game of two halves.
Liverpool played really well in the first half and if they had have gone 3-0 up I think the game would have been over, but their third goal was disallowed and when Enock Mwepu got Brighton’s first it gave them real confidence just before half-time. I think it was actually meant to be a cross but it got them back into it either way.
When Brighton came out for the second-half I think they were the better team and played with real confidence. It’s disappointing to follow up a 5-0 win over Manchester United with a home draw against Brighton but I think it was always going to be difficult to follow that performance up as expectancy was through the roof.
Brighton are a very good attacking side but I thought they might have come to Anfield and try to defend a bit. To be fair to them, they came and played their own game and grew into the match and actually played the better football in the second-half, so credit where it’s due.
Conte An Astute Appointment
Away from Anfield, it’s all happening. Tottenham will be delighted to have appointed Antonio Conte because he’s experienced and he generally hits the ground running – I think I’m right in saying that in his last few jobs he’s not lost a game in his first six so we can expect something similar at Spurs.
I think it’s a wise choice by Tottenham and I reckon they’ve got a great chance of winning a trophy with him in charge. It’s now over 5,000 days since they won a trophy but when you look at where they are at the moment, they’re still in all competitions, so the likes of the League Cup could well be within reach for example.
If he could win that, or even go one better and win the FA Cup, then I think the supporters would be very, very happy.
When you look at the amount of managers Tottenham have had over the past three years or so, I’m not really surprised they’ve only handed him an 18-month contract. If he’s successful in those 18 months and can win a trophy then there will be add-ons and they’ll probably look to extend it.
Daniel Levy has probably stuck to that length because he’s been bitten a few times lately and he’s covering himself a bit better this time, but I think it suits Conte too because if he succeeds he’ll be rewarded accordingly, so it works well for both parties.
Spurs aren’t out of the top four race in the league yet either, although I’d be surprised if they do finish up there. There are a few clubs on the fringes of the top four and there’s not enough room for everyone – you have Arsenal, Leicester, Everton, West Ham and even Brighton so far this season, so competition for the top four on top of the traditional big four is very, very tough.
I think Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool will all finish in the top four, so you’re really talking about one place up for grabs between all those clubs, and of course Manchester United will expect to be there too. Out of that group of clubs, I think whoever takes the most points off the rest will end up in the top four.
Were United Really Interested in Conte?
Before Spurs sacked Nuno Espírito Santo, there was a lot of talk about who Manchester United will appoint as their next manager and Conte was heavily linked, but I believe that if Manchester United were genuinely interested in him, then he would never have signed the contract with Tottenham.
Without doubt, Man United are a bigger club than Tottenham, and if they had shown any interest in him then I think Conte would have held fire. To me, the fact he went ahead with Spurs suggests United had no intention in hiring him, I think they’re committed to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Conte knows this so he’s gone with the Tottenham job.
It seems to me that he’s been attracted to Tottenham because of his relationship with their Sporting Director, Fabio Paratici, who he’s worked with before at Juventus. Having an idea of the working environment before going in probably played a big part in him going to Spurs and I’m not sure he would have had that peace of mind at United, so it might be the better move for him.
Ronaldo Criticism Unfair
Speaking of United, Cristiano Ronaldo never ceases to amaze me after yet another late rescue mission on Tuesday night. He is frightening. He just pops up all the time and even at the age of 36 he’s keeping Manchester United involved on all fronts, it’s absolutely amazing that he’s still doing this.
I look at what they paid for him and I think they’ve already got their money’s worth and it’s still early in the season. He looks as though he’s only just coming up to full fitness, because he missed a bit of pre-season, so his form could get even better.
Without him, you’d have to wonder where Man United would be at the moment. There’s a lot of talk about him not pressing when United don’t have the ball, but if you ask me he doesn’t have to do that, that’s the job of other players.
Ronaldo has been brought in to score goals and that’s what he’s doing, he’s producing. I think he’s been amazing. It’s incredible what he’s doing at the age of 36. He wants to play until he’s 40 and you wouldn’t bet against him doing that at this rate, especially with the way he looks after himself.
I played until I was 38 and it started to catch up with me, but I wasn’t in the same shape as Ronaldo! Physically he can handle it and I think mentally he can as well.
He’s got a great football brain, which he actually doesn’t get enough credit for, and we’ve seen as he’s got older that he has an amazing ability to get in to the perfect positions at the right time.
He’s a proper number nine now at this stage of his career and, to be honest, that’s exactly what United have been missing. We saw him play that role well at Juventus and he’s carried that on into his second stint at United, and the longer they can get the service into him the more he’ll score goals.
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