Suso must avoid Pacheco perils

Jesus Joaquin Fernandez Saez de la Torre is not the first precocious Spanish playmaker Liverpool have had in their ranks over the past few years, but the player himself and the club must together make sure that he is the first to succeed in the first team.

Daniel Pacheco’s Liverpool career appears to be all over bar the shouting but there was a time not so long ago when he was earmarked by supporters as a certainty to graduate from youth star to first team regular. Unfortunately, it never quite worked out that way. For all the wonderful technique that Pacheco displayed in the reserve and youth sides, the Spaniard could never quite make the ultimate break through and become a big player for Liverpool. Similar in style, stature and even in terms of natural ability to Suso, Pacheco’s failure should serve as a stark reminder to his fellow countryman and the club of just how difficult the bridge to becoming a first team regular can be to cross.

While Suso he has generally performed adequately when called upon this season, at times the hurly burly nature of the Premier League has understandably looked a little too much for him and his play has lacked an end product. After featuring heavily in the first half of the season for the Reds, the youngster has found his opportunities limited of late.

Suso must continue his progression 

Liverpool must be careful now not to let their talented young star stagnate. Suso must be allowed to continue his adaptation to Premier League life as soon as possible and in a way that Pacheco never really managed to do. Since making his first team bow for the reds back in 2009, Pacheco has played on loan for three different clubs. Perhaps crucially, none of them were Premier League clubs. His first move was down to East Anglia to play in the Championship for Norwich where he only featured six times. His next move saw him go back to him homeland to play for Rayo Vallecano but Pacheco managed just 11 appearances and no goals. 

After just three appearances this term under Brendan Rodgers back at Liverpool, he moved again this January to join SD Heusca for the remainder of the season and currently has 1 goal in 6 games. The lack of top level experience and Premier League appearances has probably counted against Pacheco and is an obvious reason for why he has struggled to adapt to life in England’s top league. It also shows how important next season is for his friend Suso. Players can only get used to life in England’s top division by playing games and while Suso has played his fair share for Liverpool early on in the season, it appears that those options will now be limited at Anfield.

Aged 19, Suso is now on the fringes of the Liverpool senior side but still someway away from displacing players like Sturridge, Suarez or Coutinho in the first eleven. Recently he has featured for the clubs under 21 side and, to his credit, looked a cut above that level. Too good for the second string but not quite ready for the first team. Many Liverpool players have been in that position over the years (Indeed, the likes of Jonjo Shelvey and Raheem Sterling are also in that boat right now) but not gone on to the greater things expected of them at the club.  Suso’s current position in the squad seems to leave both club and player with a relatively obvious solution for next season: A loan move to a Premier League club.

Pacheco and Suso are unlikely to be team mates next season

Brendan Rodgers has had to use the likes of Suso and Sterling more than he would have liked this season due to the thin nature of his squad but, with Sturridge and Coutinho now added to the ranks and the summer transfer window fast approaching, one suspects that loan moves for the clubs outstanding youngsters will be considered.

What is of paramount importance is that over the next year, Suso gets regular game time to hone his craft and assimilate to the rigours of the Premier League further. The first half of this season has set some solid foundations in place for the youngster and he is now regarded as part of the first team squad at Anfield rather than a youth player with an exceptional talent. It is imperative that his career does not now stutter and ultimately falter during this crucial stage of his development.

So while Liverpool supporters are understandably excited by Suso’s talent, perhaps it would be wise to keep in mind the last Spanish starlet who illuminated Liverpool’s youth and reserve sides before ultimately fading to black.

Player of the Year...It's obvious

Never mind the eventual outcome, the Premier League’s player of the year is crystal clear. Right now it is a three way battle rather than the formality that it should be. Despite Gareth Bale’s red hot form over the past two months making him the favourite for the award and Robin van Persie’s continued brilliance in front of goal for Manchester United, the best player in the Premier League this year is obvious and a trophy is not needed to confirm what people surely already know but aren’t ready to acknowledge.

The award should of course always be given to the best player over the entire season and whichever way you dress it up, one man alone has been consistently producing performances worthy of such an accolade above all others. The problem and doubt occurs because these awards don’t always go to the players most deserving of them. There are always ulterior motives. Ryan Giggs was voted player of the year in 2009 despite starting only 12 games and scoring once for Manchester United. Sure, it was a fitting gesture for a man whose career even back then was defying the boundaries of age, but taking the award at face value, Giggs’ win was little more than a farce. He was awarded the trophy based on sentimentality and as recognition for his longevity and professionalism, not because he was the best player in the Premier League.  

The reason that this season’s outstanding player, Luis Suarez, is a distant third in the running for this year’s award right now has nothing to do with his performances on the pitch. It is down to his public persona. Suarez won’t win player of the year because people generally don’t like him. Sure, van Persie has been phenomenal for United and after a very good first 6 months of the season Bale has finally gone into overdrive down at White Hart Lane, but neither have been as consistently enthralling or important as regularly as the Uruguayan this term. Suarez leads the goal scoring charts but that isn’t the half of it.

Suarez celebrates his second hat trick of the season at the DW stadium

Suarez has bewildered defenders week in, week out and scored not only a great number of goals, but also a great number of great goals. He has played as a spearhead striker for most of the season, leading Liverpool’s forward line with little in the way of support around him. Latterly, he has been deployed behind Daniel Sturridge and struck up, in a handful of games, the kind of telepathic partnership that usually requires months of practice to attain. He has even played on the left wing for Brendan Rodgers and still managed to excel. He is playing in a side that has little hope of attaining Champions League football and one that has included teenagers and underachievers as his main support acts for much of the season. In Steven Gerrard’s mind he is the best player the Liverpool captain has ever played with. Think about that for a second. Michael Owen won the Ballon d’Or while playing with Gerrard. Wayne Rooney has featured for years alongside Gerrard for England. Fernando Torres was the best striker on the planet during his time alongside Liverpool’s skipper. Yet unequivocally, Gerrard rates Suarez higher than all of them. It’s little wonder.

Suarez’s superiority this season is no slight on the incredible contributions of Bale and van Persie who both produce wonderful moments at crucial times, which is indeed the hall mark of the world’s great players. However, while van Persie can stun opponents with one piece of cerebral movement and Bale can unleash an exocet missile with an effortless swing of his elegant left foot, neither have been as influential as Suarez. Wherever he is on the pitch, whoever the opponent, Suarez affects games with alarming regularity. It seems that no game in which he is participating in is ever more than a few seconds away from his involvement. Whether it’s leaving a defender eating the Anfield turf, killing a high ball with his chest and rounding Tim Krul to score one of the goals of the season or spraying one of the best passes you could wish to see to Daniel Sturridge at the Emirates, whatever the game, you can almost guarantee that Liverpool’s number 7 is on the verge of producing something special and stamping his authority on it.

RVP, Bale and Suarez: The three outstanding players this season

This isn’t merely opinion, even the stats back up how influential Suarez has been this season in the Premier League. He has scored more goals than anyone else, he has taken more touches in the penalty area than any other player, he has played more key passes than any other forward in the league and he has also taken more shots than his peers. It’s a shame no one is counting nutmegs as Suarez has probably accrued more of them than the rest of the league combined. For Liverpool he is essentially two players rolled into one. He is their goal scorer and also their best creator of chances. That is incredibly rare and it perfectly encapsulates his crucial involvement throughout the season. It is all the more remarkable when you consider that he is playing in a side that is a long way behind the likes of Manchester United or Tottenham.

Perhaps the best way to sum up Suarez’s dominance even over two outstanding talents like Bale and van Persie is that while those two players regularly produce moments that define games, Suarez has the propensity to dominate them from start to finish. His playing style is utterly unique. A blend of tireless work ethic, mercurial skill, inventiveness and lethal finishing, he is the most enthralling and entertaining player these shores have seen since Cristiano Ronaldo departed for Madrid. It won’t be him, but regardless of who it is picking up the trophy, Luis Suarez is the player of the year.

Five foot seven. Football heaven?

Perhaps it was the ill fitting, comically over sized shirt that made the comparisons immediately spring to mind. Maybe it was the mop of dark hair and the slight physical appearance. Whatever it was, the sight of a diminutive, skilful new signing wearing the red number ten shirt during his first start at Anfield immediately brought back more than a few memories. It was nearly 8 and a half years ago that Luis Garcia started his first home game for Liverpool and, after an hour of Sunday's game against Swansea City, the tune of 'You are my sunshine' was whirling relentlessly around my head again for the first time in years.

Philippe Coutinho of course, is not Luis Garcia mark II. No two players are ever the same. The Brazilian is at a wholly different stage of his career than Garcia was when Rafa Benitez signed him from Barcelona back in 2004. However, that does not mean that we have to ignore some obvious similarities between the two players: the movement, technique and enthusiastic running on display against Swansea on Sunday were eerily reminiscent of the Spaniard. That home début goal helped as well.

Luis Garcia was much loved at Anfield

Garcia was the archetypal number ten that started from the flanks with licence to roam and it seems that this is also the position that Brendan Rodgers wants his latest signing to occupy. While Stewart Downing stretched Swansea with conventional wing play on Liverpool's right hand side, Coutinho floated inside from the left and looked to link up play more centrally while his burst of pace (something that Garcia sadly never had in his armoury) allowed him to beat his marker on the outside when necessary. Perhaps the most Garcia like moment came when the Brazilian killed a high ball in a central area and split Swansea's defence with a sumptuous pass into Daniel Sturridge's path that was millimetres short of absolute perfection. It was an audacious ball that very few players even see, let alone come so close to executing. It was a pass that Garcia probably would have attempted back in 2005 (and incidentally, one that Djibril Cisse or Milan Baros would probably have failed to read). 

The comparisons with Garcia weren't only evident in the good things that Coutinho did though. In the opening stages, the 20 year old was peripheral and looked slightly overawed at the well renowned physical nature of the English game. Garcia suffered early on in his Liverpool career when teams were overly physical and Coutinho will surely have to deal with similar tactics. While the Brazilian's touch was often assured on Sunday, his decision making was erratic early on. He nearly cost Liverpool a goal with a misplaced pass deep in their defensive third and one encouraging sprint down the left hand side was ruined by a poor pass to Luis Suarez, undoing some good work and leaving fans frustrated. Nothing evokes memories of the man who may or may not have drank sangria quite like a piece of quality play that is immediately followed by a lapse of concentration. On the whole though, the débutante came out with passing marks on his first start for his new club.

Coutinho celebrates his first goal in Liverpool colours

Despite the paucity of the opposition and the relative ease of this Anfield début, Coutinho's performance did make a positive impression that promised much. Promise though, should be expected. This is a young man who was signed by Inter Milan to much fan fare at the age of just 16 and, upon his eventual arrival two years later, was immediately dubbed by Rafa Benitez as the 'future' of that illustrious club. He has been capped already by Brazil and his departure from Italy has left a healthy portion of Inter fans up in arms. Like Garcia before him, his talent is in little doubt. What isn't certain is whether Coutinho can add consistency to his game (for all his promise at Inter, his fluctuating performance levels were a large reason that he often found himself marginalised) and adapt to the Premier League's hustle and bustle sufficiently enough to prosper in the longer term.

More daunting tasks than Sunday's game lie in wait for Coutinho, but he already appears to be a player that will excite fans and produce pieces of brilliance. Like Luis Garcia before him, there are likely to be bad days and frustrating moments, but it is already evident that Brazilian has some magic in those multi coloured boots which Brendan Rodgers will be desperate to extract on a regular basis. Whatever happens after this encouraging start, with no disrespect intended towards Joe Cole, it is a sight for sore Liverpudlian eyes to see a skilful, intelligent, quick and willing young footballer back in their number ten shirt. Oh, and he just happens to be five foot seven....

5 Reina replacements

Victor Valdes' decision not to renew his contract with Barcelona has led to an almighty amount of speculation that the Catalan side will once again seek to bring a former player back 'home' from the Premier League. Like Cesc Fabregas and Gerard Pique before him, Pepe Reina is now apparently on Barca's list to replace Valdes between the sticks and return to the club he left a decade ago. While the 30 year old's form has been questioned somewhat over the past year or so, he is a big presence in the Liverpool dressing room and would be sorely missed if and when he eventually moves on. Below are five candidates that Liverpool may be looking to line up should the Spanish stopper up sticks to Catalonia.

Jack Butland 

Birmingham keeper Butland shot into the public's conscious in 2012 when he became Team GB's number 1 at the Olympics and also earned his first England cap against Italy. The 6ft 5in keeper is currently plying his trade in the Championship with Blues but has been linked to numerous Premier League outfits, Liverpool amongst them. He is just 19 years old and lacking in experience but his potential is obvious. He is a calming presence, especially for one so young and would likely command a large transfer fee. Whether he would be ready for the pressures of being a number one keeper at a huge club like Liverpool so early in his career is up for debate. Of course, Liverpool have signed talented young English goalkeepers in the past who were said to be destined for great things who failed to fulfil their potential such as David James and Chris Kirkland. Birmingham chairman Peter Pannu said early this January that Liverpool had been in contact with his club regarding Butland and should Reina depart, Pannu should probably expect another phone call or two from Ian Ayre.

Victor Valdes 

Barcelona's outgoing keeper Valdes grew up with Pepe Reina at La Masia and after a shaky period early in his career he eventually became the first choice keeper for arguably the greatest club side ever to grace a football pitch. Born and bred in Catalonia and now in his prime aged 31, it seems strange that Valdes has decided to leave Barcelona, but his decision suggests that a move abroad is uppermost in his thoughts. Valdes continues to divide opinion as he has for much of his career but whoever he signs for after leaving Barca will be getting a goalkeeper with a huge wealth of experience, unfathomable amounts of medals in his collection and a goal keeper who, like Reina, is extremely adept at using his feet. As Valdes has matured at Barca he has become far more vocal and a much more confident figure than the young boy who often looked like a rabbit caught in the Camp Nou headlights. He has won the Zamora award in Spain (given to the goalkeeper with the lowest goals to game ratio) on five separate occasions and would be a major coup for whichever club eventually take him from Barca. Reina and Valdes' careers have been linked since they were children and a straight swap of goalkeepers between Liverpool and Barcelona would offer a symmetry in-keeping with their careers to date.

Asmir Begovic 

Not much about Asmir Begovic stands out and perhaps that is what makes a top class goal keeper. Until recently the Bosnian international had gone under the radar in the Premier League but given Stoke City's impressive early season defensive record it is understandable that he has been linked with clubs such as Manchester United and Arsenal this season. Begovic has been remarkably dependable for the Potters since he took their number one spot from Thomas Sorensen and his consistency recently saw him selected in Gary Neville's Premier League team of 2012 ahead of Joe Hart. He has Premier League experience and aged just 25 has his best years ahead of him. Any Premier League side in need of a goal keeper will be keeping tabs on the 6ft 5in stopper and while Stoke would demand a large fee for his services, it appears that he will be moving on to a bigger club soon should he maintain his impressive run of form.

Michel Vorm 

Vorm has flourished since joining Swansea City from Eredivisie outfit Utrecht in 2011. The Dutchman was outstanding last season for the Welsh side under Brendan Rodgers and would obviously fit into the now Liverpool manager's style of play easily. He has nine caps for Holland and given Rodgers' previous links with the Dutchman it is only logical that he would be on any short list drawn up by Liverpool in the event of Reina's departure.

Marc-Andre ter Stegen 

Often compared in his homeland with the great Oliver Khan and seen as one of Germany's outstanding young players, Ter Stegen has made waves in the Bundesliga already and become Borussia Monchengladbach's first choice goal keeper at the age of just 20. Extremely vocal and confident for one so young, he has already made two appearances for the German national team and is a huge talent. Ter Stegen has recently been linked with Real Madrid such is his potential and looks like being one of the top goalkeepers in the world over the next decade. The young keeper has distanced himself from a move from Monchengladbach recently but the lure of the Premier League could force a rethink.

Liverpool can't play without the ball

Liverpool have not drawn a blank in their last 11 outings in all competitions. The Reds have scored 21 goals in that time and with Daniel Sturridge signing on from Chelsea and Fabio Borini back from injury, finally the problematic profligacy that has blighted Liverpool for 18 months now seems to be in decline. Unfortunately, while Liverpool's attacking play has improved recently, there is another more pressing issue right now: Liverpool aren't very good without the ball.

Throughout the season, the Reds have been far too open to counter attacks, they have been too slow to close down their opponents and physically they have been over matched, especially in recent games against West Ham (until Diame left the pitch), Stoke and Manchester United. The major deficiencies that are holding Liverpool back are apparent when Brendan Rodgers' team don't have the ball. When you are trying to implement a passing style as Rodgers is, it isn't just about retaining possession. The regaining of the ball and the ability to hinder opponents when they have it is equally important. Pressing high and intelligently is imperative if you wish to play a possession based game, but Liverpool are not close to mastering this yet.

Liverpool's weakness in this area was cruelly exposed in Manchester last Sunday. The midfield three of Gerrard, Lucas and Allen that Rodgers selected is theoretically fine when Liverpool have the ball (although this wasn't the case last week as Allen and Lucas were badly under par when they had the ball at their feet) but United dominated the first half of the game because, when they were in possession, it was so easy for them to play around their rivals. Liverpool didn't get close enough to them, they didn't press them well and they barely offered a tackle for 45 minutes. It was men against tentative boys in a one sided first half. Liverpool's lack of mobility and physical presence in the middle of the park was all too obvious as United passed the ball around them with consummate ease. You need only look back at Robin Van Persie's goal to see that the move that led to the Dutchman's finish should have been interrupted several times before he swept home to open the scoring. Joe Allen and Stewart Downing both chose not to attempt interceptions that were available and a couple of seconds later United had the lead.

Skillful players who win you matches with flashes of brilliance or play amazing cross field passes that take the breath away are always in demand and highlighted, but pragmatism is needed at times and Liverpool and Rodgers have too often been found wanting in that area this season. Liverpool played against United last Sunday as they have against too many opponents this season: naively. The game plan was seemingly weighted heavily on what they could do with the ball rather than what would happen when they were without it. It was a risky strategy to implement and when your players are having an off day as they did at Old Trafford in the first half, the game can become tortuous. Liverpool could barely get over the halfway line in the opening 45 minutes as collectively their passing was off and also because United were closing them down relentlessly. That can happen in games, but what cannot continue is the opposite problem that has been evident too often this season already: opposing sides have it far too easy when they are in possession, especially in midfield.

Jordan Henderson may not be everyone's cup of tea but can anyone suggest that he shouldn't be on the team sheet these days given his form and the attributes that he has in comparison to an out of sorts Joe Allen or a clearly unfit Lucas Leiva? While Lucas, Allen and Gerrard stood and watched United pass around them as if they were training cones on Sunday, Henderson sat on the bench probably wondering why he wasn't on the pitch closing the spaces that United were finding and exploiting so easily. Henderson is no Steven Gerrard on the ball but he has a key component that any functional midfield, especially Liverpool's, requires in regards to his athleticism.

Henderson has been under utilised by Brendan Rodgers

Joe Allen may keep the ball better than him, Lucas may be more adept at playing from deep than him and Steven Gerrard may have more footballing ability in his big toe than him, but Henderson can help Liverpool to develop their new approach by offering what those three players can't at this stage: Dynamism. His omission last weekend was hard to fathom as it left Liverpool's midfield devoid of any running power on that large Old Trafford pitch and ultimately, the Reds paid the price. Henderson is not the sexy choice in midfield for Rodgers, but the team must come first and the talents that he does posses make him the pragmatist's choice right now.

It isn't that long since Liverpool were criticised for focussing on their opponents too much using too many pragmatic players over those with more ability, of course. Under Rafa Benitez, Liverpool supporters often bemoaned a lack of flair in their side, particularly in wide areas. However, for four straight seasons, no matter what his form was like, Dirk Kuyt was selected time and again by the Spaniard. He offered no little threat when the Reds had the ball in terms of goals and assists (though people at the time were often crying out for a more creative and exciting winger to replace him) but crucially, he offered even more when Liverpool didn't have the ball. He chased, harassed, and ground down plenty of opposing sides from the front with his intelligent and ceaseless pressing. He won the ball back high up the pitch for Benitez's side and even if he wasn't always reliable with the ball at his feet, Benitez kept him in the team because he knew how fundamental Kuyt was when Liverpool weren't in possession.

Benitez's most celebrated signings were technical wizards like Alonso, Luis Garcia and Fernando Torres but after one season of Premier League football, the Spaniard recognised that Liverpool required more steel to their game. They were a soft touch too often, not unlike their present day incarnation. Momo Sissoko was a perfect example of how Benitez solved this problem. He didn't posses high levels of skill and sometimes his touch was almost comical, but until an eye injury derailed his career somewhat, he, like Kuyt, was a huge part in Liverpool's resurgence under Benitez. He had boundless stamina, real physical presence and recycled the ball exceptionally well from midfield. His role was simple: seek the ball, win it and give it to someone like Xabi Alonso or Steven Gerrard to affect the game in an attacking sense.

Sissoko's presence would aid Liverpool right now

For every Luis Garcia, Xabi Alonso or Fernando Torres that Benitez brought to Liverpool, he also signed a Momo Sissoko, Javier Mascherano or Dirk Kuyt. Benitez knew the importance of combining talented individuals with players who could push the opposition back and be effective without the ball. Rodgers' Liverpool are yet to find that same equilibrium.