Offseason musings: strikers, tactics

By Emerald Gao
Written on August 17, 2006

The Strikers
Looks like Liverpool finally signed Kuyt. Wasn't terribly impressed with his performances for the Netherlands on the wing, but like Bellamy, I don't think Rafa Benitez brought him in to stick him on the wing; he's got Pennant and Speedy Gonzalez for that now. His goalscoring record for Feyenoord is frightening, and although I'm not expecting him to hit those same numbers for Liverpool, the EPL being a tricky fit, hopefully Kromkamp's presence will allow him to ease in with the boys.

In either case, it's been a long time since we've seen four quality goalscorers on the team roster. It's a winning formula, if Manchester United's treble season is anything to go by. Two out-and-out strikers, one with pace (Bellamy) and the other with the ability to set up plays for others (Kuyt); a big target man who can hold up the ball (Crouch); and the aging veteran who contributes his wisdom and experience (Fowler); it's enough to quell the concerns that arose last season about the lack of firepower up front. At least on paper, that is.

Now Rafa has to organize them, draw out their potency, figure out what the appropriate partnerships are. Who knows with Rafa, right? Given the fact that Kuyt has only just joined and will need an adjustment period, I think we might see Crouch and Bellamy for awhile before Kuyt is brought into the mix, replacing either of the two. I don't fancy Robbie as a starter for most of the matches, but he's sure to be an impact sub, if last season is anything to go by. Still, it's a fantastic dilemma to have, instead of the dead ends we faced last season, with Cisse so unwilling to play on the wing, Morientes's inability to adapt, and Crouch with that drought early on. Even if Kuyt turns out to be a dud (knock on wood), Bellamy is a definite improvement over Cisse, something that became evident even the preseason.

Club Loyalty
One thing a lot of fans have noticed about some of Rafa's summer signings is their supposed support for Liverpool. With Bellamy and Pennant, their levels of dedication are well-documented, and Gonzalez seems to have adopted that kind of attitude as well, overcompensating somewhat in the early matches for his inability to join the club last season as he had hoped. Now Kuyt has been cited as saying "Feyenoord or Liverpool," clearly delineating his desire to join the Reds as opposed to Newcastle or any other club that was interested in signing him. He could very well be a Liverpool fan, no one really knows for sure, but he'll have to prove it on the pitch.

Point is, I can't remember seeing so many "adopted Scousers" on the squad at once. It sure wasn't the case with Houllier, with his French brigade and, later, the misguided African signings, never really adopting Liverpool as their second home. With the Benitles it's been a cautious approach, and although the Spaniards may never really consider Liverpool home, there's no denying that they've given 100% in matches, even players who were ultimately shipped back to Spain. There's a definite backbone to the team now, Carra and Stevie and the Houllier signings that did take, like Riise and Hyypia. But even the new additions seem especially eager to wear the Liverpool badge and commit everything, which is a really satisfying feeling.

On a semi-related note, somehow this transfer season has been surprisingly smooth. Only Alves has eluded Rafa, but that transfer could still happen, if not now then in January, perhaps. We've got our four strikers, reinforcements for central defense, and more importanly, a right winger. Incorporation is going so smoothly that I'm getting a little bit paranoid. But it's better to be positively suspicious than cynical, after all. (In Rafa we trust, etc. etc.)

The Midfield Shuffle
With the signing of Kuyt comes another potential dilemma, this time in the midfield. It would be impractical to bench three strikers every match, in order to fit two wingers and three extremely important central midfielders into every match. I can see Rafa playing 4-2-3-1 on some occasions -- some away matches, early cup matches, most CL matches -- but it could be a formation we see less and less.

One way to get around that is to use a 3-5-2, which worked splendidly against Newcastle last season, but that formation comes with several warning tags that I'm sure Rafa knows about; attacking wingbacks would have to be used, for one, and it's still a largely untried formation in the EPL (I could be wrong on this, but I don't think I've ever seen any team use a 3-5-2 convincingly for the majority of their matches).

On the other hand, if Rafa wants to retain an attacking 4-4-2 formation, he no longer has an easy out to shove Stevie out on the right, although it's still an option, of course. Pennant will likely play most matches, posing the million dollar question: Out of Sissoko, Alonso, and Gerrard, who does Rafa drop? All three have attributes that are sorely needed in every match: Momo's energy and physicality, Xabi's vision, and Gerrard's leadership and instinct. We can't substitute them, either, push certain responsibilities onto the players who are selected. Gerrard, for instance, should never be hampered by a defensive role, Momo isn't much of a playmaker, and Xabi can't be the destroyer if he's also needed to set up passes all over the pitch.

Again, it'll come down to what Rafa sees as the necessary components for each match, the ones that must be exhibited on the pitch against a certain opponent. That's why I hestitate to even speculate on starting lineups anymore, since there's no guaranteed starting XI with this group. There are too many metamorphic possibilities, too many shapes the squad can take. It's one of the scariest things about having a complete squad: so many options at Rafa's disposal (we really do have two in every position now, a frightening thought), and so many conditions he has to take into account. I couldn't handle it if I were in his shoes.

Eh, good luck to the man, although he probably takes more pleasure out of it than anything.

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