23 Dec 2011

Robbie Savage: This is how LFC should solve the Andy Carroll problem...

Luis Suarez's ban is huge negative for Liverpool FC but it presents a golden opportunity for Andy Carroll to step in and really show his worth. Is he capable of doing this? According to former Leicester and Blackburn striker Robbie Savage, Carroll is definitely capable of filling the void, but only if Liverpool change their entire approach.

If this season has proven anything so far it's that Carroll does not fit Liverpool's preferred style of play. What is the answer when Suarez serves his ban? Buy a new striker, or change the style of play to suit Carroll?

Writing in his weekly column, Savage argued:

"Should Liverpool buy a striker in the transfer window now they look likely to be without Luis Suarez for a couple of months? Not for me, and I think Kenny Dalglish should go for a natural right winger instead.

"Let me explain why. If Suarez serves his ban, it must be time for Andy Carroll to get an extended run of starts. But the way Dalglish’s side currently set up in their 4-3-3 doesn’t suit him.

"If they are going to get the best out of Carroll and if he is to prove he is worth anything approaching £35m, he’s going to have to play in a 4-4-2 where he can receive crosses from wide areas, to hold the ball up and to show off his heading ability in front of goal.

"Stewart Downing can do that from the left but Liverpool currently have no-one who can do it from the right and I wouldn’t be surprised if they fixed that in January".




Irrespective of Suarez's ban, Liverpool need one or even two new strikers anyway, preferably players who can actually score regularly.

Even with a run of games, Carroll is unlikely to be the solution IMO, and Liverpool should not change their successful style of play just to accommodate him.

Jaimie Kanwar


9 comments:

  1. In the Villa game, Downing plays well on the right with Johnson. It's on the left (when Kuyt is included) that he has looked questionable. Get RVP. Go for the goal scorers.

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  2. Carroll................(places his hand gently on his head with deep sorrow and embarrassment)

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  3. If a change of style gets us the wins, then we should do it. This will also give us a plan B in the long term. Are aim should be to get min 4th place. and if we use carroll like newcastle used him, he will get goals. Once we have got champions league football, the worlds top players will again see liverpool as a place worth coming to.

    We need to make the best use of what we have, bringing in another striker is a gamble as he may take time to settle, get use to the style of play, ect. At least if we change to suit carroll and he scores goals, then when we return to our favoured style, we will be able to sell him and get a good price, if we tried to well him now we would not get a lot for him.

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  4. I agree we are creating so many chances...We need an out and out goalscorer maybe two and we needed that before the suarez thing started....Big andy may get his chance now and he has to take it and i think it should be a case of him changing his game to suit our style of play but i'm not sure if he can only time will tell....He will do a very good job for someone hopefully us but not sure if that will be the case.

    Looking at our other strikers bellamy and suarez both very creative with their pace and trickery and contributions in other areas...Then kuyt great worker and contributor But they all have one thing in common they simply dont score enough goals....It made me wonder wether it would be worth giving one of the reserves a shot eccleston or morgan perhaps.

    Summing up it's great to see us playing attacking football again rather than the cautious counter attacking styles of houllier and benitez dont get me wrong they both had some success playing this way but ultimately it's not the real liverpool way.....So fingers crossed that next month we can get what we need.   

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  5. Simple... get another striker, we have to, what if Carroll gets injured? Or fails to make an impact?

    I dont buy into this play to Carrolls strengths argument, no matter how much people try and explain the gameplan behind how he is effective, it sounds as if we could have purchased Christopher Samba and got him to do the same job. If all he offers is to get on the end of crosses and plays football in the air then why not use someone like Samba in the box?

    Andy is a big lad, he does not have pace to beat defenders, he has strength but is miles apart from other players that are built similarly to him. Drogba, Berbatov, and Ibrahimovich are all big strikers but have the technique and tactical awareness to play more than one style of football that I am not sure Carroll can manage (maybe if he works on his game in a few years but you cannot practice and integrate technique at that age)

    These excuses on Carroll and LFC changing to suit him are getting worse, it is ridicolous to build a team around wing play, a 50/50 ball into the box that he may or may not get on the end of - as an opposition manager it is too easy to counter that strategy as it is so one dimensional and outdated.

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  6. I'd say, buy Xedran Shaqiri! He made fun of ManUtd, and I want him to do that again, and again.

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  7. the only good thing about this whole affair

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  8. Grant holt 35million on 31 January 2012 last minute deal to beat off real Madrid. king will be king no more. good riddence uve ruined our great club. i don't believe any more. just walk alone with Roy Hodgson . at least in 4 months he was gone.

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