29 Oct 2015

Legend raves: 'Brilliant' Liverpool attacker was a 'standout' against Bournemouth and deserves to play more games

After being scandalously ignored by Brendan Rodgers for three years, Joao Carlos Teixeira finally made his Liverpool debut last night in the Carling Cup win against Bournemouth, and according to Reds legend Jamie Carragher, the Portuguese attacker did a great job, and deserves to feature more over the coming weeks and months.

When asked after the game about Teixiera's performance, Carra told Sky Sports**:

"He [Teixeira] did very well, and was the standout of the three [debutants]. What he did with the backheel was fantastic. It was brilliant to see his composure. There's certainly talent there, and hopefully the manager will use him a lot more".

Teixeira did a good job, but it's his first full game for the club, so there's no point getting carried away. Like with every player, there is major room for improvement, and that will come if Klopp continues to promote the 22-year old's development.

There's a myth floating around that I've built the Portuguese youngster up as some kind of saviour who can come in and solve Liverpool's attacking problems, but that's nonsense, and anyone who's followed my posts on the subject can confirm that.

* I never engage in the ridiculous and counter-productive overhyping of players. All I've ever argued is that Teixeira deserves an *opportunity* to stake his claim in the first team.

* I've also stated all along that fans shouldn't expect Teixeira to make an instant game-changing impact, and that he needs to be given time build up rhythm and rapport with his team-mates. The fact that he *did* make a game-changing impact is a testament to his ability and mentality, especially after being ceaselessly ignored by Rodgers.

* The only reason I've endlessly argued for Teixeira to be given a chance is because he clearly has the ability (IMO) to become a first-team regular for the club. Plus, it's maddeningly unfair when obviously good players are marginalised for no apparent reason, which is what happened under the previous manager.

* Rodgers deserves major criticism for stunting Teixeira's development. Instead of spending £20m on Markovic, he could've simply promoted the Portuguese and given him that game-time. Additionally, he could've recalled Teixeira from his loan spell last January, just as he did with Jordon Ibe. In my view, Rodgers' treatment of Teixeira was an absolute disgrace.

Teixeira had lots of good moments during the Bournemouth match, and he clearly showed that he has the quality and composure to influence games. Now, he has to build on that, and the only way that will happen is if he continues to get chances in the first team.

Hopefully, Teixeira's first-team exile is now over, and if Klopp employs the merit system, then he deserves to make the squad for Saturday's trip to Chelsea.

** Link to comments not available. Comments transcribed whilst watching the post-match analysis.

Author: Jaimie K


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