Liverpool have been through a turbulent few years on and off the field which finally came to a halt with the arrival of the new owners last year and Kenny Dalglish’s return to the club in January. There were many reasons for their alarming decline, but one thing that seemed to have set the club on the slide on the field was the loss of Xabi Alonso, an integral part of the side, and someone that they still haven’t been able to replace two years on.
Alonso was a world class player, he formed an excellent partnership with Javier Mascherano, and alongside Steven Gerrard, completed one of the finest midfields around. He was a passing genius, as well as an intelligent player, and he provided the key link between the defense and the attack which Liverpool have lacked since his departure. Although it is a few years since he left, his absence in the middle of the field is still noticeable.
Alonso was a quality player, one as integral to the side as Gerrard was. When he was at the club and didn’t play, Liverpool looked like they were a man down, they lacked creativity and they have struggled with the hangover caused by his loss ever since.
Liverpool have tried to replace Alonso, but it’s a tough ask to replace such a world class player, particularly one with such a distinctive style. Lucas has come on a long way since the time he first donned a reds shirt, and he’s done well but he’s not of the same quality as Alonso, and he has yet to stamp his name on the defensive midfield role permanently.
At the end of last season, Liverpool seemed to have finally moved towards a new idea of how to play, with a new style under Dalglish. No longer did they look inept or ineffective in attack, and for the first time since Alonso left they looked creative, yet no one has staked their claim to be unchallenged in the central role. Alberto Aquilani, though his future remains uncertain, could write his name into the role. He is a different option to what Alonso provided in the past, quicker on the ball, with pace and trickery, he provides a more direct attacking threat than Xabi used to. He never really got a fair chance under Hodgson so he may prove more worthwhile this season if given the opportunity.
Charlie Adam is another, who it has been mentioned could finally fill the space left by Alonso, but he was quick to play down these comments. It is tough for every central midfielder who comes to the club because of the quality that went before. Adam is an excellent passer of the ball, with great vision, but he was quick to state that he is not another Alonso, he’s his own man. This is a new Liverpool, with new players, and under Dalglish it seems that it is time to stop looking back to what the side had in Alonso and finally move on.
It seems that the time is right now to forget the past and look forward to the future, Liverpool now have an exciting team with talented players who will play in a different style which could be every bit as effective as Alonso once was. Somebody needs to step up to the plate in the middle of the park, and make the role their own, so that the loss of Alonso becomes a distant memory.
There is huge pressure on anybody going to step into central midfield, because of the quality that has gone before, but these players need to be their own men and they need to make the role their own, so Liverpool can finally move on from the loss of Alonso for good.
Written by Lauren Rutter for FootballFancast.com. For more thoughts, comment and debate follow me on Twitter @LaurenRutter
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