When Maxi Rodriguez arrived from Atletico Madrid on a free transfer back in January, I was really excited that Rafa Benitez had brought in such a gifted and vibrant attacking talent to the club at no real cost. It seemed a great piece of business for Liverpool, especially with the current financial constraints at the club, and I felt that the Argentinean international could bring an extra dimension which was much needed to the Reds attack. I have been following Maxi for a long time since he joined Atletico Madrid from Espanyol in 2005. Where he stood out for me was his ability to both attack opposition full backs with his forward runs, as well as being a prolific goalscorer.
Especially compared with the likes of Dirk Kuyt, Maxi focus is much more on wing play and he loves making forward runs with the ball at his feet. It is something certainly that Liverpool Assistant Manager Sammy Lee believes he brings to the team:
“Maxi is a class footballer. He has come here and settled very quickly. He has been great to have around the place and he is very focused. He is a great professional and it is a great pity he is not available for us in the Europa League. One of his best assets is he likes to get the ball forward quickly and get us on the attack. That’s the first thing you should always think about when you get the ball – to pass it forward – and he does that. Maxi makes some great forward moves and he has done a great job for this football club.”
What Maxi was also known for though was his goals. One of his most memorable goals came in the last 16 encounter against Mexico in the 2006 World Cup. It was the winning goal in extra time when he controlled a cross from Juan Pablo Sorin on his chest and volleyed it into the top corner of the net, sending Argentina through to the quarter finals. He also scored twice during the 6-0 drubbing of Serbia & Montenegro in the tournament, in a match which was an exhibition of how football should be played.
At club level, Rodriguez has always been consistently scoring near 10 goals a season. In his last season at Espanyol, he scored 15 goals in all competitions, for Atletico he scored 11 goals in his first season, 6 during a campaign when he played only 10 games due to a serious knee injury, and 8 this season when playing a bit part role for Atletico Madrid. Since joining Liverpool though, in 14 matches, he has not scored once. He has come close a few times, hitting the bar against Birmingham City a couple of weeks ago, but he has yet to contribute goals since joining the Reds in January.
A lot of this can be said to be down to playing in a new league. The Premier League is a fast and furious affair a lot of the time and maybe Rodriguez doesn’t get the time on the ball or the space he needs to unleash an unstoppable effort on goal. Like all players coming to a new country, time will be needed to settle into a new style of football but it was really time the Reds couldn’t afford him to take this season. The drought of goals from midfield has been staggering this campaign, even more so considering Fernando Torres has been absent for large parts of the season. Neither Javier Mascherano nor Lucas have scored Premier League goals this campaign while Steven Gerrard’s tally of six is way down on what is normally expected of him. We really needed Maxi firing on all cylinders from the off when he came to Liverpool but it hasn’t been the case, and although he does contribute many other things to the Reds side, one of his primary aims of scoring goals has not been fulfilled. Let’s hope that turns around next year.
Maxi certainly adds something to our attack, but 0 goals and 2 assists in 14 games is just not enough. The fact that he has been a regular in rafa’s lineups suggests rafa thinks he can offer more. Unfortunately on his current form, the RW spot is going to be added to the list of positions that need to be improved if liverpool want to compete at the highest level.
Maxi has been a good addition and contributes just fine. He needs to score more but that will come; the first is often the hardest.
To highlight he only has 2 assists shows a real lack of appreciation. If Maxi plays a ball from the right for Gerrard or Johnson to get to the byline, as he often does, and they create a chance because of the dangerous position they’ve been found in, he’s contributed. Just because he doesn’t get the final pass doesn’t take anything away from what he’s offered to the move.
Maxi’s not a winger but he’s a very clever player who has a good understanding of wide play, and he’s good in possession of the ball. Throw in 10 goals a season which should come and you have a very good player who can offer a lot to the side.
not been impressed with him at all, fluffed a few execllent chances, he’s definatley not good enough for the first team, living up to his pricetag in my opinion but i’ll give him to next season to see if he’s improves
i have been impressed with maxi i think ure all being a bit unfair on him as he has had less than 6 months to show his true colours it’s like this if the hole team dosent play well no one will play well aswell we got him for free and he’s still done as good as are 20 million signing aqualini 1 goal and we sold alnso for 10 million more how much more classy of a player was he.
@ the author
Are you for real? The player arrived in January. So he has been with the team 10-12 weeks and not been playing in europe. Only a complete idiot would judge a player that early. I’m guessing the author is very young and has little or no understanding of football. If I’m wrong, then I’ll gladly admit it if the author backtracks on such idiotic comments.
@ Killface: Whatever! He has steadily improved since Stoke away and his understanding and movement with Nando is first rate. He has been very unlucky not to have put any away yet but that will come and soon I feel. What is the problem here? We have enough of the negativity from the National media without our own so called supporters behaving as blindly and outrageously as they do. Have you got fed up of berating the likes of Lucas & Kuyt and are looking for the next Benitez target to vent your angry little spleen on? Considering the price tag being quoted for him in the close season was nearer the 10 million mark, the sub 2 million we paid is a fantastic bit of business and long and successful may his stay turn out to be.
I dont think its his fault he hasn’t scored, especialy when Gerrard and others who have been in the club longer strugle to score.
Maxi also has been unfortunate not to score at times.
But something has gone entirely wrong for Liverpool this season.
Maxi only arrived the recently! Give him a chance to find his feet… Not like hes coming into a team full on confidence.
The headline should be Gerrard where has all the goals gone!
Hes been at the club longer than 14 games and has under performed most the season… though it maybe largely down his injury…but still he has been quite bad at times.
I said before a ball had been kicked this season, we should cash in on him, if it meant we could get silva and villa as a result and i was laughed at!
I said this because hes not getting any younger and he missed alot of games through injuries.
Now if we sold him we sold him now we are looking at £35m tops…
Dont get wrong he is a legend! But every player has a sell by date…
Unless his form picks up, i think we may have to cash in…
I would take form first everytime 🙂
How come he has started so often and is subbed so little?
On the weekend Aquilani was havng his best game so far yet he got subbed and the inneffective Maxi stayed on – does he have something in his contract that guarantees playing time?
He can join a long list of Liverpool players who can’t hit a cow’s backside with a banjo. Apart from Torres and Gerrard, our lot are huffers and puffers, not scorers. That’s what happens when successive managers put more stock into work-rate rather than scoring. Works rate and grit are no good if you can’t turn it into goals. Seems to me that Maxi is a worker, not a scorer.
@dan, if you think maxi has been first rate, your easily pleased, when liverpool play good I’m the first to praise them but praising players who are just not good enough does’nt make them any better,
if you think liverpool will win the league with kuyt, lucas and maxi in the first team your insane
@ Jesimps:And who is doing all the scoring for Utd when Rooney doesn’t play? The same question for Arsenal when Fab & RVP don’t play? You make it sound as though these free-scoring players are ten a penny.
@ Killface: But did I say that I thought we would win the league with them no I didn’t, I could tell by the tone of your earlier post exactly where you were coming from though. And doesn’t every other team in the top 4 have their average players? No, only us? Bendtner, Gary Neville, Kalou? Get some perspective.
@Killface; And if you care to take off your blinkers you will see what I actually said was his understanding and movement with Nando has been first rate.
settle down down you’ll give yourself a heart-attack
I think Maxi has come into the team well. also the point on the goals front also rings true. i don’t understand why liverpool essentially start most games with six defensive outfield players (quoting the post above masch and lucas have no prem goals!), its as if benitez sets out not to lose games rather than win them. we’re liverpool nine times out of ten other teams should tailor their line up to us and not the other way round. Also i’d like to say at least maxi is an intelligent player who ties up the right wing, links well with torres, gerrard and johnson and more than anything else brings width and balance to our midfield. it is this more than anything else which has enabled babel’s renaissance on the left, his cutting in no longer restricts our play to being narrow and easily defended. if only we had greater depth and a fit and experienced left back to play against the more tricky of opponents!
i dont blame u people is it easy 2 adapt 2 play in premier league so dont try 2 learn blame on her becos of not scoring goal..LOVE U MAXI RODRIQUEZ
LUV U ONCE AGAIN MAXI dont u talk of LUCAS