Liverpool supporters recently received the news that Dutch wideman Dirk Kuyt will be out of action for up to four weeks with a shoulder injury. One of my first reactions to this news was the idea that Maxi Rodriguez, a player I rate highly, will surely (considering he is the only other recognised right-sided midfielder in the Liverpool squad), be given an extended run in the Liverpool starting eleven; something which has yet to happen since his arrival in January. Maxi has showed glimpses of quality since Liverpool secured his services from Atletico Madrid but has yet to show this form on a regular basis, mainly due to the fact that he has yet to be given enough playing time, for me, to prove his worth.
Maxi has provided excellent competition since his arrival at Anfield but has been unable to hold down a regular starting berth because of indifferent form and the likeability of Dirk Kuyt’s attitude and style of play. Rodriguez has shown that he has a footballing brain as well as match intelligence and, with 261 career appearances and 68 goals under his belt, owns a wealth of experience throughout world football. The Argentine has taken to the Anfield crowd and vice versa, with a personalised song already having been created for the tricky winger.
During the four weeks in which Roy Hodgson will be unable to call upon the services of first choice right winger Dirk Kuyt, Liverpool have a total of 7 matches, where tough opposition awaits. Such games against Birmingham City, Steaua Bucharest, Utrecht, Sunderland, and, of course, arch-rivals Manchester United will prove difficult tasks for Hodgson and his team and with Maxi likely to feature in the majority of those games, most of them I predict from the start, there is a huge opportunity for Rodriguez to stake a claim for a permanent first team position by impressing the manager with consistently influential performances and I am confident Maxi will make it tough for Roy Hodgson to look beyond the Argentine in future starting elevens.
With a chance now presented to Maxi, it is time for the winger to step up to the plate and put in the performances every Liverpool fan knows he is capable of, with the skill and the sort of quality that he has shown in the past. Our next game is a tough away match at Birmingham City, and with Liverpool’s notoriously recent struggles against the team from St. Andrews it is the perfect platform for Maxi to shine and to prove his worth in a Liverpool shirt.
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Maxi was just handed the opportunity to shine for us as soon as he arrived at the club.
It’s funny that he was a reserve at Atletico, but in half a season after joining us, he accumulated more starts than both Riera and Babel got all season and almost as much as Benayoun too! Babel, Pacheco & Jovanovich should be the three players given the opportunity to battle for a wing forward place, with whoever displays the best form maintaining their place
Personally I think Babel has had his chance as a winger & was average at best, his only option when he got into a good position was to cut back inside or provide an bad cross. Babel will have his chances now upfront & if he doesn’t take it we should get rid. Jovanovich was impressive against the Arsenal but I haven’t thought much of him since. That leaves the young fella Pacheco who when I heard he was going to be sold in the summer left me fuming but thank god he stayed & now HE should get his pop at the cherry, he’s got the talent to be a LFC great!!
Babel’s only option as a left winger is to come inside onto his stronger foot. Wow. If you haven’t noticed Quinnie, Babel is a right footer and this is what most wide men playing on the wrong side of the pitch do…
Neither Kuyt, our regular starter at right wing, or Maxi who played consistently at right wing last year, showed any capacity for getting to the byline, stretching the play or consistently delivering quality into the box despite having complete faith shown in them and being played on their stronger foot (unlike Babel or Benayoun)
We need more energy, pace and creativity in the final third so should play Babel in a wide right ATTACKING role, with Jovanovich on the left and Pacheco through the middle (or on the left if Gerrard gets the attacking midfield role).
Maxi should return to the bench duty that he became accustomed to in Madrid, as all the talk of his ‘intelligence’ is just to disguise the fact that he is past it!
Babel or Maxi? probably best to go five man midfield, stick the new guy in from the start with poulson behind and Gerrard in front of the diamond supporting Torres, we always struggle at St Andrews, time to change all that this sunday. YNWA.
Kuyt and Babel is not winger.When he played in Dutch league they’re a striker.
Maxi gets the nod. Babel used as sub in the striker role, not as winger. Dani can come on later in the game and build up his experience from there. Let him get a handful of games under his belt before starting him.
Hopefully they will show the lack of pace or width liverpool have been missing on that right flank.
why not messi?
Babel has played right midfield once before for liverpool and he was a compleatly different player he was actually good play him there again Roy!