There haven’t been many Liverpool players playing at the top of their form this season, but one of the biggest disappointments for me, before the Blackburn match yesterday, was the form of our Argentinean winger Maxi Rodriguez. With Dirk Kuyt having an unlucky season with injuries, the 29 year old has had numerous opportunities to play his way into Roy Hodgson’s first eleven. On the right hand side he can offer a numerous numbers of options in attack, but this season, like many of his team-mates, he has failed to deliver and live up to expectations.
That was until yesterday though. Against Blackburn Rovers he played one of his best games since arriving from Atletico Madrid in the January transfer window. In previous games this season, he has drifted in and out of proceedings, and he has neither offered any width nor contributed in field to any great extent. His performances have been generally characterised by either a poor first touch, or the infuriating tendency to run in field into a crowded central midfield, making Liverpool’s attacking play very narrow. The lack of effort to press the opposition and win back the ball after losing it was also something that made me feel he wasn’t entirely committed to the Reds.
Yesterday however, none of these failings were apparent. Firstly, he won the ball back on numerous occasions, setting the tone for his team-mates to press the ball all over the pitch. He also linked up play very well and played far more on the wing than in previous matches. He got in behind the Blackburn defence quite a few times and delivered a lot more crosses than he has tended to make, transforming his display into one which made him one of the team’s stand out performers. He was in the thick of the action on a number of occasions and he should have scored as he failed to connect with a cross and also should have done better with a shot at goal just after Liverpool went 1-0 up.
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Maxi has been a good player all along, the same of most liverpool players, they are better in attacking, when we play negative football, they look weak but when we play attacking football, their true quality will appear
My theory is that those who didn’t play on Thursday watched that match and came to the conclusion that the young lads and fringe players put in much more effort and could get picked ahead of the big guns if they wouldn’t deliver themselves.
It’s no surprise to me. Maxi is one of those players I would always try to find a spot in our home games. When the ball is in the opposition’s last third majority of time is the time when Maxi is effective.When we are away and are covering back etc that’s not Maxi’s game
it no suprise to me and other well read football fans in general. maxi is a quality palyer and thats it, yes he isnt the worker that we see in kuyt, no one is, but he always has and does understand clever footballers, and buy the way, he was doing well at madrid before he fell out with the coah their. he is not young but if used in the right way with the right system with yes! the right players around him, then he is a great squad player. good on a free deal anyway.
Bang on Silver Fox – so come on Woy – ATTACK
don’t be deceived, blackburn were poor and gave it to us. maxi is not that good! but, he’s better than babel and ivan. atm!
torres has had no service up until this game. when he has proper service, he will deliver. that’s why any decent team would pay a premium for his services.
roy still has to go imo. his comments are incredible! give it up roy, you’re out of your depth. imo.
I would say its the tactics that improved and played to the strength of our players. Maxi was not the only improved player.all the players looked pumped up and defended by attacking the blackbrn half. Even Meireles, Hodggson’ own signing showed his quality meaning it was the manager who could not read his team strength or failed to identify his own signing,s greater strength when free to attack and go for goal at any opportunity, more like the quality player I know he is from his time in Portugal. Rafa was often accused of being cautious and it needed a special person to beat him at this. Step forward Hodgson who took caution to a whole new level till yesterday.
I agree with this post. When I was watching the game, I was wondering who was playing on the right wing as I couldn’t believe that it was the same Maxi Rodriguez.
Why does`nt Roy play Joe Cole on the right and Babel on left then we have plenty of attack and that Maxi he must give away for free
Ryan Babbel is NOT a left winger and I don’t know why people think he is. He is dominantly right footed and his feet are not quick enough to turn defenders onto his right foot on the left wing. His touch is too poor to play upfront. The only position he can play is right wing and even then as shown on thursday he is rubbish and doesn’t care about how good a footballer he is. He just wants his weekly wages and complain about liverpool on twitter he is a joke of a footballer
Well done to Maxi for his performance on Sunday. I hope he performs as well often.
Im sure Rafa and his friend MASCHERANO departures affected him alot but to be honest he is good player and let us hope it is the bigining of good display
YES THAT MIGHT HAVE A LITTLE TO DO WITH IT, maxi wouldnt go to any other club becasue the lack of latin speaking team mates, he is from argentina and he is used to spain and the way things are, the way of life the speach, the commuication, he is now used to being a liverpool player and while he is not fast, he can play football, and liverpool need footballers not just runners.
this guy was a free deal, and at his age is not going to be able to play every game but this maxi is a great little player to have in the squad. stand buy him, get torres around him and if we can add aguero to the front line you watch maxi him and torres get on it.
Maxi is too slow and Babel should be played on the right until Dirk returns! In most games Maxi has been ineffective and Babel could have been gaining much needed game time and experience.
why on earth do we want Kuyt back in the team?We need proper wing backs to supply Nando,why cant anybody see this.Yes Kuyt is a worker,but he is not a wide man,and very limited,just look at his stats.This is part of the reason Liverpool are where they are,and until we get rid of the deadwood,all the money in the world wont help.
When the team plays attacking flowing football then the real talents of the players like Maxi are evident. Liverpool have for too long focused too much on stopping the opposition rather than playing their own attacking style. Attack Attack Attack we used to shout from the Kop, sadly all the players tend to hear from the dugout instead these days is Defend Defend Defend.
In a nutshell, Blackburn were crap, 3 big players(for them) out, 3 forced substitutions, if Maxi can’t look good against that, god help him.