It was a welcome return to Liverpool’s Brazilian left back Fabio Aurelio on Thursday night against Steaua Bucharest. It was especially good to see the 31 year old playing in his favoured left back position after returning from injury. Roy Hodgson has talked in recent weeks about Fabio playing in a more forward role and has been used as a substitute as such in recent weeks. Roy said:
“He can definitely play as a left midfielder. When we re-signed him we were thinking we needed two good left-backs at the club and that he’d be competing for one of those places in the team, but I saw him do very well in Trabzonspor when he moved up into midfield, and he tells me that when he was in Valencia he played in midfield very often. It’s definitely an option. If he can stay fit then it could be a really good boost to our team. Already I’ve got him pencilled in for the game against Steaua Bucharest, so let’s hope he can stay fit until then and I can see him in a 90-minute game.”
Hopefully he saw enough on Thursday to convince him of a return to first team action because the left back position has been an issue for some time. Ever since the departure of John-Arne Riise, and the various injury problems that Aurelio has suffered over the last couple of seasons, a number of players have been used to fill the position. Andrea Dossena and Emiliano Insua both had chances to make the position their own but neither succeeded in establishing themselves as first team regulars. Dossena, while decent going forward and being a good crosser of the ball, lacked mobility playing at full back and was exposed by many fleet-footed wingers. Insua was given a season to prove his credentials but similarly to Dossena, he lacked positional awareness and speed, and he has been sent out on loan by Roy to Galatasaray where he has found himself a reserve under Gheorghe Hagi.
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successive liverpool managers and scouts since roy evans would not recognise a good left back, if they saw ashley cole playing in a pub team league. I could find 20 better left backs than dossena – insua – konchesky in the lower leagues no problem, risse was totally one footed like those three mentioned, at least the injury prone and lightweight aurelio is a footballer. is it an essential transfer qualification for our left backs to do a 90% turn before they can pass a ball two yards with their right foot ? no woner mark highes said koncheski was no loss.
it’s funny how players tend to become so much better when they are unavailable – Aurelio was a decent left back, but nowhere near the class that he is being made out to be by our fans now that we have somebody playing as badly as Konchesky in his position.
Hodgson reaffirms that he is indeed an idiot if he decides to start using Aurelio in midfield anyway
I nice, rounded, polite article; thanks for you change of style.
I just don’t understand why Hodgson decided to bring Konchesky to the club. This guy isn’t good enough, he lacks pace and can’t defend properly and to add to that, he’s 29 and costed like 4 mil. Why didn’t he get Salcido instead who’s faster and stronger than him, can defend better, good going forward and was outstanding at the World Cup? Doesn’t make sense at all to get Konchesky when a cheaper and a better alternative was available. I just hope from now on, Aurelio can stake a claim in the team and be our first choice left back until January or next summer when we can finally get a decent left back, preferably someone like Taiwo. For the time being, Konchesky should be backup to Aurelio.
Insua might be back in January. Its better at the moment to shuffle between aurelio and konchesky, to allow aurelio to build fitness. When Insua comes back aurelio can be asked to start with insua to cover. I ain’t a huge fan of him, but left back is a tough position to play. Insua is good with the ball at feet Improve his fitness level and he has a prospect to be good. And if we are going to purchase then better reduce the people in the position.