Some strike partnerships can instantly hit it off while others may take weeks and months to really get right, and I feel the duo of Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll maybe in the latter category. Former Liverpool striker John Aldridge had this to say on the matter in his column for the Liverpool Echo this week:
“Dalglish also needs to work out how to get the best out of Andy Carroll. When Carroll was out injured, Luis Suarez and Dirk Kuyt forged a really good partnership up front. With strikers sometimes it clicks straight away. It did with Suarez and Kuyt but it hasn’t with Suarez and Carroll yet. There’s work to be done.”
Of course it has to be said that Suarez and Carroll have had little time to play together due to Carroll’s injury problems since arriving in January, however when both have played together there is certainly less understanding than when Kuyt and Suarez play as a partnership. Speaking the same language does help and with Dirk speaking fluent Dutch to Luis must be far easier for our Uruguayan number seven than talking to a Geordie. However, it isn’t just communication on which Kuyt and Suarez on the same wavelength. Both work incredibly hard for the team and equally, they both seem to know where each other are on the pitch when either is in possession of the ball.
The same could not be said of Suarez and Carroll at the moment, and one of the biggest factors for this is the style of play. Suarez has excelled in the fluid formation of the pass and move style encouraged by Dalglish, and Kuyt’s able running forward has created gaps for Suarez to pop in holes deep or in midfield to pick up the ball and turn with space into the opponent’s half.
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the whole team need to make it work by giving them the right passes and moving in the right spaces and areas.
Is this perhaps the first worrying signs that the signing of Carroll was a wee bit too hasty???
Good article indeed, I agree with most of it. Carroll was almost an additional midfielder at times against spurs. A concern for me is the team tendency to hoof the ball up to Carroll who is then expected to work a minor miracle to hold up the ball. When Carroll was injured we played some beautiful quick one touch, close control passing from back to front. As you said Suarez (just can’t get enough) as second striker and the big man up front is where we need to get to next season!!!
High Hopes for the Kings reign!
PS I was at Fulham last Monday – best game for years!
andy carroll not fast he drinks tomuch!!!!! work first and nite out after but not drink tomuch
I can’t help but feel that with Carroll in the team, we forget to play football!
It seems like the ball just comes in the air too often and at times we alienate Suarez who has performed unbelievably since joining from Ajax!
I hope i am proven wrong, but for me this was not a good way to spend 35 million and i would not have bought Carroll but i would have gone and bought Aguerro! I think he and Suarez would have destroyed every defence known to man!
David Tully, I would like to firstly say you are doing a great job, you always write wonderful articles, you seem to be a great writer and I think you will have a great future.
I am very disappointed that you wrote this article and all the ‘fans’ comments after. You are judging and Carol after 1 game against a Tottenham team who played extremely well defensively who is to say if Kuyt played upfront we would have played any better?????????? You are all slating Carol when he has been injured, and hasn’t had a run of games. Surely as fans we should be encouraging this partnership, not slating it because we got beat by a very good tottenham team!!!!!
Hi David,
Thanks for your comments, much appreciated. I am not trying to slate Andy Carroll, all I have said is that it will take some time. I do predicate the article at the start by stating his injury problems. I hope for nothing more than to see Andy be successful at Liverpool and I believe he will be if we get the right players that will compliment him this summer.
Thanks