How did our 4 New Signings Fare Against Sunderland?

Jose Enrique – Will please people stop calling him ‘Luis’ Enrique. I read Mark Lawrenson’s column today mentioning him as Luis Enrique, the third time in as many days I’ve heard someone say it. The former Barcelona forward and now Roma boss, was not playing left back for us on Saturday! In any case, considering he was only signed a day before the match, Jose did pretty well. Other than the fact that the cross for Sunderland’s goal did come from his side of the pitch, Enrique had a solid game. His pace was very evident, and whenever a ball was knocked behind him, he invariably retrieved the ball.

I am sure I am not alone in believing though that the most exciting thing about the Spaniard is how he links up with Stewart Downing. Both capable of running with the ball at pace and stretching the opposition defence, Enrique also enjoys playing quick one-twos which should see him interacting with Downing pretty often. If the pair can really hit it off, the left hand side could be Liverpool’s strongest asset this season. Rating v Sunderland: 7/10

Stewart Downing – Certainly the most impressive moment in his performance against Sunderland was his run and shot which hit the bar. It gives us a glimpse of what Downing is truly capable of when given the ball in space. He has pace to burn and good dribbling skills, which means he utilises his pace on the ball, and his ability to switch from left to right wing will give us a great option during the season.

Downing was most lively in the first half, like most of his team-mates, and used his pace well on the left hand side to get into dangerous positions so as to provide dangerous crosses. Although I feel he was less effective on the right hand side, his biggest contribution did come playing as an inverted winger utilising his pace and skill to ghost past 3 defenders before hitting the crossbar from long range. He did fade in the second half and if he wants to be match winner for us, he must contribute more when the team is struggling rather than fading like the rest of the team. Rating v Sunderland: 8/10

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