Picture courtesy of Eurocuppictures
Liverpool striker Andy Carroll, currently on loan at West Ham, has been rather unfairly treated in my opinion.
The tall Newcastle native was bought by Kenny Dalglish and has been underutilized from day one. Carroll was only a young man when bought from his natural surroundings to the high-pressure environment of Liverpool FC and asked to play an unfamiliar second striker’s supporting role.
It was always going to take Carroll some time to gel with Luis Suarez but before he had a chance at a second season, he was packed up by Brendan Rodgers, who had already decided Carroll had no future at Liverpool, and shipped off to West Ham.
Had Carroll crashed and burned at West Ham, Rodgers decision would have been justified and he would have been vindicated.
However, Carroll hasn’t had the torrid time some had imagined he would have at West Ham. He has scored six goals in 18 appearances at West Ham, which is a ratio good enough to put him just outside the top 20 in forwards in the Premier League.
So why was he so unceremoniously dumped by Rodgers?
Carroll always looked a little uncomfortable when he was playing as a striker, but that slick movement off the ball and predatory play was something that would have been learned had he been given sufficient guidance. I personally feel he was cut loose too soon as Carroll was only 23 when Liverpool signed him, and he would no doubt have grown into a formidable striker — growth that is being demonstrated at West Ham currently.
Rodgers was adamant Liverpool were going to attempt to emulate Barcelona this year, so I can only assume he figured a 6-foot-4 forward wouldn’t have the pace or athleticism to fit in to the style of play. The problem I have with not involving Carroll is what happens when the tiki-taka style isn’t working?
There’s a massive issue with only having one style of play, and Liverpool have found out the hard way this year that when you can’t breach someones defense and don’t have the ability to adapt.
Carroll would have been a different option to try when things aren’t working, and with the amount of crosses Liverpool are playing into the box at the minute, it would possibly have been just what was needed to make that crucial breakthrough and turn stalemates into much-needed wins.
James Hilton is a soccer writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter , Facebook or add him to your network on Google
