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Borini - Liverpool's Pedro?

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King Binny

Part of the Furniture
Honorary Member
A new manager’s first signing isn’t necessarily more important than his second or third, but it always feels like a statement. So what message has Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers sent out with the £10.5m signing of Fabio Borini from Roma?

It’s hardly a surprise that Rodgers wants quick, technical footballers, but Borini is very different from the type of player Liverpool were signing last summer, indicating a clear shift away from the largely unimaginative recruits brought in under Kenny Dalglish and Damien Comolli.

Borini is perfect for Rodgers’ Liverpool. Barcelona are a key influence on Rodgers’ philosophy, and Borini is his equivalent of Pedro Rodríguez. Like the Spanish winger, Borini is rarely the star of the show, but is quick, tidy, versatile and hard-working. Pedro is a system player: Samuel Eto’o, Thierry Henry, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Lionel Messi, David Villa and Alexis Sánchez are all more naturally gifted forwards, but no one had a better understanding of Pep Guardiola’s tactics. After all, he had a head start, having worked under Guardiola for Barcelona’s B team.

Similarly, Rodgers has coached Borini before: first in Chelsea’s youth side, then when he was on loan at Swansea. Borini grasps what Rodgers demands from him, and Rodgers knows Borini will follow his instructions. The Italian spent last season at Roma, which furthers the Pedro comparisons – his coach Luis Enrique had joined from Barcelona B, and was effectively trying to recreate Guardiola’s system in Italy.

Like Pedro, Borini’s main quality is that he knows what to do, and where to be, regardless of which wing he’s deployed on. His movement is excellent – he specialises in stretching the play, then making runs in behind the full-back to receive through-balls. He also combines effectively with an attacking full-back, moving inside to drag the opposition full-back towards him, thereby opening up space on the wing.

Liverpool struggled for goals last season, so Borini’s poaching quality from a wide position will come in handy. His goals are rarely spectacular and often scrappy, but he allows the main striker to drop deep without fear of leaving the penalty box empty.

His work rate is another useful quality; Rodgers demands pressing, encouraging his side to win the ball within seven seconds of losing it. Borini moves forward and closes down defenders, but also sprints back quickly, catching up opposition midfielders and nicking the ball unexpectedly. Dirk Kuyt will be missed at Anfield, but his industry on the flank has already been replaced.

If there’s one weakness, it’s his passing. Last season Borini had the lowest pass completion rate of any outfield Roma player. Although this is partly because he’s keen to attempt killer balls, sometimes his passes are simply underhit when under pressure. But even when he fails to find a teammate, you can understand what his intention is.

That clarity is crucial. Last season Liverpool played a variety of systems, lacked a cohesive identity and players’ roles changed from one week to the next. Now they have a coach who wants a particular type of football, and a player signed specifically because he will function in it. The signing sums up Rodgers – attacking, progressive and logical.
 
I think that is a lazy comparison.

Pedro's key attributes are electric pace and finishing ability.

Sanchez is a very similar player to him I think.
 
LFC-Striker-Comparison.png


He averaged a league goal for Roma every 194.78 minutes which was in fact better than any Liverpool player last season. If he can replicate that form this season he will be a Kop favourite very quickly.

It would be an injustice not to mention the impressive Craig Bellamy stats in the illustration above. He’s topped in half of the statistics displayed above – the biggest compliment that can be paid to Craig is that we wish he could have played every game last season. He was very effective in creating and scoring. He would also fit the Brendan Rodgers formation perfectly however there are rumours of a Cardiff return for Craig which would be a shame. If Liverpool sell both Andy Carroll and Craig Bellamy there will have to be attacking replacements brought in as that would leave only be two 1st team strikers on the books in Suarez and Borini.

Using the stats available on Fabio Borini we’ve found that Fabio Borini scored the majority of his goals (56%) when he was started as a left-wing forward (LWF). He scored five of his nine goals when started as a LWF and averaged a goal every 1.4 games in this position (5 goals in 7 starts) whilst managing a goal every 3.5 games when started as a right-wing forward (RWF) and a goal every 3 games when playing the centre forward (CF) position - 22% respectively.

On the basis of these stats there’s a good case for Fabio Borini to start as a LWF for Liverpool FC. Of Borini’s strength’s, that have been reported, one is his ability to cut in and shoot and the other is that he can finish chances very well too. It will be very interesting to see where Brendan plays him but on the basis of these stats we’d prefer Fabio to start on the left.
 
I Ithink we should make a move for Tevez.... He will make that front three very strong. If you want to keep the ball well by passing well in tight areas further up the pitch he the man. He does that better than any forward i know, and Suarez is pretty capable in that respect as well. All three forwards offer tireless running and movement and it will stretch the defences and tire them no end...
 
I Ithink we should make a move for Tevez.... He will make that front three very strong. If you want to keep the ball well by passing well in tight areas further up the pitch he the man. He does that better than any forward i know, and Suarez is pretty capable in that respect as well. All three forwards offer tireless running and movement and it will stretch the defences and tire them no end...

He would be dynamite in a front 3 playing in Rodgers system but he wants 200k a week, we could'nt offer him anything near that
 
20 mil mil and get city to pay some of his wages.... He is never going to play for another club if he doesnt scale his wage demand down...
 
Rodgers has spoken loads about players attitude on & off the pitch being one of the key factors in being bought.

Tevez doesnt fit into that.
 
Fabio Borini has said goodbye to Roma and revealed the negotiations for his transfer to Liverpool were “very quick.”

The Italian international striker was only bought outright by the Giallorossi last month, but then sold on to the Anfield side for €13.5m plus performance-related bonuses.

“It was a very quick negotiation process, partly as I already knew manager Brendan Rodgers and his respect for me,” Borini told Vocegiallorossa.

“I think there was a preliminary contact between Roma and Liverpool, then in sync we decided on this move.”

The transfer reunites Borini with Rodgers, who was also his manager at Swansea City from March to May 2011.

“My experience at Roma was certainly a positive one. I think I did well this year, even if I had a few injuries. I believe that I made myself known as a player and got on with the fans.

“I got on best with Miralem Pjanic, Maarten Stekelenburg and Simon Kjaer. I would speak to them in English and therefore help them settle in better. In my view, Pjanic can make the difference this season. He is a formidable player.

“I will bring with me the heat and the passion for what the fans love more than anything else: Roma and the Giallorossi jersey.”
 
Fabio Borini cut short his holiday to join the Liverpool squad on Tuesday and straight away declared – I love to play for Brendan Rodgers and my new teammates will too.
The 21-year-old became Rodgers' first signing as Liverpool manager earlier this week after previously working with the Northern Irishman at Chelsea and Swansea.
Having been a part of the Italy squad that reached the final of Euro 2012, Borini was told to report for duty at the start of August - but he was having none of that.
Instead he boarded a flight to Boston with our six England players and trained for the first time on Tuesday morning.
"I chose to come early because I think it's important to be with the team, especially because I'm a new player," Borini told lfctour.com. "I could have had a month but I didn't play at the Euros.
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"I chose to come early to get used to the team and adapt more quickly. I am desperate to get started."
Borini has made no secret of the fact that Rodgers was a big factor in his decision to join Liverpool from Roma, and he spoke glowingly of the boss's management style.
"First of all he is a good person outside of football, and it's important to work with good people," he said.
"As a manager he is great. He knows what he is going to do every single day, he is very organised.
"You can see at the training ground, he gets there early and he really wants to work and improve every day.
"I think he is the kind of manager players love to play for. I love to play for him.
"We are very close. When he was working at Swansea, he'd text after I scored twice, and I'd text when he achieved good results with Swansea, when he beat the big teams.
"It's a good relationship as a friend, as human beings, and then as a working relationship."

Though arriving from Italy, Borini is not a stranger to English football having left his family aged 16 to join Chelsea from Bologna.He grew to love the English attitude to football after a difficult initiation into life in London.
"I like the way the English people see football as a game and not as a job," the Italy international said. "I always wanted to play football because it was fun. It's not my job, properly. It's my fun.
"Football is my life. I chose to leave my family when I was 16 - that's the biggest choice I've made and it was the right choice because of the place I'm at now.
"It was very difficult at first. After three months I wanted to leave because I was really afraid, I was missing everything - my friends and family.
"I rang my family and they told me that it was what I had to do, that I had to go on and be stronger and stronger. After six months when I learned English it went from there.
"I am not bringing anyone this time. I'm alone. Always alone. I have always done it on my own so it won't be a problem."
After securing his first signing, Rodgers explained how Borini could operate in several different positions along the front line.
"That's true," said the man himself. "I can play anywhere up front. I prefer central because I have more space and can make more movements, but I can play for any occasion, on the right or left.
"That's good for me because I am not restricted. When I was at Swansea I played on the left wing as well."

Borini's first training session was with the England contingent on a separate pitch from the rest of the squad, completing a series of runs and passing sequences under the guidance of fitness coach Darren Burgess.
Our new No.29 got to spend time with Gerrard and co on the plane over - and he already knows Joe Cole from his time at Chelsea and Daniel Pacheco from playing against him while with Swansea.
"It was good, nice to be back and playing some football with the boys, with the English boys who were at the Euros," he said. "To play as a Liverpool player and see the fans outside was very nice.
"The England boys were really nice with me. The first person I saw was Glen Johnson. I spoke with him a little bit, and with Steven Gerrard as well. They were really friendly with me."
Borini will get a chance to say both hello and goodbye to his former Roma teammates on Wednesday night when Liverpool face the Italian side in the first football match to be played at Fenway Park.
"It will be nice but also strange because I'm on the opposite side," he said. "I can say hello to everyone, and goodbye, which I haven't been able to do."
Borini will have had just two days' training ahead of the game and may not be risked by Rodgers.
When he does make his Liverpool debut, he predicts it will be an emotional moment.
"I will feel a little bit heavy inside because of the trophies and the past here, and because it's important," he said.
"I didn't know as much about the history as I do now because I am young, but as soon as I saw the Champions League trophy at the training ground, that makes a big impression."
 
I prefer central because I have more space and can make more movements, but I can play for any occasion, on the right or left.

Suarez - Borini - Mr X

--Gerrard-----Allen
----------Lucas
 
I've watched every Borini video going and I have to say that I'm impressed with him.

Some of his finishes look like they're from a player who was born to score. This isn't another N'gog, that's for sure.
 
I really hope he starts tonight. I'd love to see he, Pacheco and Sterling on the same side.
 
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