Henry Winter: Liverpool's new boys appear ready for the Anfield revolution
Early signs suggest Kenny Dalglish has invested wisely despite opening day draw against Sunderland.
Sometimes it can take time for new players to settle. In that feted Liverpool side, Peter Beardsley really shone only after Christmas.
As Aldridge looked down from the radio box yesterday, and Dalglish attempted to marshal his resources from the dug-out, Liverpool's new boys sought to live up to a famous tradition. Unlike in 1987-88, it will not happen overnight.
Time, gentlemen, please.
Just ahead of Stewart Downing, Charlie Adam was the pick of Liverpool’s quartet of debut-makers. He began impressively, imposing himself on midfield, for 35 minutes effortlessly steering the game around young Jack Colback.
Short of burning pace, the Scot possesses the main attributes required for life in football’s central combat zone: passing range, appetite, leadership, tackling and a good first touch, especially when controlling the ball with his left foot.
As he proved at Blackpool, Adam constitutes a substantial threat at set-pieces, and it was a slight surprise when Luis Suárez took Liverpool’s early penalty and almost deposited the ball in Stanley Park.
But when Suárez was fouled by Wes Brown, Adam bent in a superb free-kick that the Uruguayan headed in. Adam’s dead-ball qualities will add to those of Suarez, Downing and Steven Gerrard when the captain returns.
For 20 minutes in the middle of the first half against Sunderland, Adam bestrode the pitch like Gerrard, dropping deep, drilling passes, always aware of his team-mates’ positions.
When Phil Bardsley hooked the ball clear, Adam read its descent and immediately headed it unerringly to Downing out wide. He then charged upfield and tested Simon Mignolet’s reflexes. He also put a thunderous challenge on Asamoah Gyan, full of force but free of malice.
As the second half showed, Adam needs more games as he faded, even resorting to fouling Lee Cattermole, although he almost rescued Liverpool with one barnstorming late run.
With Adam nominally on the left of the midfield section of Liverpool’s 4-3-3 and Lucas again anchoring well, Jordan Henderson was stationed on the right, protecting young John Flanagan and occasionally joining the attack. Signed for an eye-watering £20m from Sunderland, Henderson has much to live up to and needs to raise his game from yesterday’s level.
Those who know Henderson well dispute the criticism that he is too nice to cut it in the killing fields of a Premier League midfield.
The England international will mature, a point Dalglish keeps stressing, but it is impossible to escape the conviction that Liverpool’s best-balanced midfield will involve Adam, Lucas and Gerrard.
As the life drained from Dalglish’s players in the second half, Liverpool cried out for the energy of Gerrard, driving them forward, raising memories of past glories against Olympiakos at Anfield, AC Milan in Istanbul or West Ham United in the Millennium.
Over on the left, Downing was making a good impression on Anfield. He looks fit and ready for the challenge.
Some players feel daunted when stepping out at Melwood for training and then Anfield for games, sensing the heightened expectation levels, but Downing has taken them in his stride.
He almost scored with a magnificent strike, thwarted only by the bar. Downing also gives Dalglish options as he highlighted in the second period, going right when Henderson departed and then in the hole after Suarez’s exit. He still possesses that old love form his Middlesbrough days of taking on a full-back, dribbling at speed, but his game has developed.
Some of his flicks to Andy Carroll and Dirk Kuyt drew appreciative applause.
He also indicated that he can forge a good understanding with Jose Enrique on the left.
Dalglish had been intending to use Fabio Aurelio at left-back but the Brazilian fell lame, meaning that Enrique was rushed into action within 24 hours of signing.
Enrique was probably rivaled by only Leighton Baines as the best left-back in the Premier League last season, even eclipsing such established forces as Ashley Cole and Patrice Evra.
Even rusty after the uncertainty of pre-season, and still only on nodding terms with his new team-mates,
Enrique did enough to demonstrate that he should be the answer to a position that has troubled Liverpool in recent seasons.
He still received two lectures from Jamie Carragher, following some confusion at set-pieces, but there were frequent reminders of his ability as a left-back.
He enjoys venturing down the wing, and dinked a fine pass to Henderson after 32 minutes, but does not neglect the defensive side, using his body to shield the ball from Asamoah Gyan early on and closing down Ahmed Elmohamady time and again, even using the corner-flag at one point to work the ball away from the Egyptian.
In truth, two of the most impressive debut-makers wore the strange new away strip of Sunderland. Wes Brown, predictably booed for his Manchester United connections, paraded his strengths at centre-half, largely dealing well with the aerial threat that is Andy Carroll.
Seb Larsson also shone, striking a magnificent volleyed equalizer and departing to a standing ovation from the Sunderland fans. Brown and Larsson certainly settled well.
