Why Width is Needed to Get Best From Carroll

Posted on 12. Mar, 2011 by RW Hegarty in Blog

Two steps forward, one step back. It seems every convincing win in a big game at the moment is followed by disappointment. The 1-0 triumph at Chelsea seemed to underline the team’s recent improvement under Kenny Dalglish to such an extent that unlikely Champions League aspirations were whispered, only for a series of underwhelming performances to follow, culminating in a truly awful one at West Ham. Then the thrashing of Manchester United – and that’s what it was – was followed by a drab, lifeless defeat at Braga, in which the second half improvement didn’t reach anywhere near the heights scaled a few days earlier.

This doesn’t mean the improvements aren’t real – the confidence and performances of a team made up mainly of the players Dalglish inherited are light years from what was happening under Roy. But the thinness of the squad is such that a couple of injuries can play havoc. We don’t have the personnel to mix and match depending on the opposition and our own players’ availability. Going to Portugal without Gerrard and the seemingly already crucial Suarez changes a great deal. I’d also contend that this was one occasion on which Kenny got the line up wrong. Spearing didn’t look comfortable on the right and Poulsen has rarely looked comfortable in a Liverpool shirt. The introduction of Carroll saw Poulsen removed and Spearing doing better in his more natural central role. (Ok, I’ll come back when I’ve won all the trophies Kenny has!).

Carroll’s introduction also saw the team carrying much greater threat. He seemed to win 100% of his headers and was within a whisker of levelling the score when his shot was deflected wide. His arrival seemed to galvanise the whole team.

That said, the way in which his team mates used him was not inspiring. There were too many long, high balls looking for flick-ons and nowhere near enough width or balls into feet. As when Peter Crouch first arrived, players seemed unable to resist hitting high balls at Carroll every time they looked up and saw him towering over the Braga defence. They got plenty of joy doing so, but it was at the expense of the pass and move approach. Long balls are not always a bad thing – as Bob Paisley put it, “It’s not about the long ball or the short ball, it’s about the right ball” – but the route one tactic should be an occasional option to vary the line of attack, not the only option used.

Last night, too often in the second half, it was the only tactic. Carroll is more just than a very tall striker, he can hold the ball up brilliantly for others and get the end of crosses to score goals. That’s why we paid so much money for him – because he gives us a number of options in how we attack teams. The ball into feet will often be just as effective as one to his head, as was the case with Crouch (only more so, as Carroll is better).

The concern some expressed when Liverpool signed Carroll was that we don’t have the wide players to provide the sort of service on which he will thrive. This was perhaps partly the reason for the use of wing backs in some recent games, to ensure we had players who could get behind defences and provide crosses for him when he was fit. But what was clear last night was that more thought needs to be given to how we get into the positions to deliver more balls into the box, rather than down the middle. We have done this well in some games, but last night we lacked width or natural wide players on either flank.

The Carroll flick-on will be a great weapon, as will his height at setpieces, but if we are to get real value from him, we need to be getting into wide positions and behind defences so that we can whip in crosses for him to convert. That’s why it is no surprise to see Liverpool continually linked with wingers and why I think we will continue to use wing backs in some games.

Carroll did really well last night, but his arrival cannot be allowed to turn us into a long ball team. Given who the manager is, I am sure this won’t happen and that it is something the club is already working on, both in the transfer market and on the training ground.

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23 Responses to “Why Width is Needed to Get Best From Carroll”

GG

12. Mar, 2011

the players were launching long balls because they couldn’t do anything better and this was the case at the start of the season but only this time our target-man was winning them.
it is now clear that we need some drastic change this summer and how shallow our squad is.
two seasons ago i thought that lucas is the worst player around(which he was) who ever played for us but now i see that poulsen has beaten him quite easily.

can anyone here tell me what it takes to acquire danish citizenship?
.i’d love to captain a national team.
- Chan
  
  14. Mar, 2011
  
  Yes and its not easy to beat Lucas on that but Poulsen win hands down. Side by side Poulsen makes Lucas seems like Pele.
koptised!!!

12. Mar, 2011

gg i can get your point..but why do you want to belittle the danish national team…they atleast won the euro 92…what i mean is poulsen was the guy i most hated when he was in juventus..but when he wore the RED jersey of us..the hatred went off..its just anger that hodgson bought him..and he is still havent adapted to epl in which he wont…so just get angry at our players but dont hate them..unless its OWEN OR TORRES(after the recent comment abt our club)..YNWA!!!
bayern

12. Mar, 2011

better players is whats needed, width or no width,suarez is no winger but v man utd he was playing and floating into wide positions just of kuyt and it worked, but try doing that ever game for 40 odd games a year, he would just finished, its to hard and demanding on your body.

Liverpool just need better players and thats the way it is.
like i say its pay out or do naff all, nesv are the onlky ones with our destiny in our hands,
bayern

12. Mar, 2011

if reina stays and thats a huge if then please look at this;

feel free nesv or anyone that cares about this great club to then make a team?

REINA
KELLY CARRAGHER ? JOHNSON

? GERRARD RAUL ?

SUAREZ CARROLL

and thats without having any decent real class subs???? sad is it not.
david

12. Mar, 2011

Im looking forward more appearance from Suso, Pacheco, Sterling, Eccleston..they r good..trust these youngster..our LFC future looks bright
- Chan
  
  14. Mar, 2011
  
  Yes bring on the young ones , at the rate Poulsen and Cole is going the youngsters can’t be worse surely.
GG

12. Mar, 2011

i hold nothing against danes.
in fact i support denmark in most of their games because of Danny agger and caroline.but i just had to put up my point.
Towson Tom

12. Mar, 2011

To win games you have to put out a team capable of playing attacking football. Play negative away and you will get negative results.
Ovie Olori

12. Mar, 2011

Lucas is the worst footballer i’ve seen in a decade if not poulsen. He seems not to improve, he is ponderous on the ball & makes tactical mistakes quite easily, he loses possesion more often than not & brings no creatiivity to the midfield, he is unable to distribute quality passes without been intercepted & does not deserve a starting XI shirt….
imissxabi

12. Mar, 2011

Come on, lay off Lucas. He is no where near as horrible as everyone is making him out. There’s a reason he plays for the Brazilian national team. I’d prefer him over Poulsen, Spearing, and Cole in our midfield any day of the week. He may not be flashy but he has been solid, especially in some our our bigger games i.e. Chelsea and ManU. I like having him in our squad, he’s not world-class but at least he provides solid depth and is the only thing we currently have on our squad that resembles a holding midfielder. Feel free to rip me apart for my opinion.
steve

12. Mar, 2011

you guys just cant get it with Lucas…what’s your problem with him..are you blind to see that he has improved and he currently plays 10 times better than Gerrard??i love Gerrard,he is one of the 10000 reasons i love this club but lets not get blind,ok?should we buy a better defensive midfielder at summer,i’d be greatly happy to have Lucas in the bench..we need a better and harder defensive midfielder(like Mascherano was) but Lucas for the bench is great..also the article is great and i agree 100% with it..since no good wide players are in the club,we cant see the best of Andy..look at Tottenham..Bale-Van der Vaart-Lennon all behind Crouch who gets headers and opens space for them..and compare these three with Gerrard-Meireles-Suarez-??!!Any of Dzsudzsak,Sanchez,Ashley Young,Michel Bastos,Hulk,…would do for me..
Reina
Johnson Carragher Agger Taiwo
Gerrard M’Vila Meireles
Sanchez Carroll Suarez
….YNWA
Ovie Olori (Nigeria)

12. Mar, 2011

Lucas is playing 10 times better than Gerrard? Where do you watch your football?
topscout

13. Mar, 2011

i think KD will go and sign some quality wingers in the summer to provide the service for our 2 class strikers, carroll, suarez.

If quality wide players are not signed, then signing carroll, suarez, was a waste of money.

i wud luv to see(my 1st choice), turan and young signed in the summer, with SG and raul in the middle of mid.

also i wud like swp, jarvis signed, as cheap cover for turan, young.

also i wud like richards, sakho, cisskho signed. height n pace is needed in our defence.

…………………reina
richards kelly sakho cissokho
turan sg raul young
carroll suarez

this team will win the EPL in 2 yrs.
- FOFF Topscout
  
  13. Mar, 2011
  
  I thought John Henry was “skint” topscout? Why do you continue to post this nonsense and pretend to be british when you are chinese?
- billy nambi
  
  14. Mar, 2011
  
  hahhaaa…who type the players you talk about…hahhahhaa
wong

13. Mar, 2011

lucas is totally suck…the sooner liverpool get rid of him, the better…and please..get young and we’ll get the title next season
RW Hegarty

13. Mar, 2011

I am surprised at the criticism of Lucas, who has been one of our best players this season and was man of the match at Chelsea. He is actually one of those who is better in the bigger games, though I would like to see us bring in a real midfield enforcer in the summer. I still think Lucas will be an important part of the squad.

Terry Venables once said that England fans think we are either the best team in the world or the worst. Some LFC fans seem to be going the same way, reacting to every result by saying we will win the title next year or we’re crap. As with England, the truth is somewhere in between. Our squad needs strengthening, it is among the top 5 or 6 but not good enough to challenge for the title. But what doesn’t help is seeing every game as a turning point or proof of how great or terrible we are.
- MerckZ
  
  13. Mar, 2011
  
  Wow, that’s a really great comment. Exactly what I was thinking, but far more eloquently put than I could muster. Good show Hegarty.
Jay Wright

13. Mar, 2011

We need width to make it easier on EVERYBODY in the team, not Carroll alone. Opposition defenders do not concern themselves with Kuyt or Maxi on the wings, meaning that they can get extra men in front of the goal and make forward passes more difficult. Pretty much every top team will feature at least one player that stretches the play out to the touchline in the final third and opens up space across the pitch
- MerckZ
  
  13. Mar, 2011
  
  When Kelly is back to full fitness, and hopefully Fabio Aurelio too, I’d bite the bullet and try Glen Johnson in that wide-right position. With those three on the field we have some good crossing options. Kuyt needs a breather and Maxi is better suited to the right-hand side than the left, and perhaps better still, the bench. He’s not a bad squad player though, and I think if he was actually employed in his natural RM role he’d be a solid option.
  
  I think if Kenny had secured Warnock in the window, we’d have seen Johnson at RW already.
billy nambi

14. Mar, 2011

liverpool dream team

reina
martin kelly, vidic, agger,pique
gerrard, alonso, xavi,
suarez, messi, David villa

(subt: Mascharano, tevez, sergio ramos, clichy,
dimitri mopati

14. Mar, 2011

first things first does the club lfc have any intention of playing good football? i dout it…will any1 please say anythin about our midfield come on peeps an alonso, xavi iniesta busquets midfield won the wc and evry othe competition focus o the midfield the heart beat of an alive team