With recent reports from the Liverpool Echo confirming that Alberto Moreno has become very much a backup to Joe Gomez at left back, the Spaniard’s future at Anfield has been thrown into question. It’s quite an extraordinary scenario when you take a step back. Last summer, there was a huge amount of excitement when Liverpool finally agreed a deal with Sevilla for Moreno. Tipped as one of the finest young left backs in Europe and billed as potentially the heir to Jordi Alba in the Spanish national team, Moreno arrived on Merseyside with great expectations. One year later, his place in the side is in jeopardy having been ousted by an 18 year old centre back signed from Charlton. According to the Liverpool Echo, Moreno will have the chance to fight for his place, but if he sulks about the situation Liverpool will listen to any offers for the full back. You can’t for one minute imagine that Moreno will be remotely pleased to see a player of Gomez’ inexperience take his place in the side, and despite how impressive Gomez’ early performances for Liverpool have been, it’s unreasonable to expect him to be first choice for the entire season. Therefore, Rodgers is left with something of a dilemma. Does he give Moreno a chance to prove his credentials, or does he continue to overlook him with a view to potentially signing a new left back?
Personally I have a very strong opinion on this issue. Whilst I fully understand that Moreno’s defensive qualities were highly inconsistent and at times a liability last season, I think it would be an enormous mistake to consider selling him after just one full season in English football. Looking back at his debut campaign, there were some calamitous moments. Failing to clear the danger as Jovetic stole the ball to score for Man City on Moreno’s debut. The same error then occurred against Newcastle as Ayoze Perez capitalised to score. His positioning in the 3-0 loss at Old Trafford and the 4-1 loss at the Emirates were also among Moreno’s least convincing displays. And yet I still believe we have to give him another chance. There were several mitigating factors which didn’t help Moreno settle in- adapting to a whole new culture after leaving his boyhood club, the constantly changing centre back partnerships alongside him, the lack of defensive cover from midfield. All these factors contributed to his struggles. I’m not making excuses for Moreno, but these issues must be considered when assessing his first season at Liverpool. On the scale of problems we had last season, Moreno was by no means the biggest weakness.
It’s also easy to forget the positive signs from Moreno last season. His sensational solo goal against Spurs in the 3-0 victory at White Hart Lane encapsulated everything that we wanted from Moreno. Pressing high up the field, aggressive tackling and terrific pace, along with superb dribbling and a thunderous left foot. In our first Champions League fixture against Ludogorets at Anfield, Moreno whipped in the cross for Balotelli to open the scoring before sprinting back late on to make a perfectly timed sliding tackle to deny a certain goal. His lighting quick solo run past 4 Real Madrid players at the Bernabeu. His superb performances against Swansea at Anfield and from the bench against Southampton at St Mary’s. Among the erratic displays, there was plenty of examples of Moreno’s ability last season, especially going forwards.
Moreno celebrates. (Liverpoolfc.com)
‘Going forwards’ is not where the issue lies with Moreno. Few would doubt his attacking ability, although his crossing could still be improved. His pace and ability on the ball are comparable to a natural winger, which is hugely important in the modern game. Where Moreno falls short is in defensive areas. He makes plenty of interceptions and recovery slide tackles, and he is aggressive in his pressing- these are all good qualities. However, what we saw far too often last season was a lack of positional understanding, with Moreno regularly bombing forward at the wrong times, leaving the entire left flank exposed. He also appeared out of sync with his left sided centre back, leaving gaps for the opposition to exploit, and he was also too slow to react in situations where he needed to clear the ball under pressure. The question is, are these defensive deficiencies irreparable and reason to write Moreno off completely?
For me, the answer is an emphatic no. Many will disagree, but in Moreno I still believe we have a ‘rough diamond’ of a player. He has the pace to deal with any winger, and going forwards he represents a real threat. His positional understanding is a problem which I feel can be corrected with greater experience (which comes with regular playing time) and work on the training ground. Knowing when to push forwards and when to hold his position will go a long way to improving Moreno’s all round game. The crucial point is, I believe he has the natural qualities to be a top class left back if he gets the necessary guidance and regular playing time. There are aspects of his game which are already very strong, and if he can polish up on the defensive side of his game Moreno can be the player we all thought we had originally signed from Sevilla.
It’s worth remembering that Moreno only just turned 23 last month. For a full back that’s still a young age and he has plenty of time to prove his critics wrong and establish himself at Liverpool. Given that it is typically difficult in the current market to find top class full backs, the prospect of selling Moreno already is not something we should consider. Of course, he has to step up his performance level from last season and find a higher level of consistency, but writing off such a talented young player would be a major mistake at this stage. Assuming Moreno stays at Liverpool this transfer window, he will get chances this season. Gomez cannot play every game, and if by next summer Moreno has shown no signs of maturing or developing, then it would make sense to consider offloading him. For now, I hope to see him respond to the competition from Gomez in a positive manner and force his way back into the side. It won’t be easy, especially given that Moreno was a committee signing and therefore not specifically targeted by Rodgers. It would be great to see Moreno follow a similar path to Jordan Henderson, fighting back from the fringes of the squad to becoming an integral part of the side. Ideally I’d like to see us sign another left back to compete with Moreno and for Gomez to be Clyne’s understudy at right back. Either way, Moreno needs a chance to prove himself this season and it would be a great shame if the club tried to move him on this transfer window. If Dejan Lovren deserves a second go, surely Moreno does too.
Red Regista
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