Andy Carroll’s arrival has prompted a change in tactics for Liverpool, here I will assess what he brings to the team and what he changes in a team.
Okay, so first point that I’d like to make is simply that only the smaller clubs play with the ‘Route 1′ tactic (launching a long high ball for their striker to collect). It’s done at Newcastle, Stoke City, and as pointed out by Arsenal’s manager, it is also done by Tyneside club Sunderland.
Well, why is it that it is so effective for the smaller clubs, yet all the ‘Big Clubs’ in Europe don’t play with this intriguing style of football? Look at the top attacking teams around, Barcelona have Villa, and they play most of their football on the ground, Real Madrid have Higuain, and they normally opt for the through pass and Chelsea have Drogba, whom sometimes plays route 1 but is more reliant on ground play.
But fact is, Andy Carroll is the type of player who can only win headers for the team, and to blast screamers into the back of the net. He lacks the pace, and he doesn’t have the best ball control, in some ways he reminds me of our former striker, Peter Crouch. He absolutely emphasized this point against Manchester City (he scored a screamer and a header).
Don’t get me wrong, he could be a Liverpool legend, still 22, but the thing is that as seen against Arsenal, Carroll won’t be able to do well against the Big Teams, reason being that Liverpool are simply not set up to play ‘Route 1′, it is not something that they are familiar with, they recognize the through ball more, as used with Fernando Torres.
Will the £35 million reap more benefits? We’ll have to see…
Submitted by Two Liverpool Fans
