Alberto Moreno tirelessly demonstrates a surplus and shortage of footballing virtues, rarely finding a sensible middle ground. For the neutral, his efforts are comical. makes for good tv. For Liverpool fans, olive branches are no longer being extended.
The thesis that Alberto Moreno is without a brain is no longer too outlandish to state. For some time now, the question of vacant space between the walls of his skull has been reprimanded by the claim that he is a human man. However, the consistency of his mistakes is now seen as damning evidence to the contrary.
How Did It All Go Wrong?
Rewind to Liverpool’s third game in the 2014/15 season. The Spaniard memorably demonstrated controlled aggression to dispossess Andros Townsend in his own half. This was followed by exuberance, exploding down the left flank and cooly slot across Hugo Lloris’ body to the far post. Liverpool left North London with three goals, three points and the excusable belief that the Spaniard would be a fixture in the side for years to come.
Since that Tottenham game two years ago, Moreno has endeared himself to football fans worldwide with his magnetic personality. Unfortunately, a side-project hell bent on career implosion has tested this to its limits. Case and point being the Europa League final – a head-in-hands microcosm of what the player, who is foremost a defender, does not bring to a defence. Erratic decision-making and disregard for positional awareness plague his performances.
‘Rich History of Inadequacy’
Perhaps the burden of responsibility does not rest at his feet. Keen observers will have noticed that Anfield has a rich history of inadequacy where left-sided defenders are concerned. Only John Arne Riise and Fabio Aurelio have departed Merseyside having not consistently dissatisfied fans in the last decade. Amongst this list is the often over-paid and overweight Enrique, the uncomfortable actually playing football Cissokho and the ultra-conservative, ultra-underwhelming Konchesky. Maybe the position is cursed. Or, just maybe, the transfer committee should stop signing incompetent underachievers.
Nevertheless, Jurgen Klopp challenged the squad with a relentless and robust pre-season in order to smooth out the frailties. Triple training sessions were demanded in the sweltering heats of July in Stanford. The results? Four goals against Arsenal, away from home. So what has the happy-go-lucky defender been up to? Why has he relapsed on the very first day of the season? This weekend’s game demonstrated a passivity to defending properly that Liverpool fans are accustomed to. One can only imagine that the player has forged a steely resilience to constructive criticism, best illustrated by the cultivation of a sinful ‘man bun’. This might further explain why two years of training 45 weeks-a-year has made no difference.
Plan A, Not B or C
The contingency plan has seen James Milner flirting with the position – a right-footed midfielder. This makes little sense. If Klopp is to fulfil his aim of winning the league within four years, something has to change. The glaringly obvious solution is to demote and replace the player, bringing in a fresh face of real quality. This would enable Moreno some much needed time out of the limelight to revise his craft. Ominously, there is no competition. He is the outstanding candidate to start every match simply because he is unopposed. Should Klopp truly want to maintain his label as a winner Liverpool need specialists in every area. With all the progress made in the last year, rookie errors should not be made possible.
