Forget the golf clubs, forget the tennis racquets, and enough of baseball. The football season is upon us (yes, the American version of “football” is as well).
Football fans were rather fortunate to be blessed with the Confederation Cup keeping us entertained this summer, but hey, nothing other than Premiership could truly quench our thirst.
Preseason football is upon us, with the charm and royalty of the world’s clubs on display for the last few weeks now. Wayne Rooney’s footwork, John Terry’s charm, Luis Suarez’ joy in Anfield colours, and Manchester City’s home-grown players have been making some noise. In case you did not get the hint of sarcasm, I’m kidding. Reports have also indicated of a possible move for a Tottenham player for £100m.
Meanwhile Gary Hooper may be having a laugh with the lads saying, “Remember when I almost joined that QPR team for money?”
Wayne has been missing. Mourinho has declared Terry will not be a guarantee to start for Chelsea, and City have spent money that is equivalent to what is needed to end world hunger, for a couple of players, again. Luis Suarez has looked passionless and unhappy in his play so far for Liverpool. A passionless, bite-free Suarez may be good news to opponents; however, the uninterested Uruguayan is likely to leave Anfield. Maybe he is on the move to a big club such as, say…ARSENAL? This off-season has rather been a little peculiar.
Yes, Mr. Wenger decided to add to the mysteriousness of this off-season by going against his usual trends and bidding on a player older than 15. Not only that, Arsenal FC had bid £ 40,000,001 on the star player. That has not happened at the Emirates since they signed that Russian superstar who is…back in Russia. Ok sorry, I joke, I remember Santi Cazorla and the lot.
The preseason for Liverpool has been a positive experience so far. Brendan Rodgers’ side have played Preston North End, Indonesia XI, Melbourne Victory, and Thailand so far, with all games resulting in wins. While the competition has not been stellar, Rodgers will be pleased at the play of many of his players. One of these players: Philippe Coutinho.
NO SUAREZ? NO PROBLEM, COUTINHO SHOWS
Coutinho was a revelation for Liverpool in January. The £8.5m capture from Inter Milan was known to be a talented individual who was unable to win playing time. Inter deemed him expendable, and sold him to Liverpool at a now-bargain price. Coutinho arrived at Anfield and displayed his mesmerizing skills and speed on a consistent basis, ending the season with 3 goals and 7 assists in 13 matches. This preseason has been even better. So far this pre-season, Coutinho has clearly been the best player on Brendan Rodger’s team. Young Coutinho, 20, is showing confidence while performing his best Messi impersonation. He has scored 3 goals in the 3 matches he’s played. He has been particularly strong sprinting down the middle and creating plays. At this point, Coutinho looks like a strong bet to be Liverpool’s strongest offensive threat. Confident dribbling, strong finishes, and strong assists have been the name of Phillipe’s game in this pre-season, and while competition isn’t the strongest, he looks a sure threat to Premiership opponents.
ASPAS PROVING TO BE PRODUCTIVE
My last article was a profile about the Kop’s new #9, Iago Aspas. The intriguing individual bares many resemblances to our goldenboy Suarez and has performed quite well at Celta Vigo in the past. Thus, there is excitement to see what he can offer. What can he offer? So far it has been goals in almost every match he has played. Aspas has been tantalizing defenders with his abilities so far. He opened his scoring in his debut against Preston North End with a lovely curling shot, and assisted on Raheem Sterling’s goal. Aspas followed that up by scoring against Melbourne and Thailand, bringing his total to 3 goals. He showed a lovely bit of skill against Thailand by moving in behind the defender and receiving the ball with a silky smooth first touch before slotting into the net. While he has not shown the 1-on-1 skills he possesses, Aspas has shown a strong knack for being in the right spot at the right time with his cerebral movement and natural finishing skills. It will be interesting to see how he performs against stronger competition when Liverpool play Olympiakos and Celtic in the coming weeks. With the departure of Suarez imminent, Aspas’ production will be very helpful. The talented Spanish forward may be thrown into the fire that is the Premier League if Daniel Sturridge is not ready on opening day.
BORINI FIGHTING AND COMPETING, BUT STRUGGLING
Brendan Rodgers’ prized possession from last season, £10m man Fabio Borini has so far had a trying time at Liverpool. He arrived at Anfield from Roma amid significant expectations. So far, injuries have been a major obstacle for the young Italian. Among them were a broken foot and a dislocated shoulder. Therefore, he notched just 2 goals in 20 appearances. So far this pre-season, he has been prominent in his strong efforts to win races and win loose balls. However, he has not manufactured much in terms of goal-scoring opportunities or pure displays of skill. At times, his footwork has seemed scrappy and incomplete. Against Thailand, Borini was very visible in the first half by battling for possession and playing through teammates, but was practically invisible in the second half. The heart and effort is there, but the kid also lacks some luck. With Sturridge, Aspas, and possibly Suarez infront of him on the depth chart, it will take more for Borini to get significant playing time. This season will be instrumental in defining what role the 22-year old will play at Anfield. Can he pull off a Stewart Downing sort of revival, or will he be another Ryan Babel? His habit of being a tireless worker will aid him in his Premier League survival, but it will not be enough to push Brendan Rodgers to start him regularly.
Clearly there are many interesting plotlines in pre-season surrounding the team, with lots of young players making impressions. The matches against Olympiakos and Celtic within the next week will provide numerous more storylines and information towards many of the players.
“Knowing the future is never a good thing.” Such is the beauty in football. The drama, the twists are what fuel the romance that we all have with the beautiful game.
Til then, Smile for the cameras at least, Will ya Luis?
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