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Club Focus – Liverpool - Hodgson finds a Portuguese man of war in Raul Meireles
Liverpool supporters always appreciate effort. It doesn’t matter if players haven’t got the most impressive technical ability – as long as they give their all for the Red shirt then they are going to be backed to the hilt. It’s why the likes of Igor Biscan and Erik Meijer are still fondly recalled despite their limited levels of skill – or almost complete lack thereof – but when a player combines that undeniable will-to-win with genuine, out-and-out quality, then the fans have got a favourite on their hands. That’s why Javier Mascherano was so popular, and that’s why Raul Meireles surely will be.
One look at Liverpool’s new Portuguese signing would indicate all the hallmarks of a cult hero. His arms are more ink than limb – with almost every inch of them covered in tattoos – and combining that with his unshaven, almost scruffy appearance, and here you have someone who looks more like a rock star than a top central midfielder – his middle names of Jose Trinidade would surely be a good stage persona – but a top midfielder he most certainly is. A player with more of an attacking outlook than Mascherano, Meireles will add an energy and dynamism to the Reds midfield, qualities that they have been missing ever since Xabi Alonso departed for Real Madrid last summer. Of all the aspects of the Spaniard’s game, his energy and workman-like qualities were often least discussed, but he could put his foot in when it really mattered – still can – and while Meireles won’t bring Alonso’s at times bewildering array of passing to the Liverpool table, he will be prepared to work his socks off, and he can score goals too.
The latest of the 27-year-old’s six strikes for his country came in the 7-0 hammering of North Korea at the summer’s World Cup, where Meireles started all four of Portugal’s matches, and was a key factor in the Portuguese solidity that ensured that only Spain’s David Villa breached their defences in South Africa. He appears to be a player who relishes a battle, and he’s certainly signed up for one of those at Anfield, where Roy Hodgson’s rebuilding programme is starting to gather pace, aided by the victory over West Bromwich Albion last time out.
The Baggies must hate the sight of the Red shirt. Nine times they have faced Liverpool in the Premier League and nine times they have lost, scoring precisely zero goals in the process. They can’t have played much better at Anfield than they did on Sunday afternoon, but as so often when the league’s bigger fish come up against the smaller fry, it was one moment of true quality that made the difference. Fernando Torres’ excellent volley from a Dirk Kuyt cross got Liverpool’s league campaign really up and running, and was as crucial an intervention as any that the Spaniard is likely to produce this season, as the need for three points was there for all to see following the heartbreak at the end of the Arsenal match and the troubles at the start of the trip to Manchester City.
The cause of those troubles at Eastlands, Mascherano, has finally brought his Liverpool career to an end with his move to Barcelona. Meireles has effectively been seen as his replacement, but it remains to be seen just where he will be utilised in Hodgson’s plans. The boss certainly has a wealth of options available to him, but what was clear from the West Brom clash was that combining Christian Poulsen and Lucas in the centre of midfield didn’t provide the necessary creativity for a home clash with a team who are widely expected to battle relegation. However, a Meireles and Steven Gerrard partnership might not give the necessary defensive cover that it seen as so vital in the modern game. Gerrard played behind Torres on Sunday, and he could play there in front of a Meireles and Poulsen/Lucas combination, but where does that place Joe Cole when he comes back from suspension? Or indeed the new striker that Hodgson has insisted that he will look to sign today? At the time of writing Mario Gomez and Carlton Cole have been the most strongly linked, with Hodgson ruling out a move for the Swede Ola Toivonen.
Questions still pervade over this Liverpool side then, but it is to be hoped that they can be thrown out of the transfer window as it slides shut. Only then will this truly be Hodgson’s team – albeit one still operating under ownership restrictions. That aside, all of those left at the club after today will have to have signed up to the manager’s battleplan, and be up for a fight that will be carried by the likes of Meireles.
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