On a day when Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere was awarded the PFA Young Player of the Year Award, Liverpool showed the Emirates that they, too, have plenty to be optimistic about when it comes to placing faith in youth. Kenny Dalglish’s side finished the 1-1 draw with three teenagers on the field and although it’s fair to say that full-backs John Flanagan and Jack Robinson have been pitched into first-team duties purely as a consequence of injuries to others, the pair did not look out of their depth in helping to thwart Arsene Wenger’s side last Sunday.
After the Arsenal game, Dalglish spoke of his pride at the youngsters performances:
“We couldn’t ask for any more from them. It’s them that’s pushed us. I don’t make that decision, they do. In the last year and a half the development and improvement in the Academy has been fantastic.”
The last couple of days have resultantly seen the Liverpool Youth Academy products firmly in the media spotlight, so here’s a look at their performances…
Jack Robinson
As a way to counter the speed of Theo Walcott on Arsenal‘s right wing, Dalglish’s tactics were clearly to have his left-back sit deep and both Jack Robinson (49) and the man he replaced on 22 minutes, Fabio Aurelio (6) done just that, as this Average Position map shows.
With Arsenal having 62% possession and- as the Passing Chalkboard below shows- Liverpool using the right hand side of the pitch far more than the left, Robinson’s involvement was limited to him making just 17 passes during the game. Seven of these, however, linked with the roaming Luis Suarez up front, illustrating a surety, rather than a safety-first approach, in the 17 year old’s distribution.
John Flanagan
Although Flanagan (38 in Average Position map above) played far higher up on the opposite flank against Arsenal, far more of his passes were shorter than Robinson’s; Dirk Kuyt, dropping deep on the right wing, received the ball more times than any other player from the right-back. Flanagan made 37 Passes against the Gunners, with as many as 14 of these unsuccessful.
The 18 year old’s passing against Man City in the previous game at Anfield was far more accurate, if somewhat a little tentative. Flanagan also made 14 unsuccessful passes in his debut but this was from a total of 66. The Chalkboard shows, though, just how risk-free his distribution was; 69% of these were made in his own half.
Jay Spearing
In the middle of the pitch, Jay Spearing worked tirelessly all game against Arsenal and it’s credit to his displays in the past few weeks that the absence of Steven Gerrard has barely, if at all, affected Liverpool’s overall performances. A look at the stats of both players show an exact mirror-image since Dalglish’s return; five 90 minute appearances harvesting one assist apiece.
The twenty-two year old has played every minute since Gerrard’s groin injury ruled him out for the end of the season and has already chalked up more minutes under Dalglish than any other Liverpool manager. Analyzing both midfielders’ last home games (Spearing in the 3-0 win over Man City, Gerrard in the 3-1 Man United) suggests that Spearing’s performance should be praised on its own merits, not merely lauded as impressive in terms his relative youth.
Man City started in a 4-4-1-1 shape before the loss of Carlos Tevez on the quarter hour mark saw Roberto Mancini return to 4-2-3-1. Spearing (26) revelled in his role alongside Lucas, making 67 Passes, an amount bettered only by Dirk Kuyt, with 61% of these made in the opposition half as he helped Liverpool take the game to City.
Man United came to Anfield with a 4-4-2 and Gerrard’s position here (number 8, below) is actually deeper than Spearing’s in the above example. Gerrard made 56 passes, with 54% coming in the United half. Comparing the two performances, Spearing not only made more passes and played higher up the pitch, his passing was also more accurate, 82% to 75%. A result, perhaps, of his no-nonsense approach to ball-retention, opposed to the overly ambitious balls into the box favoured by the Liverpool skipper.
Liverpool’s next two fixtures see them take on (BIR, NEW) and with four wins and a draw in their last five Anfield games, look strong favourites for both matches. With three clean sheets and only two goals conceded in those games, both Flanagan and Robinson, priced at 4.5 and 4.0 respectively in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), look good value as cut-price defensive differentials ahead of gameweek 34. Spearing comes in at just 4.5 and although he would, admittedly, be a real Fantasy punt, his place is cemented in midfield and with the talents of Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll up front, there’s a good possibility of him grabbing an assist or two before the season is out.
