The biggest of those issues, metaphorically and
physically, spent 77 minutes seated behind Dalglish on the Anfield
bench.
The Scot must work out how to solve the Andy Carroll quandary.
The striker, all £35m of him, had started both Liverpool’s draw
with Sunderland and the victory at Arsenal, first alongside Luis
Suárez and then alongside Dirk Kuyt. Here, it was his turn to miss
out.
Of all three combinations, this worked best. Uruguayan and
Dutchman provide endless intensity, affording a side built to the
Scot’s energetic, pressing specifications the sharpest of
edges.
The contrast with Owen Coyle’s side’s last visit, when only a
late Joe Cole winner — “an offside winner,” to quote the
Bolton Wanderers manager — salvaged a victory, granting the doomed
Roy Hodgson the most temporary of reprieves, was stark.
“If you want to compare
Liverpool today with back
then, they look a very good side,” said Coyle, Ivan Klasnic’s late
strike of little consolation.
Coyle, "if you gave me £110 million I am sure I would have a
team that look dangerous every time they walk on the park"
“They can score goals. Having said that, if you gave me
£110 million I am sure I would have a team that look dangerous
every time they walk on the park.”
Kuyt and Suárez certainly seem most suited to what he is trying
to achieve; that much was clear even last season. They offer the
movement, the versatility and the remorselessness Dalglish
demands.
The issue for Dalglish is that such a style seems to flow more
naturally with Suárez and Kuyt on the pitch, and Carroll on the
bench. It is a problem Dalglish will welcome but it will offer him
no little trouble, too.
The issue is not with Carroll himself, but more his
consequences. The 22 year-old’s presence inspires Liverpool to
adopt a more agrarian philosophy, one they are ill-suited to and
one which does not, in truth, elicit the best from the striker.
That is the challenge facing Dalglish. His outlay on Carroll now
totals £66m, such has been the cost of the striker himself, Stewart
Downing and José Enrique to provide the requisite width and Adam to
create the space. This is a side built for Carroll. The irony is
that it does not appear to need him in it.
Liverpool’s three strike options
Carroll and Suárez: Financially, Kenny
Dalglish’s first choice. Suárez buzzes behind Carroll, playing off
the £35m frontman in a system which allows Liverpool to play high
tempo, passing football but also offers an aerial outlet. Fine in
theory, yet to succeed in practice.
Carroll and Kuyt: The more defensive option,
where the industrious Dutchman functions essentially as a fifth
midfielder. Used to some effect in victory at Arsenal, stifling the
home side and allowing Liverpool to use Carroll as a focal point.
Victory was only assured once Suárez was introduced, though.
Kuyt and Suárez: Devastatingly effective at the
end of last season, the pair offer Liverpool a highly mobile,
versatile strike force that affords the energy Dalglish’s style
requires.
