Alberto Aquilani. Photo © Getty Images.

“We have the best midfield in the world, we have Xabi Alonso, Momo Sissoko, Gerrard and Mascheranooooo, ooo… Wo ooo ooo  oo oo…” My favourite Liverpool song, before the Torres Bounce that is.

If you look closely, we have sold Momo and Xabi already, but does that mean we no longer have the best midfield in the World?

I think not, I reckon the midfield is actually stronger after the 2 years after the song was somehow coined after the 2007 Champions League final in which we lost to AC Milan. Look at that midfield, it’s full of graters and not enough crafters who could turn the game with a bit of skills, a turn and run, backheel, quick one – two or other things that made us love the game so much.

With the new look midfield, I think we have added players with craft into the mix to complement the graft of Mascherano and Gerrard in Albert Riera, signed last year and Alberto Aquilani, our new signing this year. (Isn’t it a coincidence that both our crafty midfielders are called Albert?)

Last week, I wrote about how I wanted Joe Cole to replace Xabi for he could run with the ball, skillful and had an eye for goal, it seemed that Rafa has gone one better by signing Alberto Aquilani.

I must admit I do not know a lot about him, apart from he played from Roma, and was a Roma fan, broke into the side at about the same time as De Rossi, while De Rossi has progressed into the player he is today, Aquilani somehow stagnated, no thanks to his injury worries.

However, from what I saw, from youtube, I know it is not the best indicator of a player’s ability, but in the absence of other more concrete evidence, it’s the next best thing, plus I couldn’t be arsed to look and then sit through all the matches he has played in, no time for that, he is just the player we need, and very similar to my idea of getting Joe Cole (shows why I am a couch manager that rants while Rafa sit on the dugout during matches). Aquilani looked very versatile, he could pass the ball long, and at the same time, he could run with the ball, beat players and most importantly, has a ferocious shot. Many who saw the same youtube video commented that perhaps Rafa bought the wrong player, as his style is more similar to that of Gerrard’s rather than the calm and assuring style of Xabi. My question is this, who is to say that they couldn’t work? The answer would most likely point to the failure of Gerrard and Lampard in the England set up, where they failed to reproduce their club form in the international stage. One thing one must remember when making this comparison is that it is very different scenario, and most importantly, there’s no Mascherano sitting behind the duo, chasing, hassling, tackling and breaking up play. Instead, it is Gerrard who’s doing all that, while Fat Frank hopes his shots will be deflected in.

The thing is this, I think it is fantastic that we got a player like that, one that could pass, shoot and at the same time run with the ball, as I reckon our style of play is due for a big change. It showed in our pre season games, where Lucas got more game time than Xabi, Lucas is also a different type of player to Xabi, I’d say more similar to Gerrard and Aquilani, without the ferocious shot, but he keeps it tidy and when needed, could and would pop up in the penalty box to have a pot shot at goal, something Xabi doesn’t do as much, always hanging around the centre circle in case the ball broke back to him.

One of the big criticism that we have is that we are too reliant on Gerrard and Torres to score the goals while the rest doesn’t chip in as much, certainly our midfield did not chip in as much as we would’ve preferred, especially Xabi, it is unthinkable someone with his range of passing and shot only has 3 goals last season. With the acquisition of Aquilani, hopefully that will change as I think once he settles into the game and the way we play, he’d be able to chip in his fair share of goals. Don’t forget, he is in double figures constantly for Roma (when he plays), that could only be good for the team.

On top of that, his ability on the ball is not to be discounted as most Italians would have skills to burn, one that could see them beat a player or two to start an attack before finishing the move themselves. This is exactly what we need in the team, especially against teams who come and park the bus at Anfield, we all cry out for Xabi when that happen, but if and when he lofts the ball towards the danger areas, it would give them time to reorganize or opportunity to win the ball in the air. With a player that likes to play on the ground and with such quick feet, it would be another challenge for the opposition as they would HAVE to mark him, thus taking the players towards us, forcing them to come forward a little instead of constantly retreating, waiting for the high ball or long ball. They know if they do not deal with it further up the field, we would come close to the penalty box and slice them open with a bit of skill from Aquilani or anyone, worst still, there will be players lining up to take long shots, this would eventually crack their defence. For him to do that, he can play in Gerrard’s position or just behind Gerrard, where he could really play between the lines, making it hard for the opposition to pick up and those deep runs from the midfield to meet a cross or follow up a spilled shot.

Another thing many lament about is his injury record and the fact that he would not be starting the new season right away, I beg to differ, it might turn out to be a blessing in disguise, Aquilani would have more time to get used to his team mate, more time to learn about the way the game is played here and most importantly build up his strength and gel with the team, then we might just see him start with a bang in the league when he starts playing. Plus, he would not have played that many games and wouldn’t be as tired come the business end of the season where a crafty player that is not as fatigue as the rest would be a big big ace to have.

Lastly, I don’t think anyone thought of this yet, Gerrard will be 30 next May and with the careers of top players starting to wind down after they turn 32, Aquilani will be 27, arguably in his peak, who is to say we would not have a readymade player who can step into Gerrard’s shoes when he decided to hang up his boots? In that sense we would be killing 2 birds with 1 stone and with Lucas waiting in the wings and improving every year, it can only be good to the team, I for one is quietly confident that this team will be the one who’d dominate English football for years to come.

Jonno ®