As Burnley went down without as much as a whimper on Sunday afternoon, Liverpool’s comfortable 4-0 victory posed more questions than answers. Chief among them revolved around the productive Alberto Aquilani, responsible for three assists on his first Premier League start away from Anfield. Why, when Liverpool have been desperate for the midfield creativity and ball-retention skills absent since Xabi Alonso departed for Real Madrid, has the Italian not featured more in Liverpool’s woeful season?
Aquilani has made just seven league starts
The primary reason is, of course, injury. When Aquilani joined from Roma for that eye-catching £17m fee, he was suffering from a long-standing ankle problem that Benitez knew would rule the schemer out for the first few months of the season. In his absence, and consequently in the absence of any creative central midfield player, Liverpool’s season foundered early and they were effectively out of the title race after five defeats in their first eleven games. The recipient of most of the criticism from supporters, aside from Benitez, was the prosaic Lucas Leiva, a previously second-choice central midfielder better suited to breaking up the play than keeping possession, as Xabi Alonso did so well. The attacks on Lucas were slightly unfair as he was arguably being dropped in at the deep-end to play a role he was unfamiliar with, but the lack of Alonso’s wit and composure was stark, and everyone assumed that Aquilani was Benítez’s solution.
When the Italian made his long-awaited full Premier League debut in the win against Wolves on Boxing day, the 25-year-old’s comfortable display must have encouraged the Anfield faithful into believing that more familiar form would follow until the season’s end, vital in their battle to retain Champions League status. He suffered a few more injury setbacks – at one point apparently annoying Benítez, who said “some players can play through the pain – others seem unable to,” but largely Aquilani has been fit since then. With that the case, Benítez’s consistent omission of the midfielder from his starting line-up has been baffling. Early in the season, when he was being eased back in, Benítez was accused of “wrapping Aquilani in cotton wool”. With his injury record, caution was probably advised. But with months of training behind him, if he is to be spared home games against the likes of West Ham, what games was he bought to play in?
The fact that the weekend’s game at Turf Moor marked his only start away from home in the league this season speaks volumes. The manager has cherry-picked Aquilani’s appearances, and their desperate league position suggests he has paid the price. With their next fixture in their chase for fourth coming at home to Chelsea, the prize at stake is simply too important for Benítez to do anything other than pick his strongest side. That side surely includes the £17m signing, who would relish the chance to justify his transfer fee. If Benítez goes for Lucas and Mascherano again, Liverpool’s fans can forget about Europe’s premier competition for at least another year, and possibly even longer.
