Dirk Kuyt believes the new role handed to him by Rafael Benitez has helped salvage his season.
The Holland international has been operating on the right wing of the 4-2-3-1 formation preferred by the Liverpool manager in recent weeks.
And it has coincided with an improvement in form for Kuyt, whose man- of-the-match performance in the Champions League game with Arsenal on Wednesday was described as “unbelievable” and “amazing” by Benitez.
The 27-year-old netted a precious away goal as Liverpool exited the Emirates with a hugely creditable 1-1 draw to take into next Tuesday’s return leg at Anfield.
Kuyt came in for fierce criticism during the first half of the season as, hampered by a loss of form and mourning the loss of his father to cancer, he went 13 games without a goal.
But the forward has enjoyed a renaissance since being asked to mine the right flank
“I have had a difficult season and I have had to show character,” admits Kuyt. “I had a few problems in the early part of the season and everyone knows what it was.
“I just tried to come through it and in the second half of the season I have played in a different position and I have just tried to give everything I can. It has gone well. I have given assists and I have scored some goals.
“The manager didn’t need to persuade me over the position on the right. I have played in that position for years for Holland and when I started my career at Utrecht it was there also.
“I am not an out and out right-winger, I do it in my own way and that has helped me to continue scoring goals.”
Kuyt has become something of a talisman for Liverpool in the Champions League this season, with Wednesday’s goal his sixth in the competition.
However, the forward Kuyt has netted only four times in domestic football, and he added: “Last year I scored 13 goals in the league and only one in Europe. This season I have scored three in the league, one in the cup and six in Europe.
“I don’t really know why that is, but I cannot be happy with that. I just hope that I can go on and be involved in good moments with Liverpool.”
Kuyt was also involved in the game’s main talking point midway through the second half when he tussled with Aleksandr Hleb inside the area.
After Arsenal’s strong penalty claims were waved away by referee Pieter Vink, conspiracy theorists revelled in the fact both Kuyt and Vink hail from the same Rijnland region in the west of Holland in towns separated by a distance of five miles.
The Liverpool man, however, dismissed any suggestions of favouritism and claims the referee was correct not to award the spot-kick.
“I think the penalty decision was right,” says Kuyt.
“I touched Hleb but I never pulled his shirt, so I don’t think he deserved to get a penalty. It was close, to be fair, but not a penalty.
“I know the referee because I played in Holland a lot against him. When we played against Feyenoord in pre-season he was the referee as well. So I know him.
“He comes from close to where I grew up.
“It’s wrong to say that he did me a favour because I know him.
“I had him a few times in Holland against me.
“He made a good decision and to be fair he knows Robin van Persie too.”
The Holland international has been operating on the right wing of the 4-2-3-1 formation preferred by the Liverpool manager in recent weeks.
And it has coincided with an improvement in form for Kuyt, whose man- of-the-match performance in the Champions League game with Arsenal on Wednesday was described as “unbelievable” and “amazing” by Benitez.
The 27-year-old netted a precious away goal as Liverpool exited the Emirates with a hugely creditable 1-1 draw to take into next Tuesday’s return leg at Anfield.
Kuyt came in for fierce criticism during the first half of the season as, hampered by a loss of form and mourning the loss of his father to cancer, he went 13 games without a goal.
But the forward has enjoyed a renaissance since being asked to mine the right flank
“I have had a difficult season and I have had to show character,” admits Kuyt. “I had a few problems in the early part of the season and everyone knows what it was.
“I just tried to come through it and in the second half of the season I have played in a different position and I have just tried to give everything I can. It has gone well. I have given assists and I have scored some goals.
“The manager didn’t need to persuade me over the position on the right. I have played in that position for years for Holland and when I started my career at Utrecht it was there also.
“I am not an out and out right-winger, I do it in my own way and that has helped me to continue scoring goals.”
Kuyt has become something of a talisman for Liverpool in the Champions League this season, with Wednesday’s goal his sixth in the competition.
However, the forward Kuyt has netted only four times in domestic football, and he added: “Last year I scored 13 goals in the league and only one in Europe. This season I have scored three in the league, one in the cup and six in Europe.
“I don’t really know why that is, but I cannot be happy with that. I just hope that I can go on and be involved in good moments with Liverpool.”
Kuyt was also involved in the game’s main talking point midway through the second half when he tussled with Aleksandr Hleb inside the area.
After Arsenal’s strong penalty claims were waved away by referee Pieter Vink, conspiracy theorists revelled in the fact both Kuyt and Vink hail from the same Rijnland region in the west of Holland in towns separated by a distance of five miles.
The Liverpool man, however, dismissed any suggestions of favouritism and claims the referee was correct not to award the spot-kick.
“I think the penalty decision was right,” says Kuyt.
“I touched Hleb but I never pulled his shirt, so I don’t think he deserved to get a penalty. It was close, to be fair, but not a penalty.
“I know the referee because I played in Holland a lot against him. When we played against Feyenoord in pre-season he was the referee as well. So I know him.
“He comes from close to where I grew up.
“It’s wrong to say that he did me a favour because I know him.
“I had him a few times in Holland against me.
“He made a good decision and to be fair he knows Robin van Persie too.”
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