BY his own admission – and pretty much everyone else’s for that matter – Andrea Dossena has not enjoyed a dream start to his Liverpool career.
When he was signed for a club record fee for a defender in the summer, hopes were high that the £7m man would make the left back position his own and give the Reds a whole new dimension in that position.
It hasn’t quite worked out like that though. Not so far anyway.
Up to now, the positives have been outweighed by the negatives as Dossena has struggled to adapt to a new style of football and repeat the kind of form which makes him a fixture in the Italian national squad and which encouraged Rafa Benitez to bring him to Anfield.
There are those who have written him off already as an expensive mistake that Liverpool could ill afford to make in a season in which they were expected to challenge for the title, but the man himself is refusing to give up and firmly believes that his form will improve as soon as he gets used to English football.
“The thing that I have discovered is that the game is much, much quicker here than it is in Italy,” said the 27-year-old.
“In Serie A, you get more time on the ball, there is more time to play and the game is more tactical, but in the Premier League as soon as you get the ball there is a player trying to take it from you.
“The pace of the game does take some getting used to and that is what I am trying to do by working hard in training and in games whenever I get the chance.”
Dossena certainly cannot be faulted for his attitude, nor can he be accused of lacking the heart for a battle. Things may not be going as well as he would have wanted, but that does not mean he has given up hope of turning his Anfield career around.
But with Liverpool looking to cement their place at the top of the table, Benitez has not been able to give Dossena the playing time he needs if he is to be able to find his feet.
Fabio Aurelio has made the left back spot his own and Dossena has increasingly had to settle for a place on the subs’ bench.
That was until last Wednesday, when the Brazilian’s fragile calf muscle again failed him and Dossena was given the entire second half to stake his claim for a place in the side.
Though disappointed for his injured team mate, the former Udinese man was delighted to get some time on the pitch and is hoping Aurelio’s injury will lead to him being given another chance to make a positive impression in tonight’s clash with West Ham at Anfield.
“I was happy to play against Marseille and I was happy with the result that the team got and also with our qualification to the next round of the Champions League because that was the most important thing for us,” he said.
“But it also gave me a chance to improve my feeling within the team and that is important for me.
“I work hard every day and I have been waiting for the manager to call on me, so when he did I was very happy.
“Now I hope I will get another chance but for that to happen I know I will have to work hard in every training session and try to improve my understanding with my team mates so I can improve and feel more confident on the pitch.”
There can be no doubting Dossena’s commitment to the cause and the Italian international insists he is content with life on Merseyside.
“I am very happy at Liverpool,” he said. “I like football in England and I believe that I can adapt to the Premier League.
“At the start of the season I found it very difficult because never before had I played so many games in such a short space of time. But now I talk regularly with the boss and with the physios and I am doing some things differently to try and improve my level.
“There are different demands on me here than I have ever had anywhere else. At Udinese, my place in the team was secure but at Liverpool there is so much quality in the squad that this cannot be the case. But I remain happy here and I will fight for my place.”
If selected for the visit of the Hammers, Dossena will come across a couple of familiar faces that he knows well from his time in Italy.
Recently appointed West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola needs no introduction but Valon Behrami, a former team mate of Dossena’s at Verona, is less known in this country despite the positive impact he has made at Upton Park in his debut season in English football.
Last week, Behrami scored the winner as West Ham recorded their second away win of the season and Dossena is hoping to follow his friend’s example by finding his feet in the Premier League.
He said: “Behrami is doing a good job for his new team and that is what I am trying to do at Liverpool.
“We know that West Ham will not be an easy game because there is no such thing in the Premier League.
“We saw this against Fulham and against Wigan. They were low down in the table but gave us very difficult games and with West Ham being in mid-table it will probably be even more difficult
“But we are Liverpool and we must win every single game.”
He may not have got to grips with English football yet, but Andrea Dossena clearly understands what is expected of a Liverpool player.
When he was signed for a club record fee for a defender in the summer, hopes were high that the £7m man would make the left back position his own and give the Reds a whole new dimension in that position.
It hasn’t quite worked out like that though. Not so far anyway.
Up to now, the positives have been outweighed by the negatives as Dossena has struggled to adapt to a new style of football and repeat the kind of form which makes him a fixture in the Italian national squad and which encouraged Rafa Benitez to bring him to Anfield.
There are those who have written him off already as an expensive mistake that Liverpool could ill afford to make in a season in which they were expected to challenge for the title, but the man himself is refusing to give up and firmly believes that his form will improve as soon as he gets used to English football.
“The thing that I have discovered is that the game is much, much quicker here than it is in Italy,” said the 27-year-old.
“In Serie A, you get more time on the ball, there is more time to play and the game is more tactical, but in the Premier League as soon as you get the ball there is a player trying to take it from you.
“The pace of the game does take some getting used to and that is what I am trying to do by working hard in training and in games whenever I get the chance.”
Dossena certainly cannot be faulted for his attitude, nor can he be accused of lacking the heart for a battle. Things may not be going as well as he would have wanted, but that does not mean he has given up hope of turning his Anfield career around.
But with Liverpool looking to cement their place at the top of the table, Benitez has not been able to give Dossena the playing time he needs if he is to be able to find his feet.
Fabio Aurelio has made the left back spot his own and Dossena has increasingly had to settle for a place on the subs’ bench.
That was until last Wednesday, when the Brazilian’s fragile calf muscle again failed him and Dossena was given the entire second half to stake his claim for a place in the side.
Though disappointed for his injured team mate, the former Udinese man was delighted to get some time on the pitch and is hoping Aurelio’s injury will lead to him being given another chance to make a positive impression in tonight’s clash with West Ham at Anfield.
“I was happy to play against Marseille and I was happy with the result that the team got and also with our qualification to the next round of the Champions League because that was the most important thing for us,” he said.
“But it also gave me a chance to improve my feeling within the team and that is important for me.
“I work hard every day and I have been waiting for the manager to call on me, so when he did I was very happy.
“Now I hope I will get another chance but for that to happen I know I will have to work hard in every training session and try to improve my understanding with my team mates so I can improve and feel more confident on the pitch.”
There can be no doubting Dossena’s commitment to the cause and the Italian international insists he is content with life on Merseyside.
“I am very happy at Liverpool,” he said. “I like football in England and I believe that I can adapt to the Premier League.
“At the start of the season I found it very difficult because never before had I played so many games in such a short space of time. But now I talk regularly with the boss and with the physios and I am doing some things differently to try and improve my level.
“There are different demands on me here than I have ever had anywhere else. At Udinese, my place in the team was secure but at Liverpool there is so much quality in the squad that this cannot be the case. But I remain happy here and I will fight for my place.”
If selected for the visit of the Hammers, Dossena will come across a couple of familiar faces that he knows well from his time in Italy.
Recently appointed West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola needs no introduction but Valon Behrami, a former team mate of Dossena’s at Verona, is less known in this country despite the positive impact he has made at Upton Park in his debut season in English football.
Last week, Behrami scored the winner as West Ham recorded their second away win of the season and Dossena is hoping to follow his friend’s example by finding his feet in the Premier League.
He said: “Behrami is doing a good job for his new team and that is what I am trying to do at Liverpool.
“We know that West Ham will not be an easy game because there is no such thing in the Premier League.
“We saw this against Fulham and against Wigan. They were low down in the table but gave us very difficult games and with West Ham being in mid-table it will probably be even more difficult
“But we are Liverpool and we must win every single game.”
He may not have got to grips with English football yet, but Andrea Dossena clearly understands what is expected of a Liverpool player.
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