Alberto Aquilani has been forced to endure a tumultuous start to his Anfield career. The young Italian international looks some way off living up to his £20million price-tag right now, with stop-start appearances and constant changes in position further unsettling his progress.
And so, hopefully, Saturday's far post header assist, which teed up Dirk Kuyt for the Reds’ opener and ultimately set Rafa Benitez's side on the road to maximum points against Bolton, will act like a shot in the arm for the young Roman.
The moment when confidence kicks in and Reds fans, hungry for excitement and positives in this car crash of a campaign, will get to see the very best of the young Italian with the big reputation.
Since he arrived on Merseyside Aquilani has had to fight his way into contention from first surgery, then a slow rehabilitation and then a three-month battle for match fitness.
His own situation, coupled with the Reds' alarming change in form and fortune, has already led to some critics jumping on the Italian's back – even before he's had the chance to string two appearances together.
I've already heard Aquilani being described as Rafa's guilty secret by some sections of the media.
That he's nothing more than a shiny new, bright red Ferrari with the registration plate 'RAFA 1'.
He's that luxury purchase one might make when money is burning a hole in your pocket. A bit of an impulse buy that you take one good look at before thinking; 'Yeah, that's for me. That will turn heads. That'll do the business’.
But then you get it home and one day all too soon you open up your garage doors only to realise that your star buy jut is not practical. You've got a two-seater sports car when what you really needed was a people carrier.
So it becomes something of a guilty secret. You polish it with the hope that one day the sun will shine brightly high in the sky and can pull the roof down and take it for a spin around town, turning heads and making waves.
But, with the dark clouds that have made their home over Anfield this season, opportunities for Rafa to show off his Italian Stallion have been in short supply.
But that’s not Aquilani’s fault. Put him in a confident free-flowing team – a team like the one which called Anfield home last season, which pushed all the way for the title – and perhaps then fans will witness the kind of form which once stood the Italian out as one of Europe’s brightest young stars.
And so, hopefully, Saturday's far post header assist, which teed up Dirk Kuyt for the Reds’ opener and ultimately set Rafa Benitez's side on the road to maximum points against Bolton, will act like a shot in the arm for the young Roman.
The moment when confidence kicks in and Reds fans, hungry for excitement and positives in this car crash of a campaign, will get to see the very best of the young Italian with the big reputation.
Since he arrived on Merseyside Aquilani has had to fight his way into contention from first surgery, then a slow rehabilitation and then a three-month battle for match fitness.
His own situation, coupled with the Reds' alarming change in form and fortune, has already led to some critics jumping on the Italian's back – even before he's had the chance to string two appearances together.
I've already heard Aquilani being described as Rafa's guilty secret by some sections of the media.
That he's nothing more than a shiny new, bright red Ferrari with the registration plate 'RAFA 1'.
He's that luxury purchase one might make when money is burning a hole in your pocket. A bit of an impulse buy that you take one good look at before thinking; 'Yeah, that's for me. That will turn heads. That'll do the business’.
But then you get it home and one day all too soon you open up your garage doors only to realise that your star buy jut is not practical. You've got a two-seater sports car when what you really needed was a people carrier.
So it becomes something of a guilty secret. You polish it with the hope that one day the sun will shine brightly high in the sky and can pull the roof down and take it for a spin around town, turning heads and making waves.
But, with the dark clouds that have made their home over Anfield this season, opportunities for Rafa to show off his Italian Stallion have been in short supply.
But that’s not Aquilani’s fault. Put him in a confident free-flowing team – a team like the one which called Anfield home last season, which pushed all the way for the title – and perhaps then fans will witness the kind of form which once stood the Italian out as one of Europe’s brightest young stars.
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