New Football Pools pundit Alan Hansen talks exclusively to Goal.com about Wednesday's Merseyside derby - and whether Robbie Keane would have made a difference to the outcome.
Alan Hansen was a colossus on the pitch for Liverpool and Scotland, becoming a true Anfield legend and collecting a host of medals in a glittering playing career. And since hanging up his boots he's become a giant of football punditry too, renowned for his forthright views and analyses which are eagerly anticipated by millions of viewers of BBC TV's Match of the Day every week.
Hansen watched the latest Merseyside derby, in which Everton prevailed 1-0 against Liverpool to knock the Reds out of the FA Cup, and praised the decision-making of Toffees' boss David Moyes and the tenacity of his team. Hansen isn't convinced Robbie Keane would have turned things in the Reds' favour - or that the dismissal of Leiva Lucas greatly affected the outcome.
"The Merseyside derby was not one of the best games to watch in terms of entertainment, but the FA Cup is all about getting a result and that’s exactly what Everton got. All credit must go to David Moyes for this win as the Blues are having a fantastic season. Liverpool have been receiving all the accolades and plaudits for leading the League for most of the season but Everton have gone about their business quietly but are on a terrific run despite a relatively small squad," said Hansen.
"Moyes' decision to throw on youngsters Dan Gosling and Jack Rodwell with Liverpool down to 10 men following the dismissal of Lucas proved a very brave one. The lad Gosling then goes on to score the winner so it worked out perfectly. I must admit the way things were going this one looked a certainty for penalties as it was such a tight match even with Liverpool a man light. There was really nothing between the teams over the 90 minutes and extra time, but that’s football.
"Rafa Benitez is receiving a lot of stick at the moment particularly with the sale of Robbie Keane to Tottenham. The press have been quick to suggest Robbie could have made a big impact on the game last night and he wasn’t given a fair crack of the whip, but the simple truth of the matter is that the lad came to Liverpool and didn’t play well.
"People will argue that Robbie didn’t have the chance to impress and was played out of position but he had numerous chances to score goals in a Liverpool shirt and he didn’t take them. If you look at his record, Robbie did start a lot of matches. OK, some may have been up front on his own which isn’t his best position, but he had lots of opportunities to score and for some reason or another, he failed to convert them. A record of just five League goals for a £20 million striker is not good, so you have to say his move was a failure.
"OK, so six months is not a long time to settle into a new club but that’s modern day football for you. I have no doubts he’ll go back to Tottenham and do well as he’s a hero down there and a very good player, it just didn’t work out for him at Liverpool. Was Rafa wrong to sell him without getting a replacement in? Well to be fair the lad hardly played in the last five or so games and was not even in the squad so there was no real point in keeping him though now a hell of a lot rests on the shoulders of Fernando Torres and his fitness.
"Once again Torres didn’t have the best of games but that’s all down to the injuries he’s suffered with this season. Last season when the Spaniard was one-on-one with a defender he flew past them but his game is based on his pace and hamstring injuries take their toll on that. If he’d had an ankle or knee injury it wouldn’t be such a problem but the hamstring really affects a player so it will take him time to get back to his best though he looked far sharper against Chelsea. Liverpool have Dirk Kuyt and Ryan Babel who can play up front, but winning the title is all about strength in depth - which is something [Manchester] United have in abundance.
"Will the confidence gained from the win over Chelsea be affected by last night’s defeat? I don’t think so personally, the cup is a whole different thing to the league and Liverpool will bounce back strongly with a good chance of three points at Portsmouth at the weekend.
"Much has been made of [Leiva] Lucas’ sending-off last night changing the game, but although I think the lad had the intention of winning the ball when he stuck his leg out, Lescott was charging forward and though the contact was minimal, by the letter of the law he had to go. In all honesty it didn’t really make much difference to the outcome of the match as extra-time looked a certainty with neither side creating much. I don’t go along with the theory that Everton were too aggressive, either, as watching from the stand I felt that the actual game was quite subdued and not as frantic and fast as a normal Merseyside derby.
"Liverpool need to come back strongly and will definitely miss Steven Gerrard but all credit must go to Everton and David Moyes as they deserve a good cup run for their recent performances."
Alan Hansen was a colossus on the pitch for Liverpool and Scotland, becoming a true Anfield legend and collecting a host of medals in a glittering playing career. And since hanging up his boots he's become a giant of football punditry too, renowned for his forthright views and analyses which are eagerly anticipated by millions of viewers of BBC TV's Match of the Day every week.
Hansen watched the latest Merseyside derby, in which Everton prevailed 1-0 against Liverpool to knock the Reds out of the FA Cup, and praised the decision-making of Toffees' boss David Moyes and the tenacity of his team. Hansen isn't convinced Robbie Keane would have turned things in the Reds' favour - or that the dismissal of Leiva Lucas greatly affected the outcome.
"The Merseyside derby was not one of the best games to watch in terms of entertainment, but the FA Cup is all about getting a result and that’s exactly what Everton got. All credit must go to David Moyes for this win as the Blues are having a fantastic season. Liverpool have been receiving all the accolades and plaudits for leading the League for most of the season but Everton have gone about their business quietly but are on a terrific run despite a relatively small squad," said Hansen.
"Moyes' decision to throw on youngsters Dan Gosling and Jack Rodwell with Liverpool down to 10 men following the dismissal of Lucas proved a very brave one. The lad Gosling then goes on to score the winner so it worked out perfectly. I must admit the way things were going this one looked a certainty for penalties as it was such a tight match even with Liverpool a man light. There was really nothing between the teams over the 90 minutes and extra time, but that’s football.
"Rafa Benitez is receiving a lot of stick at the moment particularly with the sale of Robbie Keane to Tottenham. The press have been quick to suggest Robbie could have made a big impact on the game last night and he wasn’t given a fair crack of the whip, but the simple truth of the matter is that the lad came to Liverpool and didn’t play well.
"People will argue that Robbie didn’t have the chance to impress and was played out of position but he had numerous chances to score goals in a Liverpool shirt and he didn’t take them. If you look at his record, Robbie did start a lot of matches. OK, some may have been up front on his own which isn’t his best position, but he had lots of opportunities to score and for some reason or another, he failed to convert them. A record of just five League goals for a £20 million striker is not good, so you have to say his move was a failure.
"OK, so six months is not a long time to settle into a new club but that’s modern day football for you. I have no doubts he’ll go back to Tottenham and do well as he’s a hero down there and a very good player, it just didn’t work out for him at Liverpool. Was Rafa wrong to sell him without getting a replacement in? Well to be fair the lad hardly played in the last five or so games and was not even in the squad so there was no real point in keeping him though now a hell of a lot rests on the shoulders of Fernando Torres and his fitness.
"Once again Torres didn’t have the best of games but that’s all down to the injuries he’s suffered with this season. Last season when the Spaniard was one-on-one with a defender he flew past them but his game is based on his pace and hamstring injuries take their toll on that. If he’d had an ankle or knee injury it wouldn’t be such a problem but the hamstring really affects a player so it will take him time to get back to his best though he looked far sharper against Chelsea. Liverpool have Dirk Kuyt and Ryan Babel who can play up front, but winning the title is all about strength in depth - which is something [Manchester] United have in abundance.
"Will the confidence gained from the win over Chelsea be affected by last night’s defeat? I don’t think so personally, the cup is a whole different thing to the league and Liverpool will bounce back strongly with a good chance of three points at Portsmouth at the weekend.
"Much has been made of [Leiva] Lucas’ sending-off last night changing the game, but although I think the lad had the intention of winning the ball when he stuck his leg out, Lescott was charging forward and though the contact was minimal, by the letter of the law he had to go. In all honesty it didn’t really make much difference to the outcome of the match as extra-time looked a certainty with neither side creating much. I don’t go along with the theory that Everton were too aggressive, either, as watching from the stand I felt that the actual game was quite subdued and not as frantic and fast as a normal Merseyside derby.
"Liverpool need to come back strongly and will definitely miss Steven Gerrard but all credit must go to Everton and David Moyes as they deserve a good cup run for their recent performances."
No comments:
Post a Comment