It’s a sign of the progress Emiliano Insua has made that he was nowhere to be seen at Elland Road on Tuesday night.
Not long ago a Carling Cup tie represented the young defender’s best chance of a Liverpool first team appearance.
In fact when the Reds were unceremoniously dumped out of the competition at Tottenham last season Insua couldn’t even get in a largely second string starting line up.
With Fabio Aurelio then established as first choice, Rafa Benitez turned to Andrea Dossena and Insua spent much of the night kicking his heels on the bench.
However, times have changed dramatically for the 20-year-old Argentinean who has made the left-back slot his own so far this season.
Aurelio’s knee injury presented him with an opportunity and he has grabbed it with both hands.
Rock solid defensively and a threat going forward, he has consigned £7million Italian international Dossena to life among the substitutes.
Insua, along with Yossi Benayoun, Dirk Kuyt and Lucas Leiva, was told to put his feet up in midweek.
It shows how far he has come that he’s now being left out of certain games and saved for bigger occasions.
Insua is expected to return to the backline for tomorrow’s Premier League clash with Hull City at Anfield and he is desperate to maintain the high standards he has set this season.
“The chance to play regularly has been great for me,” he said.
“Fabio’s injury gave me an opportunity to play and I have done my best to make the most of it.
“There is a lot of competition for places here with Fabio coming back and Andrea as well.
“It is a big challenge for me and I am enjoying it. Every game I have to show the manager that I deserve to stay in the team.
“When there are players pushing for your place you have to play even better each time you are selected.
“The fact that Rafa has faith in me has given me a lot of confidence. Every day he is looking at my game and helping me develop.
“I have learned a lot from him but I know I still have a lot to prove.”
Insua was snapped up on an 18-month loan deal from Boca Juniors in January 2007.
His first team debut arrived against Portsmouth three months later and his switch to Merseyside was made permanent following Gabriel Paletta’s move in the opposite direction.
Insua spent most of the 2007/08 campaign helping the reserves win the league and was rewarded with a new three-year deal.
Last season he made his mark with 13 appearances. He broke into the first team just before Christmas but January’s Under-20 South American Championships in Venezuela meant he was missing for a month and he only got back in the side in the closing weeks of the campaign.
This time the 5ft 8ins full-back has been in from the start and believes he’s now better equipped to cope with the demands of the Premier League.
“The game is so much quicker here than in Argentina,” he said.
“It’s very different to what I had been used to and it took time for me to adjust.
“But I’ve got stronger in the past two years and I love the physical side of English football.”
In the modern game defending is only half a full-back’s job and Insua has shown an increasing talent for joining up with the Reds’ attacks.
It was his forward burst and pass which created the opening for Fernando Torres’ stunning strike at West Ham last Saturday.
“Of course the priority is to defend well but I know I also have to influence things in the attacking third too,” he said.
“As a full-back it’s your job to get forward and help provide width.
“Against West Ham I anticipated Fernando’s run and picked him out with the pass.
“The way he beat the defender was amazing and it was a special goal. Fernando proved what a very important player he is for us.
“Hopefully I can have a part to play in lots more goals like that.”
Tuesday’s Carling Cup victory at Leeds was the Reds’ fifth successive triumph in all competitions.
Spirits are high but Insua insists there is still plenty of room for improvement.
Torres’ heroics helped secure the 3-2 win at Upton Park but defensive errors meant the Reds were twice pegged back after taking the lead.
Insua is hoping to ensure Hull aren’t handed the same kind of gifts.
Last season Phil Brown’s side raced into a 2-0 lead at Anfield before the Reds rallied to claim a share of the spoils.
“It was a difficult game for us at West Ham,” Insua added.
“We started well and passed the ball with a good tempo in the first half.
“But we made some mistakes at the back which meant rather than going into the break in front it was 2-2.
“The manager told us to forget about the mistakes and start again at the start of the second half.
“He asked us to keep the ball a bit better and try to play a bit higher. We kept pushing and in the end we were thankful to get the third goal.
“To get a run of wins is good for our confidence but we know we can play better.
“We are still in the first two months of the season and we have got a long way to go.”
Not long ago a Carling Cup tie represented the young defender’s best chance of a Liverpool first team appearance.
In fact when the Reds were unceremoniously dumped out of the competition at Tottenham last season Insua couldn’t even get in a largely second string starting line up.
With Fabio Aurelio then established as first choice, Rafa Benitez turned to Andrea Dossena and Insua spent much of the night kicking his heels on the bench.
However, times have changed dramatically for the 20-year-old Argentinean who has made the left-back slot his own so far this season.
Aurelio’s knee injury presented him with an opportunity and he has grabbed it with both hands.
Rock solid defensively and a threat going forward, he has consigned £7million Italian international Dossena to life among the substitutes.
Insua, along with Yossi Benayoun, Dirk Kuyt and Lucas Leiva, was told to put his feet up in midweek.
It shows how far he has come that he’s now being left out of certain games and saved for bigger occasions.
Insua is expected to return to the backline for tomorrow’s Premier League clash with Hull City at Anfield and he is desperate to maintain the high standards he has set this season.
“The chance to play regularly has been great for me,” he said.
“Fabio’s injury gave me an opportunity to play and I have done my best to make the most of it.
“There is a lot of competition for places here with Fabio coming back and Andrea as well.
“It is a big challenge for me and I am enjoying it. Every game I have to show the manager that I deserve to stay in the team.
“When there are players pushing for your place you have to play even better each time you are selected.
“The fact that Rafa has faith in me has given me a lot of confidence. Every day he is looking at my game and helping me develop.
“I have learned a lot from him but I know I still have a lot to prove.”
Insua was snapped up on an 18-month loan deal from Boca Juniors in January 2007.
His first team debut arrived against Portsmouth three months later and his switch to Merseyside was made permanent following Gabriel Paletta’s move in the opposite direction.
Insua spent most of the 2007/08 campaign helping the reserves win the league and was rewarded with a new three-year deal.
Last season he made his mark with 13 appearances. He broke into the first team just before Christmas but January’s Under-20 South American Championships in Venezuela meant he was missing for a month and he only got back in the side in the closing weeks of the campaign.
This time the 5ft 8ins full-back has been in from the start and believes he’s now better equipped to cope with the demands of the Premier League.
“The game is so much quicker here than in Argentina,” he said.
“It’s very different to what I had been used to and it took time for me to adjust.
“But I’ve got stronger in the past two years and I love the physical side of English football.”
In the modern game defending is only half a full-back’s job and Insua has shown an increasing talent for joining up with the Reds’ attacks.
It was his forward burst and pass which created the opening for Fernando Torres’ stunning strike at West Ham last Saturday.
“Of course the priority is to defend well but I know I also have to influence things in the attacking third too,” he said.
“As a full-back it’s your job to get forward and help provide width.
“Against West Ham I anticipated Fernando’s run and picked him out with the pass.
“The way he beat the defender was amazing and it was a special goal. Fernando proved what a very important player he is for us.
“Hopefully I can have a part to play in lots more goals like that.”
Tuesday’s Carling Cup victory at Leeds was the Reds’ fifth successive triumph in all competitions.
Spirits are high but Insua insists there is still plenty of room for improvement.
Torres’ heroics helped secure the 3-2 win at Upton Park but defensive errors meant the Reds were twice pegged back after taking the lead.
Insua is hoping to ensure Hull aren’t handed the same kind of gifts.
Last season Phil Brown’s side raced into a 2-0 lead at Anfield before the Reds rallied to claim a share of the spoils.
“It was a difficult game for us at West Ham,” Insua added.
“We started well and passed the ball with a good tempo in the first half.
“But we made some mistakes at the back which meant rather than going into the break in front it was 2-2.
“The manager told us to forget about the mistakes and start again at the start of the second half.
“He asked us to keep the ball a bit better and try to play a bit higher. We kept pushing and in the end we were thankful to get the third goal.
“To get a run of wins is good for our confidence but we know we can play better.
“We are still in the first two months of the season and we have got a long way to go.”
No comments:
Post a Comment