Dossena admits to bad start

[cymrococh]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/no...-premier-league

 

Andrea Dossena says he is facing a battle to save his Liverpool career, only four months after arriving at Anfield in a £7m deal. Rafael Benítez had hoped Dossena would be the answer to his problems at left-back when he signed the 27-year-old from Udinese in July, having allowed John Arne Riise to join Roma and with Fabio Aurelio struggling for consistency. But Dossena was an unused substitute during Tuesday's Champions League game against Atlético Madrid, with Aurelio preferred to the Italian international.

 

Dossena has started seven of Liverpool's 11 Premier League games but he has yet to make the position his own - although he concedes that he expected to experience a little more insecurity when he joined the club.

 

"I am not fully happy with my level and, with Fabio in my position, the manager has the option of a player more in tune with the tactics of the team right now," he said. "Eighteen months ago I would not have expected to be playing for one of the most famous clubs in the world. I do not have silverware in my collection in my career but signing for Liverpool I have a real chance to win medals in every competition we enter.

 

"There are new demands on me. At Udinese my place in the team was more secure than it ever will be at Liverpool, where there is so much ability in the squad. I must now get to a high level and maintain that, but first I have to battle to win selection. I am learning all the time. I knew that coming to Liverpool and a new league would improve me as a player. "

 

At least we're not seeing his best.

Edited November 7, 2008 by Paul Caruso

[Stevie H]

i feel a bit sorry for him. not every new signing hits the ground running and we seemed to pay a bit over the odds for him, which isn't his fault. hope he settles and improves.

[McBain]

Rafa's record with fullbacks doesn't fill me with confidence. But i think he's more likely to succeed than a few of his predecessors

[Billy Talbot]

I think he'll prove himself as a bargain as he gets to grips with both the tactics at the club and the league.

[cymrococh]

Interesting that he mentions tactics as an issue.

 

That's trainable and I can't imagine there's anyone better for that than Rafa.

[Hassony]

Rafa's record with fullbacks doesn't fill me with confidence. But i think he's more likely to succeed than a few of his predecessors

 

This is the first time he has spend any real money on a full back, Aurellio is a free and is a decent player when he is fit, Arbeloa was a bargain and managed to get in the spanish team now, so its only really Josemi and Kronkamp, and one was in an exchange for another

 

Look at how much chelsea and Mourinho spent on Full backs without finding a decent one, their current two full back have cose more than our entire defence squad

[sutty]

This is the first time he has spend any real money on a full back, Aurellio is a free and is a decent player when he is fit, Arbeloa was a bargain and managed to get in the spanish team now, so its only really Josemi and Kronkamp, and one was in an exchange for another

 

Look at how much chelsea and Mourinho spent on Full backs without finding a decent one, their current two full back have cose more than our entire defence squad

 

 

There's a general shortage of top class full backs/wide players around and consequently you do end up paying over the odds for anybody to do a job

 

Look at what chelsea paid for Bosingwa, Cole, Bridge and Ferreira. 80-90 million on 4 fullbacks there and none of them look worth it. 18 million they paid for Bosingwa - I know it was only one game but against us he put in a poor fullbacks performance. The bloke can't tackle.

 

There's only really Evra that I can think of that has been bought in at reasonable money and showed himself to be a competent fullback and even with him, his strengths are going forward and having enough pace to get back when caught out of position, rather than being able to defend.

 

But this might be the way things end up going - people acknowledging the fact that there are very few complete fullbacks around and just going for people who can run and can add to the team going forward.

[Hassony]

Sagna was a good buy for Arsenal, he still cost them 6-7m and its easier for a french player to settle in at arsenal than an Italian player at Liverpool

[owenthomas]

i don't think he's been that bad.. wouldn't say he's looked great but he's been good and steady for the most part.. maybe he's had the occasional lapse and that could possibly come down to not understanding tactics.. those that have a go at him need to cut him some slack - he was always going to take time to settle.. i like him..

[aka Dus]

Dossena deserves a season before he's hung drawnand quartered. Would be brilliant if he was up to speed straight away and would be a considerable help in pushing to be competitive in the league through to May but I think it's very unfair if he would be mentally discarded by anyone after 11 games.

[sutty]

Sagna was a good buy for Arsenal, he still cost them 6-7m and its easier for a french player to settle in at arsenal than an Italian player at Liverpool

 

 

Yeah he looks alright... Injured a fair bit though

[sutty]

Dossena deserves a season before he's hung drawnand quartered. Would be brilliant if he was up to speed straight away and would be a considerable help in pushing to be competitive in the league through to May but I think it's very unfair if he would be mentally discarded by anyone after 11 games.

 

Evra was bobbins for months at united

 

Though that is becoming the new Robert Pires at Arsenal thing for defenders

[Mike]

Evra was bobbins for months at united

 

Though that is becoming the new Robert Pires at Arsenal thing for defenders

cliche?

[Chili Palmer]

cliche?

 

thats Arsenals left back you're thinking of.

 

 

[sutty]

cliche?

 

 

Exactly, the whole pires thing did become a bit of a cliche

[Stevie H]

Exactly, the whole pires thing did become a bit of a cliche

in the book. one more of them and you're off.

[sutty]

in the book. one more of them and you're off.

 

That's harsh.

[Hassony]

That's harsh.

 

Consider yourself lucky, Steve Bennet woul'd have sent you off for dissent

Edited November 7, 2008 by Hassony

[sutty]

Consider yourself lucky, Steve Bennet woul'd have sent you off for dissent

 

 

Will keep my eye out for the registration of Stev(i)eB

[Stevie H]

That's harsh.

i blame the current climate.

[Ronnie Whelan]

Will this encourage people to lay off him a bit?

[Conrad]

I can sometimes be a bit knee jerk in my criticisms of players , and sometimes I have a gut feeling from watching them whether I think they'll go on to do well or not.

 

And Dossena - he hasn't been great, but there is real quality there I think. You see it in some of the crosses he whips in. And he's put a few good tackles in.

 

I think he'll come good when he settles down and adjusts to the pace of the English game.

 

I don't have the same confidence , for example, that Lucas is going to make it here.

[genghis]

...

 

But this might be the way things end up going - people acknowledging the fact that there are very few complete fullbacks around and just going for people who can run and can add to the team going forward.

 

If he ever gets off the treatment table, this might be the story with Degen then. Quick and a decent crosser (allegedly), but no great shakes defensively. Of course if he actually *is* made of glass, then it's a moot point.

[floyd]

If only Rafa would off been allowed to get Alves, all this talk of Rafa's choice of "dodgy" fullbacks, would of been put to bed

[Maldini]

Alves was wanted for midfield