Reds analysis: The rise of the 'Scouse Cafu'
Mar 31, 2014 16:18
By Kristian Walsh
Forget, for a moment, the roar from the Kop as Jon Flanagan launched into Aaron Lennon early in the game.
Disregard, if possible, the reverence from his peers as he took the ball from Roberto Soldado as if the game depended on it, despite the game being long won over the previous 80 minutes.
In what was another fantastic performance from Flanagan, the biggest tribute did not come from the voices inside Anfield, but from a computer thousands of miles away.
Cafu, one of the modern game's greatest full-backs, is a firm member of the Flanagan fan club. After the 4-0 win, he tweeted: “Good to see the Red Cafu is playing well! Liverpool amazing to watch!”
When Cafu speaks, it is worth listening. He is the most-capped Brazilian of all time, a two-time World Cup winner, and a legend of Italian giants AC Milan and Roma.
Flanagan, indeed, was playing well - and he has been since his reintroduction into the first-team squad.
That is why he has been heralded as the Scouse Cafu, prompting the real Brazilian's infatuation with the 21-year-old. But if any nickname was meant tongue-in-cheek, it is a lot closer to reality now.
He isn't at the level of Cafu, granted - but he has become an integral part of the Reds side powering up the Premier League table. It is hard to believe this is the same player whose Liverpool career looked to be flailing when, last October, he was offered out on loan to lower league clubs. With only one League One side registering interest, he stayed at Anfield.
How fate and fortune can collude. It is now difficult to imagine a Liverpool back four without Flanagan at left back, harassing the wide forwards and making the most of his ability to win a loose ball no matter how far from him.
His journey back into the first team has been well told. The promising performances of 2010/11 were soon forgotten, especially when Brendan Rodgers became manager – his start against Arsenal last November was his first league appearance under the Northern Irishman.
But from that Arsenal game – and the 16 other appearances he's now made following that – Flanagan has improved immensely, completely adapting his game to meet the demands of Rodgers' way of playing.
It is right to say that his new-found status in the starting 11 is a tale of perseverance, of jumping the highest hurdles and conquering all odds.
But that almost does a disservice to the development of Flanagan and the intelligence necessary to find himself in this position.
He has competition from Raheem Sterling, Philippe Coutinho and Jordan Henderson, but it's possible Flanagan is the player who has improved most under the coaching of Rodgers and his staff.
He has retained that visceral aspect of his play, steaming into his opposite number with ferocity, his face permanently contorted in bemusement towards anybody not of red persuasion.
But there is also an elegance to his passing now; an innate knowledge of what the right ball is at the right time.
Despite being right-footed and predominately deployed at left back, his distribution is good. He is not a full back who careers down the touchline and whips in balls – that is not how Liverpool play. Instead, he is far more considered with the ball, playing clever passes either to create chances or simply retain possession.
In 2010/11, his passing accuracy was 77.7%, while a season later it was 81.8%. It is now at 83.1% and Sunday's victory saw 91% of his passes reach the target, his most accurate game this season. He has also gone from an average of 0.6 accurate long balls to 1.7.
He also uses his aggression with more intelligence so that it becomes an asset rather than a hindrance - his head stayed firmly on his shoulders in big games at Goodison Park and Old Trafford, and his performance benefited from that.
After five yellows in his first 12 league games, he's only picked up a further two in his 17 games this season. And while he's more than doubled his average number of tackles per game (from 1.7 in 2010/11 to 3.6 this season), he only concedes an average of 1.2 fouls per game – down on his previous two seasons.
It is these tandems – heart and head, skill and guts, attack and defence – that have seen Flanagan embraced by the supporters. The Kop loves any Scouser, but loves a Scouser who can play football even more.
And that was all evident against Tottenham. No longer can the eighth-minute tackle on Lennon be forgotten, as Flanagan fired towards him like a missile, taking the ball cleanly and almost sliding into the Paddock.
He lost the throw-in, but Flanagan most definitely won the mental battle. Lennon's face was one of a player who did not anticipate a fruitful afternoon, and he was right. Of the Spurs players who completed 90 minutes, he had fewer touches than any other.
Brendan Rodgers chats to Jon Flanagan in training Brendan Rodgers chats to Jon Flanagan in training
Lennon had little chance of getting a touch in the 55th minute either, when Flanagan dropped a shoulder and produced a superlative turn. He then strode forward, picked out an intelligent pass to Coutinho, and the Brazilian did the rest.
This was Flanagan – and the game – in a nutshell. Lennon made no attempt to track back after Flanagan glided down the pitch, despite having the pace to catch him, possibly broken from their earlier encounter; Flanagan, however, never stopped running, and was on the edge of the box when Coutinho struck
And then it was back to his other duties. With 10 minutes remaining, and with Soldado poised to score, he ran from the left, threw his leg at the ball and dispossessed the Spaniard. Soldado stayed down, but Flanagan was up again, ready for the next challenge. Beat him if you can, survive if he lets you.
Five tackles and three effective clearances shows how solid he was defensively, but the two key passes also show what he can do going forward.
But he should never be labelled a player that is all heart and guts; he should never be defined as a player who clenches his fists and muddies his knees alone. There is far more to him than that, as his part in Coutinho's goal showed.
And if the youngster continues his development over the next few years, Cafu will soon be known as the Brazilian Flanagan. Maybe.
