Adiós Amigos

I just arrived back from 10 days in Turkey where I deliberately avoided any news of football for fear of seeing confirmation of Alonso’s sale to Madrid. Unfortunately on the 10th evening I caught a SKY Sports News bulletin announcing the Spaniard had submitted a transfer request.

It’s a big disappointment, not least because the player had previously stated: “I do not think a move to Real Madrid is impossible, but I would also have no regrets at all staying at Liverpool.” Evidently what he meant was: “I want to join Real Madrid whilst saying all the right things to the Liverpool fans so it looks like the club’s decision to move me on rather than my own.”

I’m not going to criticise the player for disloyalty. The truth is there is precious little loyalty in football these days and Alonso could argue that the club (although not the fans who spent last pre-season chanting his name and singing: “You can shove your Gareth Barry up your arse”) showed him disloyalty last summer when seeking to sell him. I can understand the lure of Real Madrid for any player – let alone a Spaniard whom, in a World Cup year, might understandably see Real as the perfect shop window in which to compete with the likes of Barca’s Iniesta and Xavi for a place in the Spanish first XI. I can also understand how after 5 years at Liverpool, Alonso might feel ready for a new challenge. Saying he wants to leave Liverpool for Real isn’t the ultimate act of betrayal for a Liverpool player (that would be leaving to join the filthy Mancs) so if Alonso does go, despite the disappointment over the circumstances and timing of his departure, I would wish him well and retain largely positive memories of his contribution over the last half-decade in the Red shirt – the highlight of which will always be his equalising goal in Istanbul.

Of course, if he later follows the path to the Dark Side like Michael Shit Head Owen, that view will undoubtedly change. Take note, Xabi!

As I previous wrote on 13th July, the true impact of Xabi’s departure will depend on how Rafa responds to the situation but another crucial point was made this week by Real’s President Perez who complained: “A year ago, certain players we've asked about would have cost less than half the price we're being quoted now.”

It is true that a year ago, Alonso’s value was considered to be around £14 million and it has now risen to £30+ million. It is also true that a year ago Liverpool were willing to sell Alonso whereas this summer the club wanted to keep him and that last summer Real showed no interest in signing him, unlike this year. That is because a player’s value and the demand for the player waxes and wanes in proportion to the player’s form.

The truth is Alonso was disappointing in 2006-07 and downright crap in 2007-08. That was why Rafa was prepared to sell for half his current valuation and that was why Real didn’t want him then. One outstanding season later and the situation looks very different.

Liverpool fans should bear that in mind when considering the impact of losing the player. Last season offered evidence to suggest that had Alonso maintained his form of 2004-05 and 2005-06 during his third and fourth seasons at the club, with the progressive improvements to the squad of players around him, the team might have achieved far more than third and fourth placed League finishes in trophyless seasons. Just as last season, Alonso’s excellent form elevated the team’s performance over the campaign, in the previous two years, his rotten form left them carrying a player in a crucial position. As much as his outstanding performance against Juventus in 2005 showed what a world class player he can be, in 2007 he was a massive disappointment in Athens contributing directly to our Champions League Final defeat, not only through his culpability in Milan’s free-kick from which they took the lead (from Inzaghi’s handball) but in his overall failure to influence the game (positively) from midfield over the 90 minutes.

Not that I am suggesting Liverpool’s disappointing campaigns in 2006-07 and 2007-08 were entirely down to Xabi Alonso’s performances. The fact is, one player alone cannot win or lose the title. A player’s form and quality in conjunction with the form and quality shown by his teammates is what ultimately adds up to a campaign being successful or not. As brilliant as Alonso was last season, the improved League campaign was also aided by an outstanding campaign for Steven Gerrard while the likes of Pepe Reina, Yossi Benayoun, Dirk Kuyt, Aurelio and Arbeloa were far more effective than in previous seasons and Albert Riera improved the balance on the left-side of midfield.

If Liverpool kept Alonso for next season AND he maintained his form of last season, it might be enough to deliver the title IF Gerrard and Torres stay fit and on form and IF the goalkeeper and other outfield players maintain consistently good form. However, if Gerrard and/or Torres missed large chunks of the season OR Reina had a dip in form OR Kuyt and Benayoun dropped their standards, etc., Alonso’s form might prove to be a footnote on another unsuccessful campaign. Equally, if Alonso was kept and delivered his form of 2006-07 and 2007-08 it might well contribute to any potential title challenge being blown out of the water.

The bottom line is we don’t know how the team will fare with or without Alonso next season and while logic suggests we would be a better team if we retained him, equally if we signed a player who could score more than the 5 goals and create more than the 4 goals Alonso managed next season, who is to say the team won’t be better for it?

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I was pretty underwhelmed by the news of Arbeloa’s departure. I had thought it worth retaining him as a squad player to provide cover for Glen Johnson but I’m not overly concerned by his departure. He won’t feature in any future debates about the greatest full-backs to represent the club. He was steady but never spectacular and had a decent campaign last season. He wasn’t signed for a big fee and wasn’t sold for one either. It was clear last summer when Rafa signed Degen and Dossena that he wanted more attacking full-backs than Arbeloa and Aurelio (or indeed the departing Finnan and Riise). In Johnson, we now have that at right-back.

I think we need to bring in a replacement right-back for squad cover as the only pressure Degen will put on Johnson is the pressure to stay fit and play every game. Darby may be ready to make a breakthrough but, as with Insua last season, it is better to be able to use a young player sparingly than to rely on them in the absence (or loss of form) of the one first choice player in that position.