Boss: Moreno goal was born on Monday
The genesis of Alberto Moreno's stunning debut strike for Liverpool today actually began on Monday evening with a lesson learned by the Spanish full-back on his Barclays Premier League bow.
With an hour on the clock at Tottenham Hotspur, the 22-year-old defender won possession in his own half, powered forward rapidly on the left flank and arrowed a clinical finish into the opposite corner.
A first goal for the club that any player would be proud of, Moreno's effort capped off another outstanding team performance at White Hart Lane and put the icing on a 3-0 victory for the Reds.
Analysing the move at his post-match press conference, Brendan Rodgers explained how the skill was borne out of an incident earlier in the week and why that brought particular enjoyment on his part.
"You work with young players to help them and coach them, to see if they can learn," the Northern Irishman reflected.
"He should have got tighter to [Jesus] Navas in the Manchester City game, and we spoke about that. At this level and how we play, the philosophy is to press and to get tight.
"The goal we conceded was from when Navas spun the ball in for [Sergio] Aguero - but he learned from that. That's what you look for in players, to try to help them improve.
"You saw today, when the ball went to Andros Townsend - who is quick as well - he pressed him tight, nicked the ball and then he was away.
"The speed that he showed was phenomenal because Townsend is a quick player, but he has got away and it was a great finish.
"That's what I asked of the full-backs, you've got to defend first and foremost and then join the attack. He was excellent, as was [Javier] Manquillo on the other side. He's 20 years of age and was very good."
Elsewhere in the backline, Mamadou Sakho made a first appearance of the season, partnering Dejan Lovren in central defence in place of fellow centre-back Martin Skrtel.
"Defensively, he was very good," Rodgers commented when asked about the Frenchman's return. "He'll get smoother on the ball the more he plays.
"When they come back [from the international break], we have got a lot of games. His aggression, tenacity and spirit was very important for us and I thought he did very well."
No comments:
Post a Comment