I’ve been seeing a huge amount of hate for James Milner recently, and while I can understand this, I do think it’s slightly unjustified
First up, I just want to say that I don’t think anyone could have hated James Milner after he first moved to Liverpool more than me. Seeing his name on that starting XI angered me to the point I felt relieved whenever he missed a match, and I judged him so harshly that I almost wished he’d just retire. I didn’t recognise what qualities he had, but I noticed every one of his mistakes, and for that I despised him.
My views have changed on Milner not only because I started to recognise what he brings to the side, but also because I decided to let up and actually try to like him. I stopped leaping to social media to rant about his every miss-control, and instead I actually watched him more during the matches he played in. I’m not writing this article to tell you all why I think James Milner is world class (because the truth is he simply isn’t) but I’m writing it to tell you why I think you shouldn’t go as far as hating him.
In total this season, Liverpool have created 59 goals, with their goal total rising to 60 if you include an own-goal in the Premier League. Those 59 goals have been collected across all competitions, and make for a rather disappointing statistic given all our chances. Of those 59 goals, James Milner has scored 6 and assisted 7, meaning that 22% of Liverpool’s goals this season have been thanks to our vice-captain.
His contribution to goals isn’t Milner’s strongest suit, but his experience does allow him to serve the team on the front foot. His assists are mainly due to his tuned vision, which isn’t on the level of Andre Pirlo or Xabi Alonso but is good enough to earn 7 assists. He can pass the ball better than most, and his versatility means he can cover practically any possession that isn’t defence.
However, the main way James Milner serves Liverpool is through his running. This man is an absolute machine, who will get out their and run until he physical isn’t capable of standing for a second longer. To join one of the rivals to his old club, and put the work effort in that he has deserves a large amount of respect. Milner came here to give his all, and boy does he do that. He makes mistakes, so does almost every single player in our squad, but Milner will run all the way back to our box to fix it. He can take up any position and allows Jurgen Klopp to substitute more efficiently, as Milner can slot into a variety of positions if the shape is altered. Plus, what’s better than having a player of Milner’s adaptability in an injury crisis?
In my opinion, Milner has stepped up more in recent weeks while all Jordan Henderson has done is struggle. Milner’s contribution to the side isn’t noticeable because he doesn’t score a goal-per-game, and because he doesn’t use fancy flicks or skills to dribble through 5 opponents, but when you take a second to look at the bigger picture you notice him surging into space or tracking back to help defend when we are struggling. James Milner is in my opinion a valuable asset to our side this season, and I think he brings plenty more than most people credit him for.