James Milner – Up There With The Rest of Liverpool’s Attackers!
James Milner, Klopp’s riskiest move, but one of his most important to the team. Liverpool must be proud to have a player such as Milner as the vice-captain of the club.
Klopp’s makeshift left-back, Milner, has made life difficult for naturally born left footer, Alberto Moreno, to get back into the team.
Since taking over, Milner has never looked back or complained about his new role in the team. Instead, he kept on improving, with a bad game far and few between. This all coming from a player, indulging left-back for the first time at the veteran age of 31-years-old.
Doubt there are many players who’d be able to carry out the task successfully, as done by Milner. He has effortlessly, limited the 24-year-old Spaniard, to only two starts out of the seven appearances he has made this season in the English Premier League.
Totaling only fifteen appearances this season, in all competitions. Making matters extremely worse for Moreno, the player is rumored to be at the top of the transfer list come the summer window.
I’m up against the ropes with this player. He is young, but the improvement has been minimal since joining the club. The decline in the player’s ability has actually been more evident than the increase in value.
To add to the uncertainty about the young left-back is manager Klopp. He has never been easy to understand and predict. Come next season and Moreno could be a starter in the Champions League. Who knows!
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James Milner in open play:
James Milner in open play has been caught out many times but has saved us on few occasions. The Englishman has contributed more than right-back partner, Nathaniel Clyne. Who has been far too average this season.
What has worked first-class in this newly found role, is the great understanding between him and left-side partner, Philippe Coutinho.
This has been key to Liverpool’s style of play, with the Wingers causing most of the problems for the opposition and the team’s fullbacks helping out, bursting down the lines.
On the right-hand side, Clyne and Mane have almost replicated the other two’s numbers. More thanks to Mane for his heavy contribution to the team. He[Clyne], needs to be doing better and become as involved as Milner.
Milner has been excellent, even though all his goals have come from the spot, but taking into account, he never cracks under pressure, even in the most intense moments.
Attacking stats – Left and right side:
| Left-Side Partnership: | Right-Side Partnership: |
| James Milner & Philippe Coutinho: | Nathaniel Clyne & Sadio Mane: |
| Goals – 13 | Goals – 12 |
| Assists – 8 | Assists – 7 |
| Key Passes – 80 | Key Passes – 75 |
As you can see, the two are pretty close in comparison. The difference being, Mane has actually accumulated most of those numbers by himself, proving just how meaningless Clyne has been to the team.
In Milner and Coutinho’s case, the two have helped each other out and has shared the duties and spoils together.
The perfect combination! One scores in open play and the other from the spot. One tackles the other pushes forward, the one has a robustness about him and the other plays magical football, with the ball at his feet.
A perfect match for the manager and a positional change that has actually worked far better than the original plan of the manager.
Next: Coutinho and Firmino Leave on a Liverpool Jet-Plane
All the facts supporting Milner is as good as the attackers this season and what I consider to be our best defender in the squad.
Next: Multiple Clubs are Interested in Liverpool’s Sakho
Purely based on his contribution to the goals, and winning results and the fact he has been defending well for the first season in the position.