Player Profile: Alberto Moreno

Name: Alberto Moreno Pérez
Club: Liverpool
Position: Left Back
Age: 22
Date of Birth: 5^th July 1992
Place of Birth: Tarragona, Spain
Height: 5ft 7in
Clubs: Sevilla B, Sevilla, Liverpool
International caps: 3

After growing up in northern Spain, Liverpool’s new signing Alberto Moreno joined Sevilla’s academy at the age of 13. He progressed through the club’s ranks before spending the 2011-12 season with Sevilla B in the third division.

Making his first team debut in April 2012, it was only during the following season that the left back became a first team regular. In total he would go on to make 61 appearances for the Sevillistas, scoring three goals.

As his talent began to blossom, Moreno played a crucial role in helping his country emerge victorious at the European U21 Championships in 2013. Performing consistently throughout the competition, he was selected in the team of the tournament alongside a number of his compatriots including Martín Montoya and Isco.

His transition into the Spanish senior side was confirmed when he made his debut against Georgia on 15^th October 2013. Unfortunately, disappointment was to follow as despite being selected in the Spain’s initial 30 man squad for the World Cup, he failed to make it into the final 23.

He did not let his disappointment affect him however and back at Sevilla Moreno made 10 appearances for the Andalusians during their successful Europa League campaign. It seemed inevitable that some of Europe’s top clubs would soon come calling, and sure enough Liverpool were quick to show their interest. The Reds tabled an opening offer in May only for weeks of fraught negotiations to ensue before a £12 million fee was eventually agreed.

A debut against reigning champions Manchester City was the Spaniard’s reward, and the match proved to be nothing less than a baptism of fire. Scuffing an attempted clearance late in the first half, Moreno inadvertently set up Stevan Jovetic who duly put the Citizens into a lead that they never relinquished. That said, Moreno did settle following his error and helped link play well as Liverpool attempted to find a way back into the match.

In terms of his strengths, in his first two Premier League games Moreno has registered a passing accuracy of 89%, while his speed has allowed him to maraud forward without being caught out of position in defence. Ultimately, it is his defensive solidity that marks him out as an improvement on José Enrique and Glen Johnson, two of Liverpool’s left back options in recent years.

Given his willingness to support attacks, it is understandable that columnists have drawn comparisons between Moreno and former Anfield favourite, John Arne Riise. While it is merely coincidental that the number 18 has adorned both their backs, the comparisons do extend to their style of play. Riise was adored by the Kop for his surging runs and pile driver of a left foot and Moreno demonstrated emphatically against Tottenham that he is ready to follow in the Norwegian’s footsteps. Nicking the ball off Andros Townsend, Moreno galloped up the field before despatching the ball past a helpless Hugo Lloris.

Although there will undoubtedly be the odd bump along the way, the early signs seem promising for Moreno’s Liverpool career.

Did you know? Moreno can also play on the left side of midfield and played there a number of times for Sevilla last season.

                                                              

The Premier League season starts to hot up

As Man City thrashed Man United last weekend it felt like the Premier League season had finally got going. Over the weekend 26 goals were scored and the vibrant nature of several matches was in direct contrast to the first few weeks of the season. Games back then often lacked fluency and ultimately petered out as low scoring affairs. With the transfer window closing on 2 September however, recently teams across the division have been able to stick with a first choice eleven and integrate new players. In contrast, those teams who perhaps weren’t as active as they should have been in the transfer market, or who made ill-advised signings, have struggled to string together results. So what have we learnt from the season so far?

Starting with the form teams, Arsenal have surprised quite a few people. Aside from their opening day aberration against Aston Villa, the “Gunners” look full of goals and will surely rack up some comfortable victories against the weaker teams with their fluid attacking style. Their obvious weakness is of course the paper-thin nature of their squad, and in particular what Arsene Wenger will do if his only top-quality out-and-out striker, Olivier Giroud, gets injured. Elsewhere, Tottenham’s squad depth should mean that they won’t run out of steam in the latter part of the season like they have in previous years. Everton have also managed to find a way to win, after some dominant early season performances without reward. All in all, with Liverpool bolstered by the sublime form of Daniel Sturridge this calendar year, it is quite possible that one of the current “Big Four”, Man Utd, Man City, Arsenal and Chelsea, could miss out on the top four, and Champions League qualification.

At the other end of the table, the early signs are not good for a few teams. Crystal Palace, unfortunately, have a group of players who would fit in better in the Championship. The shambolic start to the season by Sunderland has gone from the bizarre to the ridiculous, to such an extent it is difficult to summarise the goings on in such a short article. I can understand Paolo Di Canio’s desire to revamp the squad, and introduce a bit of discipline to a group who narrowly avoided relegation last year. But what I can’t fathom is why he wanted to change things so quickly and in such a confrontational style. Although his sacking came as a surprise so early in the season, it is likely that is was his very approach to player management which wore on the patience of Sunderland Chairman Ellis Short. Fulham’s start has also been inconsistency at best. They have an exciting attacking trio in Bent, Ruiz and Berbatov, but it is at the other end of the pitch where they need to worry. They have kept only one clean sheet all season. Finally, Norwich have also struggled, but I think they’ve shown just about enough quality, thanks to players such as Snodgrass and Van Wolfswinkel, to suggest that once the new players gel they will comfortably be able to survive.

Finally, I cannot write a review of the early Premier League season without talking about the impact of some of the major signings. The stand out arrival over the summer was Mesut Özil and he has made an impressive start to his career in England which has gone some way to justifying Arsene Wenger’s investment. Personally I believe Özil will flourish at Arsenal and live up to his reputation as the ‘King of the Assist’, which was been coined in reference to his status as the top assist provider for any player across Europe from 2008-2013. At Tottenham, Paulinho and Christian Eriksen look like wonderful, technically gifted players who will certainly aid Tottenham’s push for a Champions League place. At the cheaper end of the market meanwhile, Kolo Touré looks like a great acquisition for Liverpool and should shore up their defence. Across the city at Everton, Romelu Lukaku will without doubt make an impact with his physical presence and eye for goal.

Overall, although one could be forgiven for moaning that the table already has a familiar look to it, I would argue that the table only tells half the story. An exciting facet to the new season is the fact that results aren’t always predictable, and the failure of the top contenders to maintain unbeaten records suggests this season could be a competitive one. Although in the end, given the financial might of some of the big teams, the spoils will probably go to the same old suspects, we could be in for some surprises along the way. A consequence of the attacking approach taken by many teams is a degree of defensive susceptibility. I would contend that that’s no bad thing.