You know you are up against it as a left-back when a 31-year-old CM is preferred to you. That is exactly how Alberto Moreno might have felt with the Englishman being fancied for the LB position for most of last season. Sadly, it hasn’t really worked for the Spaniard in Liverpool colours.
Alberto Moreno is a product of Sevilla’s youth academy and earned rave reviews during his years growing up as a left-sided player. He was one of the protégés of Ramon Tejada, who was influential in Sevilla Atletico’s influence in gifting the first team some real gems. Alberto Moreno is an auxiliary winger with sharp defensive abilities. He broke into the Sevilla first team in 2012, under coach Michel. However, he became a regular after the appointment of Unai Emery, whose immediate task was to rid the club of its debts which forced him to sanction the sale of stalwarts such as Negredo, Navas and Luis Alberto; leaving him with 21 year old Alberto Moreno as the only out and out left fullback in his starting XI. Moreno flourished under Emery, being an influential figure in the team’s success in the Europa League in 2013-14, after which he moved to his current employers, Liverpool FC.
Among his many strengths while in Spain, was his ability to sling a cross into the box with accurate precision. While the completion rate wasn’t so high, it was still signs of a player who looked to make things happen in the final third. The goals he scored in his final season in Spain showed he can hit a football alright. His athleticism and energy make him a constant menace and he would be an ideal fit for Jürgen Klopp’s ‘Gegenpressing’.
But a trait of his that stands out is his poor and rash decision-making, which seems to be taking a toll on his Liverpool future. He tends to switch off in crucial stages of the games and is guilty of giving away unnecessary fouls and penalties.
The signing of Andrew Robertson too does no favours for Moreno, as he now has an actual LB to compete with.
Probably there’s no better time for Moreno to put his head down and let his work do the talking. This will be his make or break season, no doubt about that.
Given Liverpool’s involvement in the Champions League and other domestic cups, Klopp will rotate his squad and Moreno will have to take every chance he gets.
