Roy Hodgson needs Joe Cole's creative spark to fire up Liverpool

Published on Friday 17 September 2010 13:45

ROY Hodgson's dulcet Croydon 1950s gentleman bank robber accent will be music to Sir Alex Ferguson's ears tomorrow. Ferguson has had his fill of Glaswegian, after a week in which his curmudgeonly compatriots David Moyes and Walter Smith frustrated Ferguson's lacklustre Manchester United.

The boys in blue achieved their draws in contrasting ways, Everton by mugging United in stoppage time (a practice which Ferguson really ought to have copyrighted), Rangers by parking a big Govan municipal bus in front of their goalmouth. That must be a source of concern to Ferguson, in that he has to worry about different kinds of failure.

A lapse of concentration and inability to control the game resulted in dropped points against Everton, a lack of creativity and invention in the final third meant United foundered against Rangers' obdurate defence (even one led by a 40 year-old).

The headline-grabber of Ferguson's current problems though remains the mindset of Wayne Rooney. On England duty Rooney appeared to recover some form, even at a time when he was in the midst of the tabloid revelations about his private life. Ferguson deemed it expedient to leave Rooney out against Everton, perhaps out of concern about the player's ability to retain some emotional control. More likely the manager was confident United could beat Everton without him, and that it would offer some valuable evidence that United were not reliant on the striker. That didn't quite work out. Rooney was restored against Rangers, but was as ineffectual as his team-mates.

Tomorrow's game against Liverpool is a useful opportunity for United and Rooney to address their frustrations against the side that remains their most hated rival. United's form, Rooney's travails, and the injury to Antonio Valencia might complicate matters, but a game against Liverpool tends to focus the concentration. Senior United players like Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Rio Ferdinand will ensure everybody is aware of the importance of this game.

They won't need reminding on Merseyside. In a season with no Champions League involvement, Liverpool's Premier League matches against United will be the biggest games of the season for many Liverpool fans. Hodgson has the opportunity to win a season's worth of goodwill with one result.

He won't have to look too far for pointers on how to do it. Last December his Fulham side beat United 3-0, with Bobby Zamora bullying a makeshift United defence and Danny Murphy running midfield.

The problem this time is that Hodgson does not have the well-drilled defensive unit he had at Fulham. His team is not really geared up to play the reductive defensive gambit that Rangers employed. Better perhaps to imitate Liverpool's neighbours and take the game to United. Everton showed that United's defence is vulnerable.Jonny Evans remains positionally suspect, and Ferdinand's fitness is still an issue. Nemanja Vidic might be impeccable against most opposition but he has a history of struggling against Fernando Torres.

While United laboured on Tuesday night, Liverpool rested their three key attacking threats, Glen Johnson, Steven Gerrard and Torres, as the squad players saw off Steaua Bucharest on Thursday night. Hodgson learned a few things from that Europa League encounter, or at least confirmed them. One was that Ryan Babel will not be a part of his rebuilding plans. Babel's media apologists have been circulating the red herring that the player has been treated unjustly at Liverpool, never being allowed to play in his favoured position down the right.

Even the Channel 5 pundit Graham Taylor managed to see the weakness in that argument. Babel has been given plenty of opportunities to seize his chance and show some of the talent that made him a much-coveted teenager. His contributions have been rare and sporadic, his overall play and body language redolent of a perennial underachiever.

Hodgson has a record of relishing taking such players under his wing and realising their potential. It's apparent though that he has quickly identified Babel as being beyond his powers. On transfer deadline day, Babel suffered the indignity of being flown around London in a helicopter waiting for a deal. Hodgson was keen to arrange a part-exchange with West Ham for Carlton Cole, but West Ham (for once) recognised a bad deal. Liverpool's dilemma now is trying to persuade some other club that Babel is a great forward, while Hodgson's team selection is likely to make it clear that he would rather pick David Ngog, Daniel Pacheco, Maxi Rodriguez, anybody but Babel.

Hodgson also has concerns in midfield, where his team presently lacks the steadying presence of a player like Murphy. The new signing Raul Meireles likes to get forward as, it seems, does Lucas Leiva, whose spectacular goal on Thursday was a reproach to those who persist in casting him as a defensive midfielder. Jay Spearing gave a promising audition for that role, and the 21 year-old Scouser would be a popular addition to the first team, with the crowd and the accountants, if Hodgson can turn him into a home-grown Mascherano.

Another positive message came from Joe Cole. Without the suspended Cole Liverpool were bereft of creative ideas against Birmingham last weekend. Against Steaua, Cole showed verve and leadership, instigating most of Liverpool's more threatening moves. Hodgson would have to suppress his cautious side to include Cole from the start against United, but it might be a gamble worth taking.

The last league goal Cole scored was in April, for Chelsea against Manchester United. A repeat of that tomorrow afternoon and Cole will have earned a season's worth of Kop-love as well.