Liverpool’s James Milner has been playing at left-back this season.
After the frenetic and chaotic opening day 4-3 win over Arsenal, Liverpool fans still had some major concerns – namely in defence. Specifically, the performance of Alberto Moreno was roundly criticised after he clumsily conceded a penalty and was at fault for the first Arsenal goal. However, Juergen Klopp has managed to find a solution internally that almost nobody would have seen coming.
James Milner has proven to be one of the biggest surprises of this season after his simply stellar performances at left-back have seen him seal down that position for the near future, despite having little-to-no experience there.
Liverpool’s James Milner in action with Watford’s Heurelho Gomes
And not only has Milner been abiding by his defensive duties – the former England midfielder has been bombing forward to aid in attack which, in conjunction with Nathaniel Clyne on the right-hand side, means that Liverpool effectively have two auxiliary wingers to aid their fast-paced and devastating forward play.
In addition to this, Milner has been assigned the role of designated penalty taker and has yet to put a foot wrong from 12 yards this season. His composed run up and confident finish has got the better of Premier League goalkeepers on four occasions already this season and he will be hoping to continue this vein of form.
It’s something of a match made in heaven so far – the pace and guile of players such as Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho means that when going forward, Liverpool are winning more fouls as players struggle to keep up. The four penalties this season is a testament to how hard it is for defenders to live with their scintillating attack and when you have a player as assured and experienced as Milner over the spot-kicks, there’s only going to be one outcome.
Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino celebrates scoring their fourth goal with Philippe Coutinho
It’s safe to say Milner’s left-back renaissance has come out of the blue, but it’s easy to see why he’s done so well. A heavily versatile player, the 30-year-old has played virtually every outfield position imaginable barring centre-half. And if Manuel Pellegrini played Milner as a centre forward in 2014, there’s no reason to believe he’d be any worse at left-back.
Liverpool may yet dip into the market and sign an out-and-out left-back in the coming months. But as a stop-gap, they could not have done much better than James Milner.
Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
