Is Under-Fire Left-Back Alberto Moreno's Time Really Up at Liverpool?
Few Liverpool players have begun the 2016/17 season in a less favourable position than Spanish left-back Alberto Moreno, with the 24-year-old dropping down the pecking order under Jurgen Klopp after a tumultuous end to 2015/16—and according to former Reds vice-captain Jamie Carragher, his days are numbered.
Speaking to TalkSport (h/t the Liverpool Echo's Joe Rimmer) following Liverpool's 2-1 victory away to Chelsea on Friday night, Carragher concluded that Moreno's "time is up," with Klopp favouring James Milner as his first-choice left-back:
"He obviously rates [Milner] higher than Moreno.
If you’re a left-back and the manager is playing a right midfielder ahead of you it probably tells you time is up at the club, so I would imagine in January or the end of the season a left-back will come in.
Milner would become back-up and it wouldn’t be too bad then. I must say he’s done very well but at this stage of his career it is not easy, but I don’t think it could last for a full season and I am sure Klopp and his team are scouting for a left-back. Because you can see he has no time for Moreno.
"
Milner has started every game he has been available in so far this season, only missing the Reds' Premier League opener away to Arsenal due to an ankle injury, and he has carved out his place on the left defensive flank.
This has limited Moreno to three outings, including just one start, totalling a meagre 104 minutes on the pitch out of a possible 540—more conspicuous for changes of hairstyle than performances in a Liverpool shirt.
But is Carragher's assertion that Klopp and his backroom staff are already searching for a new first-choice left-back premature, or is Moreno's time really up on Merseyside, just over two years after he signed from Sevilla?
It can be argued that Moreno is a victim of bad timing, since two disappointing performances from the defender bookended a summer of brooding.
On May 18, Moreno rounded off the 2015/16 campaign with a dismal showing against his former side in the UEFA Europa League final, most notably culpable for Kevin Gameiro's equalising goal just 17 seconds after half-time—the Reds surrendered a 1-0 lead in a mystifying second-half collapse, eventually losing 3-1.
Carragher led the criticism of Moreno in the aftermath, taking to Twitter (h/t The Independent's James Mariner) to plead "Jurgen, transfer committee, anyone sign a f--king left-back," while another former Liverpool star, Michael Owen, told BT Sport (h/t the Liverpool Echo's David Prentice) that Moreno's display was "impossible to explain."
Flash forward just under three months, to August 14, and it was Moreno who was again at fault as Arsenal were allowed back into the contest in Liverpool's Premier League opener at the Emirates Stadium.
Moreno gifted the Gunners an early penalty with a desperate lunge on Theo Walcott, with the England winger exploiting his marker throughout, and while the Reds went on to seal a 4-3 victory, Sky Sports' Gary Neville (h/t the Telegraph's Callum Davis) proffered after the game that "you might as well start a goal down with Moreno at left-back."
These two performances, the former stewing over the summer and brought back to the boil 89 days later, have served to sully Moreno's reputation—despite a largely positive campaign in 2015/16—but addressing reporters after Liverpool's win over Arsenal, Klopp remained staunch in his backing of the left-back:
"Maybe I should read more newspapers but I have no idea what we are talking about. The world is not satisfied with our left-back?
Football is a game you cannot play without making mistakes.
Ask goalkeepers and central defenders; when they make a mistake it often leads to a goal, but they have to carry on and we do too in the work we do.
"
Klopp rightly absolved Moreno of sole blame for conceding three goals in north London, stressing that it was a collective effort from his defence, but his actions over the following month suggest this performance was something of a death knell for the Spain international.
That victory at the Emirates Stadium remains Moreno's only start of the season so far, and he was on the substitutes' bench for the Reds' following five games, including an EFL Cup second-round victory over Burton Albion on August 23.
Since Liverpool's win over Arsenal, and Klopp's emphatic defence of his performance, Moreno has played just 14 minutes of football: 13 minutes in the second half of August's 2-0 loss to Burnley and the final 60 seconds of the 4-1 victory over champions Leicester City at Anfield on September 10.
In his place for each of these games has been Milner, with the vice-captain starting three games in eight days before the September international break—Klopp overlooking the opportunity to rotate his left-back options for the trip to take on Championship newcomers Burton is perhaps the most telling sign of Moreno's standing.
During Moreno's spell on the sidelines, Milner has improved significantly in the role, with his performance against Burton something of a watershed moment, showcasing his ability to pair defensive stability with attacking productivity.
Against the Foxes, he was in similarly strong form, with his incisive pass through to Roberto Firmino setting up the Brazilian for Liverpool's opener in what was an overwhelming attacking display—and Milner provided a welcome outlet on the left flank throughout.
Milner's performances have been growingly impressive, but it remains the case that, as Carragher stated, "If you’re a left-back and the manager is playing a right midfielder ahead of you, it probably tells you time is up at the club."
Moreno does, however, have just under four months before the January transfer window opens, and therefore another four months to prove his worth on the training field and in sporadic appearances in the Liverpool first team.
He can perhaps take heart from the resurgence of defensive colleague Dejan Lovren, who made the transformation from much-maligned back-up to first-team stalwart under Klopp in 2015/16, taking advantage of injuries to Martin Skrtel and Mamadou Sakho and producing a solid run of form at the heart of defence.
Moreno's first opportunity to stake a claim may come away to Derby County in the third round of the EFL Cup on Tuesday night—though, with Klopp sticking with Milner at left-back against Burton, heavy rotation seems unlikely at Pride Park.
Klopp already attempted a move to sign a new left-back over the summer, failing in his £7 million bid for Leicester City teenager Ben Chilwell, as reported by the Telegraph's Chris Bascombe, and this reinforces Carragher's assertion that Liverpool are actively searching for reinforcement in the role.
In this sense, the writing may already be on the wall for Moreno, but with Klopp an open-minded manager, the time between now and the January transfer window could prove invaluable for the defender—but he must now impress when given the chance.
Jack Lusby will be covering Liverpool throughout 2016/17 as one of Bleacher Report's lead correspondents. Statistics via Transfermarkt.co.uk, quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
Follow Jack on Twitter @jacklusby_ and Facebook here.
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