Within days of Liverpool being crowned European Champions, Rafael Benitez came out publicly and told of his plans to not only bolster the main squad but to also perform drastic surgery to the spine of the youth team and reserves. Fresh faces and an injection of talent were urgently required.
Out went ‘part-time’ first teamers who were merely serving to clog up the reserves, such As Igor Biscan (gained something of a second wind with Benitez but had still been plodding along in the second team for nearly two-years), Bruno Cheyrou, El-Hadj Diouf, Vlad Smicer and Antonio Nunez to name but five, while former youth graduates who failed to continue their development at the club were also shown the door. That meant farewells for, among others, Paul Harrison, Mark Smyth, Richie Partridge and Jon Otsemober.
In total Benitez moved on nearly 20 players, a massive exodus, but it was absolutely what was needed. Too much deadwood and not enough genuine talent coming through the youth system.
This summer Benitez also promoted players from the youth ranks, giving them the chance to train at Melwood - players like Lee Peltier (18), Ryan Wilkie (19) and James Smith (19). While externally, the culmination of a years worth of searching the continents for talent by the Spaniard and his scouting network has seen the acquisition of Miki Roque (17), Jack Hobbs (17), Antonio Barragan (18) and Godwin Antwin (17).
Although the ranks have been strengthened (especially defensively) with the influx of young players which Benitez considers have potential, compensating for an otherwise quite period for the academy production line– there is a player, from the last significant batch of graduates, who is making great progress and who is now surely ready to make the left full-back position his own. I speak of course, of Ormskirk-born Stephen Warnock
The 23-year-old has had to bide his time for first-team opportunities since he broke into Liverpool’s reserves in 2001. It has no doubt been hard at times for the life-long Liverpool fan to be so often over-looked by former manager Gerard Houllier, as players like Arsenal’s Ashley Cole, playing in the same position and just a year older has grown in stature and become an England regular.
With a lack of first team chances, it was on loan to Midland’s side Coventry City in the 2003/04 season where Warnock was able to gain valuable first-team experience and show what he could do.
A good friend of mine, Coventry City aficionado, Chris Baum, saw Warnock up-close in a season that earned the Liverpool youngster the Sky Blues’ Fans’ Player of the Season.
“Warnock’s determination stands out, it’s the first thing you notice when you watch him play,” says Baum. “He’s certainly not afraid to get in there and fight for the cause. He was our player of the season by a country mile. I can only imagine the sort of effort he’d put in playing for his childhood team if given a regular chance.”
While Liverpool stalwart Sami Hyypia says of Warnock: "He is very aggressive, loves a tackle and can play as well."
Complementary words indeed from Coventry’s finest and the blonde one, and of course they’re right. Add to his game a growing composure on the ball and an eagerness to get forward and over-lap the winger in front of him, it equates to a dimension to Liverpool’ play that we haven’t had since perhaps the days of messers Rob Jones and Stig Inge Bjornebye. (Now those were the days, weren’t they?)
And speaking of the era of Trigger and the Stig, my mate then started to prattle on about how the hell Coventry ever managed to squeeze nearer £4m out of Liverpool for centre-back misfit Phil Babb some ten-years ago. I wasn’t laughing and considering I’d got all the quotes from him that I wanted I decided now was the ideal time it to make a quick exit and leave the poor lad dreaming of Coventry’s 1987 FA Cup win. See you later mate.
Back to Warnock then. It’s been encouraging to see Benitez show so much trust and faith in the young left-back during last season, with a good number of games in the Carling Cup, the Premiership and Europe. A string of maturing performances in Rafa’s first season gave genuine optimism to the Anfield faithful that Warnock could soon become Liverpool’s first-choice left fullback. Only injury disrupted opportunities for Warnock to have a proper run in the team and build up a real head of steam.
With Djimi Traore, a player who divides opinion amongst fans out of the first-team equation through injury, the beginning of this seasons campaign has afforded Warnock the perfect chance to stake a claim. In the Champions League qualifiers and the first few Premiership games he’s shown that he has come-on further since last season, clearly benefiting from the teachings and confidence instilled in him by Benitez.
In fact with both Steve Finnan and Warnock in the side, it’s the first time that Liverpool have had two full-backs who are as eager to get forward as they are to actually defend for some time. An added dimension to Liverpool’s play that can only give the opposition more things to worry about. The sight of Liverpool full-backs not wanting to venture over the halfway line will hopefully be a circumstance resigned to the past. Crouch, Cisse and Morientes are sure to benefit from Warnock’s and Finnan’s crosses over the coming season. (Mind you, I’d love to be able to say with certainty that these will be the players charged with getting the goals this season – but it’s clear there’s going to be a fair bit of change in the striking department in the next few days. But that’s another story – watch this space).
Regarding Warnock, Benitez says: "It's a possibility that he could become our first choice left-back. I like to have two players battling for every position because this means both will continue to work hard and for the team this can only be a good thing."
A fantastic week for Warnock has seen him earn a two-year extension to his contract while Sven has been making noises about drafting Warnock in to the England squad. Excellent news for the player, but I was disappointed to see he was omitted from the Super Cup final on Friday, his first opportunity to get a medal, which no doubt put a bit of dampener on all his good news of late.
For the Super Cup final, Benitez brought John-Arnie Riise back to the left-back position, while new signing Bolo Zenden took up the left-wing position. They huffed and puffed all night - the Dutchman doesn’t look to be the answer as a left-winger and Riise doesn’t have the overall defensive qualities to play at left-back.
Was this one last look at the possibilities Rafa can deploy down the left flank before ownership of the left-back position is handed over to Warnock on a permanent basis?
Who knows…
…but looking to the next few weeks Benitez’s plan will surely be Warnock at left-back, while the occupier of the left-wing will be either Riise or Kewell (and, Government red tape permitting, hopefully Chilean, Mark Gonzalez as well) depending on the opposition that Liverpool will face. Kewell for a more attacking and creative approach (supposedly) and Risse, for a burly, more direct method.
All appears rosy for Warnock then, and although he was bizarrely omitted from the Super Cup final side on Friday (Rafa choosing to try Zenden and Risse out), there’s plenty of evidence of spot-on attitude, and solid ability that points to this being only the very beginning of Warnock’s rise.