Why Big Men Like Andy Carroll Get a Rough Deal

Posted on April 16, 2012 4:35 am

Good for you Andy Carroll. After roughly a year of people laughing at you for costing Liverpool an absurd amount of money–which, it’s worth remembering, was not your decision–you’ve finally hit some form. Not least of which was scoring the winner for Liverpool in the FA Cup semifinal Merseyside Derby this Saturday.

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So on the latest Total Soccer Show, we review Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Everton and mount something of a defence of Carroll. Specifically, Albert is keen to take issue with Fox Soccer commentator Stewart Robson’s criticism of Carroll not winning enough balls in the air for a man of his height. It’s a misconception, says 6’2″ Albert, that being tall means you should win every single aerial challenge just because you have two or three inches on a defender. There are different types of aerial challenges from all different angles, and it’s more about positioning and technique than it is how far the top of your head is from the ground.

We also debate Steven Gerrard’s role. What will he become for Liverpool as he gets deeper into his 30s? Gerrard can’t pretend it’s 2005 anymore, but is it too much to ask him to calm down and play a simpler game with less of the big diagonal passes, less of the surging forward runs?

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