Knife in the mouth

Borini Signs for Liverpool, for 8 million! Seems like a bargain, considering most of our buys in the recent past have been in double figures.

Liverpool, of course, needed to re-enforce in that department as goals were hard to come by last season. Suarez, for all hi trickeries and little wizardries, had a conversion rate of 1 goal every 11 shots. Though, it could be argued that in case of Suarez, we should have another stats column on “shots on the bar”. Andy Carroll did improve immensely in the last few games of the season, but cannot be relied on to provide goals especially under Brendon Rodger’s style of play, where there are doubts on whether he would even be in starting XI. As has been mentioned time and again, a striker’s job is to score goals, NOT clear long balls in the defense.

Brendon Rodgers has worked with Borini before and holds him in high regard, and why not, as the lad scored six times in nine appearances for Swans in the Championship. Borini would fit seamlessly into the fluid 4-3-3 preferred by BR. A technically gifted youngster, Borini can not only play up front but also either side of the front 3. Indeed, of the 9 goals scored last season for Roma, he scored 5 of them playing from left. He would have no difficulty in adjusting to the short passing game that BR intends to implement, though with a pass percentage of 76% would need some improvement. Remarkably, his defensive play has also been solid, backed by the fact that he made 21 interceptions and 43 tackles in his 24 appearances for Roma, which is more than any other attacking player in the club. This is a major advantage when we take into account that BRs attacking players are expected to cover quite a lot of space in the middle. With Downing being a square peg in BRs philosophy, Borini would fit right in that left side of that front 3 and would also combine well with the pacy Jose Enrique (the one who turned in first half of the season).

Borini has also been a team player and a model professional. He is said to be reserved off the pitch and rarely joins his teammates on night outs, but on the pitch he is a complete team player and a model professional. with Borini’s creativity and Suarez’s off the ball movement, and with their trademark goal celebrations, this pair could be a lethal combination up front for Liverpool, if only El Pistolero’s shooting gets luckier. And we manage to get another good option on the right to complement them. More on that later.

Here is wishing Borini all the success with Liverpool, as he joins the squad today. Can’t wait to see him in action against Roma!

@crazy4lfc