TEAMtalk

Wembley hero Carroll shows his strengths

Saturday 14-April-2012 15:18

In a week when Liverpool's owner delivered his own telling statement on the value of the vast sums invested on his behalf, the man with the heaviest price tag of all delivered the counter argument.

No matter how long he plays, or indeed where, probably long after he has finished, Andy Carroll's name will be associated with the £35million price tag.

In the minutes after Fernando Torres' British record-breaking £50million move to Chelsea in January last year, debate over the colossal sum paid for Carroll by Liverpool was limited.

He was injured anyway, which made assessment impossible.

It was only as the weeks and months went on that questions began to be asked, that the rumblings began around the Kop.

The Geordie has come to signal the profligacy of Liverpool under John Henry, the rich owner of the Boston Red Sox, who might have all the wealth imaginable but, according to some, knew nothing about football.

After all, if Henry did, he would never have paid such a sum.

The laughter has continued. The questions went on.

This week, Henry offered up the official verdict - unimpressed. On Thursday, director of football Damien Comolli was clearing his desk, confirming a departure as swift as it was unexpected.

In the partnership with manager Kenny Dalglish, Comolli was the one who negotiated the fees after the Scot had identified the player.

Three minutes from the end of Saturday's Merseyside derby semi-final, Carroll delivered a goal that seems to underline that Henry got it right, that Dalglish is a man whose judgement of players can be trusted and that Comolli failed to negotiate the right price. Earlier, Luis Suarez had cancelled out a strike from Nikica Jelavic.

Yet, as ever, there have to be shades of grey within the black and white of yet another win on a day it mattered for Liverpool in the battle of Merseyside, which leaves open the chance of completing a cup double next month.

But precisely who is responsible for Liverpool's rather shambolic Premier League campaign is a moot point.

Evidently, Henry and chairman Tom Werner believed Comolli and it is true, some of the cheques he sanctioned were mind-boggling.

At a combined fee of £78million, Carroll, Stewart Downing, Jordan Henderson and Charlie Adam were vastly overpriced.

Yet, if the outlay had been a more realistic £30million, say, would they still be regarded as a success?

Whether Adam - missing on Saturday with a knee injury - has sufficient quality to merit a central place among the Anfield playing roster is debatable.

The much-maligned, unfairly in my opinion, Carroll clearly has certain strengths. It appears Liverpool are not set up to play to them.

Steven Gerrard would be perfect at running off such a foil, only he schemes from a deeper role and Luis Suarez prefers to scuffle around for his opportunities.

Quality of crossing is an obvious requirement to get the most out of the man now tagged the costliest British player in history.

So how does ushering Downing to an unfavoured right flank and getting Henderson to fill in on the left cater to the big frontman's needs?

Rather than maximising his resources, Dalglish seems to be limiting himself.

It has been said countless times - and by many people - that if anyone other than Dalglish had presided over this mess, they would have been heading through the same exit door as Comolli.

That would be to ignore what Dalglish is, both as a man, a manager, and to Liverpool Football Club, which is impossible.

Yet it is undeniable that Dalglish presides over a group of players that is less than the sum of its parts, unlike Saturday's opponents.

For a good number of years now, Everton have shown they can win, without anyone being quite sure how.

Leon Osman is the perfect example. The diminutive midfielder rarely sparkles or makes bold headlines.

But game after game he produces an eight out of 10 performance and slowly recognition is growing beyond Goodison Park.

And he typifies the teams Moyes has crafted throughout his decade with the club.

He could not get £78million from Bill Kenwright to buy on four players, even if they happened to be Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Xavi and Andres Iniesta.

Three years ago, Moyes reflected on an FA Cup final defeat to Chelsea and wondered if he was banging his head on a glass ceiling.

It appears the same is still true.

Frustratingly for Everton, Liverpool remain more potent when it matters. But they need a more coherent thread running through their team if fleeting triumphs are to lead to more meaningful glory.

Simon Stone, Press Association Sport