With Liverpool ’s squad looking reasonably healthy these days, it is inevitable that not every player will get to have as much game time as they would like. One player directly affected by Liverpool ’s summer strengthening is Maxi Rodriguez. You have to feel a bit sorry for the Argentinean, whose blistering form towards the end of last season was one of the highlights of Liverpool’s resurgence under Kenny Dalglish .

He never has been a spectacular player for Liverpool but Maxi Rodriguez ’s clever movement and link up play should not be underestimated. His form has certainly never been bad enough to warrant his current exile from the first XI for Liverpool’s league games this season and I believe it would be highly beneficial for us if the Argentinean was given more minutes on the pitch. Perhaps the most impressive attribute of Maxi’s under the Dalglish era has been his eye for goal. The former Atletico Madrid man clearly has a knack for being in the right place at the right time and his efficient finishing last season was probably the main reason why Dalglish decided to keep him.

Whether he can continue to be as deadly in front of goal remains to be seen, but I don’t think it would hurt to have Maxi play in the first XI on a more regular basis. Who would he replace? Well I think it would be fair to say that Liverpool’s right midfield position is currently up for grabs, with Jordan Henderson looking like he will need a bit of time to find his feet at Anfield. I have no doubt that Henderson will eventually become a top class international but he has time on his side and will have to learn from the senior players at the club in the meantime.

Saying that, I would like to see Maxi Rodriguez given a few more run outs in Henderson’s right midfield position, as I believe his experience and game intelligence would compliment our new-look attack. You only have to look at the end of last season to see how much of an understanding Maxi formed with Luis Suarez , with the deadly duo being key reasons why Liverpool seemed to be scoring goals for fun.

Having more players on the pitch that link up well with Suarez can’t be bad for the team and a player with the goalscoring ability of Maxi Rodriguez should not be ignored. With players like Downing, Gerrard and Suarez buzzing around the pitch, I can see a goalscoring attacking midfielder like Maxi Rodriguez combining well with them to help make Liverpool one of Europe’s most feared teams again. It will be interesting to see whether Maxi remains a part of Dalglish’s long term plans, but for this season at least, I’m hoping we get to see a lot more of the talented Argentinean. In my opinion the squad sure could use more players like him.

Article courtesy of Mark Wilson from Live4Liverpool

[ad_pod id='unruly-2' align='left']