Five Reasons Why Alberto Aquilani Didn't Make It In The Premier League
Failed signing one of key factors in Rafael Benitez's eventual demise...
Alberto Aquilani, Liverpool
Saturday's confirmation of Alberto Aquilani's return to Serie A on loan for a season was no great surprise; that his destination would be a giant (albeit a convalescing one) like Juventus was a little more so.
What's clear is that the Italian's Liverpool career seemed doomed from the off, even if a few optimists - including new Anfield coach Roy Hodgson - have expressed their hope that a stronger Aquilani will return to the Premier League in good form this time next year.
So why hasn't it worked out for the second most expensive signing of the Rafael Benitez era? Goal.com UK looks at the five main reasons why Aquilani has failed to justify his hefty £18 million price-tag so far...
1. His injury record
It is mystifying to many that erstwhile Reds coach Benitez got Aquilani's signing sanctioned in the first place in view of the midfielder's suspect fitness record. Only once in nine seasons as a professional has Aquilani taken part in 30 league games or more in a season, back in 2003-04 when he made 41 appearances on loan to Triestina in Serie B.
More startlingly, he played less than 15 Serie A matches in two of his last three campaigns at Roma. So it should not be a great shock that one affected so frequently by niggling injuries (and who was purchased while carrying one) managed just 813 Premier League minutes for the Reds, starting nine times.
This has also been a major factor in stalling the player's international career. Since making his Italy debut against Turkey nearly four years ago, Aquilani has only appeared a further 15 times for the Azzurri.
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2. The pace of the Premier League
Following on from general fitness worries, there was always a sizeable question mark over whether even a fully-fit Aquilani would ever be a player suited to the rigours of the Premier League.
Even if his nickname from the Roma faithful, Il Principe ('The Prince') suggests a certain elegance, it's not just about physique. Indeed, according to the official records from last season Aquilani weighs only 4kg less than the Reds' midfield battering ram, Steven Gerrard.
It's more about the use of the body, managing to cope with closer attention from the opposition and the general zip of the game in England. This is something Aquilani never genuinely mastered, making promising yet sporadic contributions and arguably having his best games for the club in a European context during the two Europa League quarter-final legs against Atletico Madrid.
3. His miscasting as a Xabi Alonso replacement
Aquilani's signing was knee-jerk, a panicked response to the long-mooted loss of Xabi Alonso after Benitez had bafflingly tried to dump the Basque midfielder in the summer of 2008. Alonso's departure for Real Madrid netted Liverpool an estimated £30m, which their coach immediately felt burning a hole in his pocket.
That the Reds needed to replace Alonso was in little doubt - his smooth and versatile passing was the base from which Liverpool built. That Aquilani, a more stylish and attack-minded midfielder, was not the man to do it seemed equally clear.
As Liverpool laboured without Alonso (and the distribution of Jamie Carragher, for example, was cruelly exposed), Aquilani was expected to step into the breach. Even if he had the potential to be gradually trained in the 'quarterback' role, he was by no means a ready-made substitute.
4. Rafael Benitez's swift loss of faith in him
Having arrived for the second highest fee of the Benitez years (Fernando Torres having been the most expensive purchase), the eagerness to see Aquilani make his first steps in red were understandable, even though he required a spell of rehabilitation first.
That he had to wait until the League Cup defeat at Arsenal on October 26 to make his debut was no surprise. That he would not make his full Premier League debut until exactly two months later, at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers, was.
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It is completely normal that a player being nursed back to fitness, as well as one finding his way in a foreign football culture, should be introduced gradually. Yet there was a growing sense of bewilderment that having got his star signing fit, Benitez seemed increasingly reluctant to use him.
In fact, Aquilani only tended to start relatively low-risk games throughout the remainder of the season (Portsmouth, Burnley etc), starting the penultimate match with Chelsea only due to injuries limiting Benitez's options. The Spaniard seemed to be regretting his purchase.
5. The fact Steven Gerrard still rules the roost at Anfield
We have already mentioned Aquilani's need to pull the strings from an advanced midfield position. There's just one problem; a certain No.8 already does just that for the Reds.
Steven Gerrard didn't have his finest season for Liverpool in 2009-10, but he is still the team talisman and driving force. Everything Liverpool do centrally between midfield and attack goes through him, leaving little room for Aquilani. The arrival of Joe Cole arguably complicated the situation yet further.
Lucas has already been through the same difficulty, criticised for his patchy form until a just revision in recent months. The truth is that the Brazilian was used to play going through him at Gremio and in Brazil's representative teams, something which was never going to happen at Anfield.
He has had to learn a new role, to play effectively with Gerrard; something which Aquilani has, thus far, had little opportunity to do.
