Lack of Appreciation

Underrated: forced to choose a one-word description of Emiliano Insua, then that would be it. Had he been anywhere else in the Premier League, especially at any one of the other top five or six clubs, then his emergence would be deemed an outstanding one. Not at Liverpool, however, where his rise over the past eight months seems to have gone by largely unnoticed by the outside world.

Which isn’t such a bad thing when you think about it. The biggest question mark hanging over younger players before they start getting into a side on a semi-permanent manner isn’t how they will cope technically or tactically – those will be attributes over which there should be little doubt for the coaches who see them train on a daily basis – but rather how they will handle the pressure that comes with playing when it really counts.

It is, without getting sidetracked, why the current reserves structure isn’t working. There is too little at stake and it has basically become a league where players who are too old to play in the academy leagues face each other, hardly the ideal preparation for playing in a league as demanding as the Premiership.

The last thing they need when they do get to make the step up is the added pressure that comes of people’s expectations; the knowledge that their every move is being analysed to determine whether they really are good enough. It is something that Insua has managed to avoid, even if through no effort from his end. The truth is that no one really seemed to take any notice of him.

Whether it would have made a difference is debatable. One aspect of Insua’s game that instantly stands out is his maturity. Nothing seems to overawe him and there hasn’t been a game where he has struggled purely because of who he was facing.

This is not to say that his game is mature for that is something which comes out of experience. Instinctively, Insua is an attacking player yet if he were to try and move forward every time the side does then it would greatly impact the team’s balance. Suggesting that he does so would be a gross mis-statement but there are moments when his judgment seems to be lacking; when he exposes himself and lets players get past him.

You have to look fairly hard to notice that however, and in doing so his attributes would probably be what catches the eye. On the ball, Insua displays an enviable calmness where he seems to have all the time in the world to deal with it and knows what to do with it. So too when he does move forward to attack.

The beauty of having a full-back like Insua is that, whilst the regular winger can move inside drawing at least one defender with him the full-back can exploit the space that this movement creates.

Of course, this can create problems on the other side of the pitch. But it isn’t often that this happens. Rarely has Insua been caught out as his speed – he is much faster than what you would imagine him as being given his build – helps him recover his position. The same goes for his heading which is far better than what you would expect of a player who is apparently the shortest in the league.

All of this is appreciated by most Liverpool fans but not all. Indeed, after his performance against Fiorentina – probably the first bad game he’s had for Liverpool – his quality was put into question.

That, at twenty years of age, it is possible for him to be overawed at playing in such a stadium and in front of that atmosphere doesn’t seem to matter much. Or that it could be that he hasn’t reached the level of fitness required to play on a bi-weekly basis at the same level.

All of those explanations could be written off as excuses but there really is no need. Within a few months of earning a regular spot for Liverpool, he’s on his way to playing for Argentina having been called up for the first time last month. Confirmation that there are those outside of Anfield who have been impressed by what he’s doing.

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