Source: Daily_Mail
Is that what The Kop's been waiting for? The AA man cannot fix Reds engine
Here I am: Aquilani has finally started a game for Liverpool[LNB]Liverpool's Champions League campaign had reached the end of the road long before they called out the AA man last night.[LNB]At least he was there. In from the start. Alberto Aquilani, their £20m signing, headed for the pitch instead of his usual seat on the bench. Long black hair slicked back and held in place by a band, he was ready to make his full debut and start earning that £75,000-a-week pay packet.[LNB]Rafael Benitez had tried to make it as easy as possible for the man from Roma. Having kept him out of the rough and tumble of the Merseyside derby and a typically physical encounter at Blackburn, here was the ideal opportunity: a meaningless Champions League game on home turf.[LNB]There were even some friendly faces among the visitors from Florence. Aquilani smiled at Cesare Natali and clasped hands with Gianluca Comotto. By half-time he was swapping shirts with Lorenzo De Silvestri, leading Anfield to believe he would not be appearing for the second half.[LNB]Such a prospect would not have been unthinkable considering the way Benitez has mollycoddled the midfielder through his first few months in England. [LNB]Liverpool fans who have waited since August to see him in action have certainly grown accustomed to asking questions about Aquilani.[LNB] On the ball: The Italian showed some neat touches for the Reds[LNB]Why had it taken four months to blood a player who was expected to be fit in a quarter of that time when he arrived from Italy still recovering from ankle surgery? Why invest a sizeable slice of your club's limited transfer budget in a midfielder who was not going to be ready until Champions League qualification was an impossibility and hope of ending the long wait for a Premier League title has all but disappeared?[LNB]Why so much protection for a 25-year-old who is, after all, an experienced campaigner in Serie A and the owner of 11 senior caps for his country?[LNB]According to Aquilani's father Claudio, young Alberto has been fit for some time. And he would probably know. He's a paramedic at Roma.[LNB]The midfielder certainly looked in good enough shape last night, even when he was bowled over by De Silvestri in the fifth minute. Benitez and the Liverpool medical staff who have nursed him back so meticulously over the last few months may have winced, but Aquilani dusted himself down and carried on.[LNB] Ready for action: The midfielder (right) showed plenty of bite[LNB]He is not the most robust of players, it has to be said, with those willowy legs and slight frame, but you don't survive in Serie A without being able to take the knocks.[LNB]It was a steady full debut. No frills but no glaring errors either. His passing was simple but crisp. The first, to Andrea Dossena was greeted with warmer applause than any other player in a red shirt could have expected.[LNB]Sitting just in front of Javier Mascherano and tucked in behind Steven Gerrard, Aquilani tried to break forward every now and then but to little effect. When Dirk Kuyt's pass into his path put him within sight of goal control under pressure and the chance was gone.[LNB]As the pace stepped up and the rain came down in the second half, he faded and it was no surprise when he was replaced by Daniel Pacheco 14 minutes from time. [LNB]Aquilani will settle in and Benitez no doubt believes the softly-softly approach to easing him into English football will reap rewards in the long-term. [LNB]But is the AA man really the player to fix Liverpool's problems? On this evidence, not for a good while yet.[LNB] Liverpool 1 Fiorentina 2: Late Gilardino winner compounds Champions League miseryLiverpool boss Benitez piles pressure on Aquilani to deliver on his first startGerrard blasts Liverpool's botched title bid but insists he will fight to the endSol Campbell responds to Manchester United speculation: 'It'd be a great move for me'ALL THE LIVERPOOL FC
