Source: Liverpool_Echo
Maxi Rodriquez getting up to speed with Premier League pace at Liverpool FC
IT has, on more than one occasion, looked as if things have been happening far too fast for Maxi Rodriguez.[LNB]Signed from Atletico Madrid during the January transfer window, he was thrust into Liverpool's squad during a time when they were struggling for form and needed to fight their way out of a tight spot.[LNB]For someone whom Rafa Benitez described as being a 'great technician' when unveiling him at Melwood, the agricultural style favoured by Stoke City - the side who provided the opposition for his debut - would have come as a big surprise.[LNB]Nowhere near as much as a shock, though, as a bitingly cold night in Wolverhampton, when the Argentine midfielder appeared frozen to the core and unable to move during a bore draw, or the helter-skelter of a Merseyside derby.[LNB]The last named game, in particular, was a real eye opener for the pint-sized Rodriguez who looked as if he was trying to cross the M6 in rush hour; he knew what he wanted to do but, in the madness, simply didn't know how to do it.[LNB]There is reason for thinking, however, that all of a sudden the penny is beginning to drop; Rodriguez might have took another buffeting at the hands of Blackburn's hulking defenders last Sunday but it was, without doubt, his best effort in a red shirt to date.[LNB]No matter that Pascal Chimbonda left an imprint of his boost in Rodriguez's midriff or that he took several whacks from Martin Olsson, Rodriguez battled on to play a key role in an important 2-1 win. Indeed, he was responsible for setting up the clinching goal.[LNB]His display was enough to get Benitez nodding enthusiastically yesterday when, ahead of Monday night's trip to Wigan Athletic, the manager was asked for an assessment of Rodriguez's early progress.[LNB]Rodriguez might have some way to go to reach the levels that made him such an influential cog in the wheel for Atletico and Argentina but the more he sets up goals as he did for Fernando Torres six days ago, the quicker Benitez feels he will get there.[LNB]'I agree that last week was his best performance,' said Benitez, who has challenged his side to go relentlessly through the gears in the final 10 games as their quest for a Champions League spot intensifies.[LNB]'It is important for us to have a player who can keep the ball and understand the game and he knows what it means to play in the Premier League now. He knows all about the challenges![LNB]'We have spoken a lot about the tempo of the Premier League and, in particular, the derby. It was very quick. But he knows now. He feels much better and he realises what it is all about, the tackles and everything else.[LNB]'Maxi is learning all the time and the main thing I see is that he is very keen to learn. He has got quality, he has experience and you can see that he is a very good professional. Little by little, he will give more and more to us.'
