He is the man who is supposed to make the difference, the man who is supposed to ensure that Liverpool are a Champions League club once more come the season's end. If Liverpool are to mount a second-half surge to retain a status which the red half of Merseyside considers its birthright, not only must Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres stay fit, preferably at the same time, but Alberto Aquilani must become the prompter in midfield. There are already too many peripheral players in the Liverpool team, too many players who do not need to be marked closely if it means paying extra attention to Gerrard and Torres. The man supposed to make a difference: Alberto Aquilani A cost price of £20million suggests that Aquilani possesses the skills and match-shaping talents to warrant similar treatment. Then again, Ryan Babel cost £11.5m so even if the Italian makes twice the impact of the Dutchman at Anfield, there are no guarantees of a Europa League place. After ankle surgery left Aquilani without a pre-season or bonding time with his new teammates, he is only now breaking his season's stride. A lurching Boxing Day victory over Wolves was his first start for Liverpool, a trip to the snowy wastes of Villa Park the second. The Roman did at least partly qualify for foot-soldier status in that he decided against wearing gloves in the blizzard. His failure to don a short-sleeve shirt, however, meant that Liverpool lost the hard men count by seven to six. It will take time to adjust to the pace of his new surroundings, yet judging by last night's walk in a winter wonderland while a Premier League contest unravelled around him, the adjustment may not come this season. Head to head: Aquilani (left) battles it out with Aston Villa's Luke Young last nightLiverpool cannot continue to build attacks around him instead of through him if he is not to become another Leiva Lucas - only without the tackling ability. Within 90 robust first-half seconds, the Brazilian both drew a tackle from Richard Dunne which earned a yellow card and was then booked himself for upending Gariel Agbonlahor. If the Lucas yellow card angered the Liverpool management, Rafa Benitez could console himself that there was no chance his other central midfielder would be booked for a tackle. Going forward, Gerrard took every Liverpool corner and virtually every free-kick, the exception being a central 25-yard effort which Aquilani curled gracefully but harmlessly over the bar. On the other occasions, he meandered off and stood in whatever place you could guarantee would be the last place to see the ball. No goal threat there. The boy can pass: Aquilani plays the ball past Nigel Reo-CokerNor was there when he allowed himself to be dispossessed by John Carew when the chance to turn, stride forward and shoot presented itself. With two of the three pre- requisites of a midfielder deluxe left unchecked for now, that leaves Aquilani's passing game. The boy can pass. At 25, he is entering his prime years and his ability to spin the ball off either foot to a team-mate is obvious. The trick is to make it count. A gorgeous 40-yard curling pass to the feet of Yossi Benyaoun was sent out at such pace that no defender had a hope of intercepting it. Had it gone even 10 yards forward and not to the far touchline, it might have added purpose to its unquestionable beauty. A first-time clip to players breaking ahead of him hinted at a vision and speed of thought that will be a boon in the future, but for now, the man bought to replace Xabi Alonso is drifting around the Liverpool edges, so much so that he was replaced by Babel way before the thrilling climax. Aston Villa 0 Liverpool 1: Fernando Torres fires late winner to keep Liverpool's slim title hopes aliveInter Milan line up swoop for Gerrard to take advantage of Liverpool's miseryDossena agent rules out Napoli move as Liverpool flop eyes Spanish switchLIVERPOOL FC
Source: Daily_Mail