Carroll struggles to show his full potential
When Liverpool made the quick decision to invest the majority of the proceeds from the sale of Fernando Torres on Andy Carroll I think most of us were delighted that such a powerful centre forward had been acquired. It spoke clearly of Liverpool's intention to invest in the best (dare I say British) young talent even though they weren't fully proven.
Injury kept Carroll on the sidelines for the first few months and when he did play he wasn't at his best. Dalglish admitted it was probably unfair to play him as they did before he had fully recovered from injury.
So with the summer break came the opportunity for Carroll to fully recover, get match fit and start the season with renewed optimism. Surely we'd now see Carroll at his best. But the reality is that hasn't happened which raises the question as to whether Carroll is indeed now fully fit. Unlike Suarez, who just seems to get better with every match, Carroll still seems to be labouring to find his form. Using him in the role of upfront target man to control, shield and lay off the ball to advancing teammates just isn't working. You just know that when it comes to chasing one-on-one through balls he will likely come off second best.
So can Carroll rise to the next level and show just how effective he can be? Is he still feeling the effect of his injury? There's a long way to go before any real judgment can be made and with the positive start Liverpool have had to the season, and the quality of the squad being so much greater, Carroll does have time on his side plus he did produce a quality finish against Exeter in mid-week.
I'm hoping we see a good performance from him, and a goal or two, this afternoon against Bolton.
(I also write a blog called Liverpool FC Talk: http://liverpoolfc-talk.com)
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