Away from the grubby internal war involving a talented winger and his frankly absurd agent, another, rather amusing Liverpool-related story has been doing the rounds this past week. It involves the club’s former right-back Steve Finnan, whom organisers of an event to mark the 10-year anniversary of Liverpool’s Champions League triumph in Istanbul were struggling to track down. The search became so desperate that a Twitter-based campaign was launched, with #FindSteveFinnan its official hashtag.
The former Republic of Ireland international resurfaced on Thursday, telling the Liverpool Echo that he was “safe and well” and now, aged 39, working in property development. Mystery solved and also a case of interesting timing given Thursday was also the day another Anfield right-back returned into public consciousness.
Jon Flanagan, it was confirmed, had signed a new contract with Liverpool. The news was somewhat overshadowed given it was part of a club announcement that stated Jordon Ibe, the exciting young winger and a candidate to step into Raheem Sterling’s shoes should he, as expected, leave this summer, had also committed his future to the club. But it was nonetheless significant and a welcome reminder of happier times for Liverpool’s fed-up and frustrated supporters.
Flanagan is the local youth product who became an important part of the team that pushed Manchester City all the way to the title last season. Given his debut by Kenny Dalglish in April 2011 the tough-tackling 22-year-old seized his chance in Brendan Rodgers’s swashbuckling side with a man of the match display at left-back during the 3-3 draw with Everton in November 2013. There came a goal in a 5-0 win at Tottenham the following month and then, rather bizarrely, praise from Cafu, Brazil’s 2002 World Cup-winning captain. Not surprisingly, Flanagan was soon being dubbed the “scouse Cafu”.
This season should have meant the defender extended his credentials further but he has not featured for Liverpool after becoming hampered by a knee injury sustained during the club’s tour to the United States last summer, shortly after he had made his debut for England in a pre-World Cup friendly against Ecuador. There was scheduled return after scheduled return but Flanagan was never quite ready and any hope he had of playing in a red shirt during this season was extinguished at the end of April when it was announced he was to have a third knee operation that would keep him out of action for at least six months.
It was devastating news for Flanagan, especially given his deal with Liverpool ran out this summer. But any concern he had over his future at his boyhood club ended with Thursday’s show of faith.
“It has just been unfortunate for him because he was about to sign a new deal just before the injury,” Rodgers said. “Medically, we have to look after him now as well because he’s had quite a bad injury there that we’ve had to look at. All the medics are saying that he’s going to come back stronger and healthier. That’s the most important thing.”
For all of Rodgers’s warm words, Flanagan’s new contract is for 12 months, suggesting a level of caution among club officials in regards to just how strong and healthy he can be. But, all going well, the player is a near-banker to re-establish himself as a first-team regular, especially given Liverpool’s problems at right-back. Glen Johnson is leaving this summer following the expiry of his contract while Javier Manquillo, who arrived at Anfield on a two-year loan deal from Atlético Madrid at the start of this season, has failed to impress Rodgers, starting 16 matches. Meanwhile, Emre Can has looked like a fish on a bicycle in that position in recent weeks and is almost certain to feature more in his preferred central midfield role next season.
A new right-back could arrive in the summer but, at the very least, a fully-fit Flanagan would push him hard for a starting place. His stats suggest he would provide a contest for even the best and most established right-backs in the country. In 23 Premier League appearances during the 2013-14 campaign, Flanagan won 74.7% of his tackles, more than Manchester City’s Pablo Zabaleta has this season across 28 appearances (72%) and not far off the 78% return of another exciting young right-back, Arsenal’s Héctor Bellerín’s, in 19 appearances during the current campaign.
Last season Flanagan also made 40 interceptions, one shy of Bellerín’s total for this season but two more than Branislav Ivanovic has managed during the 37 games he has played during Chelsea’s successful charge to the title. Flanagan’s pass complete rate of 83.7% is better than that of Bellerín and Ivanovic this season (83% and 81% respectively) and a little short of Zabaleta’s return (85%).
Where Flanagan generally compares unfavourably to the aforementioned trio is in his ability as an attacking threat, but that has never been his core, standout strength. What he gives Liverpool is bite and a level of aggression lacking from the current team.
“In the 2013-14 season we saw that he is a fantastic tackler and you would back him in any 50-50,” says Sean Rogers, a Uefa B licenced coach who provides tactical analysis for The Anfield Wrap podcast. “With the lack of tackling ability in the Liverpool side – Lucas Leiva apart – Jon Flanagan would give Liverpool more of a physical edge and increase the number of tackles Liverpool make considerably.
“Flanagan doesn’t just have to overcome the injury and his absence, though. At times his marking is poor and I’m not sure he is as good one versus one as he should be, and those weaknesses were exposed in the run-in last season. But these things can be coached.”
In terms of his position in the team, there is an argument to be made for Flanagan, once fit, to return at left-back. After all, that is where he excelled last season and it is another position that no member of the current squad has nailed down. Alberto Moreno is the obvious candidate but, having arrived from Sevilla for £12m last summer, the 22-year-old has struggled to show he was worth the money and time Liverpool put into acquiring his services.
Rob Jones, who impressed in full-back and wing-back positions for Liverpool during the 1990s, feels Flanagan could be a long-term success at left-back and that being right-footed could work to his advantage. “He showed last season that he can cope being a right-footer on the left-side and as the season went on he began to thrive in the role – there’s no reason that shouldn’t continue,” Jones says.
“Being a right-footed left-back means when going forward, you can cut inside and change the angle of your team’s attack. I certainly saw that as an advantage when I, as a right-footed player, played on the left. It gives the opposition full-back something else to worry about and if they come with you, that creates space for your winger or wide-midfielder to run into.”
Wherever he plays, the hope among the vast majority of Liverpool fans is simply that Flanagan returns. In the post-Steven Gerrard era he would be a much valued scouse influence on the pitch, a player those in the stands can easily relate to and whose level of intensity and talent would undoubtedly benefit a team that has fallen well short this season.
“People talk about the goalscorers that we miss but we definitely missed Jon Flanagan in equal proportion,” Rodgers said. “He’s a very important player for us.”
