MARK LAWRENSON: Time to unleash Crouch on Turks

Nov 6 2007 by Nick Smith, Liverpool Daily Post

THERE’S absolutely no reason to not have Peter Crouch in the starting line-up tonight. Liverpool are in a situation they probably didn’t expect to be in this early in the campaign, one where they know exactly what they have to do – win and score goals.

Fernando Torres isn’t around to do it, Dirk Kuyt doesn’t look like he’s capable of doing it at the moment and we don’t really know whether Andriy Voronin can be relied on to do it or not.

So that leaves Crouch. Since he came to Liverpool his ratio shows that if you throw him on and let him off the leash he can deliver.

Just get him in the 11, get men out wide to bang the crosses in and bombard the penalty area. Easy.

Games like this against Besiktas are not times to be cagey, cautious or worry about what the opposition are going to do.

It’s just a simple case of going out and imposing yourselves on a team that might have got the better of Liverpool two weeks ago but who remain one that Rafael Benitez knows his side can beat.

And the manager will also have noted the impact Crouch made in that game in Turkey when he came on and set Steven Gerrard’s goal up.

The Beskitas defenders seemed to be thinking “who or what is this?” when he entered the fray because they’re not used to coming up against players of that size. And, let’s face it, who is?

His very presence, even though he sometimes doesn’t make as much of it as he should, is enough to put doubt in defenders’ minds and if he can do that from the outset tonight then Liverpool will have a major advantage before they even kick off.

It think Benitez will also be aware that he waited too long to bring Crouch on in that first game.

They were already 2-0 down and there was only a few minutes left so what chance did he stand?

On Saturday he might have only had 18 minutes but that was more understandable because going to Ewood these days you do need to be more disciplined.

And if you can keep Blackburn out then force a winner by being more expansive towards the end, all very well.

It didn’t quite pay off on that occasion but for Benitez that situation was a delicate one to juggle. Tonight’s, however, isn’t.

Apart from the Carling Cup and the Champions League qualifier, Liverpool have only won that one game against Derby at home this season and that was more than two months ago.

Crouch has barely been involved in any of those games and I don’t think that’s a coincidence.

The fact is, he did well when he came on at Besiktas, he did well when he came on against Arsenal and he made a difference when he came on at Blackburn.

Tonight he needs to come on from the start because, in front of what’s bound to be a pumped-up Anfield crowd, an early impact is what Liverpool need – not one that’s too late to save their European Cup hopes.

Mark Lawrenson was talking to NICK SMITH