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How did Downing get psyched out?
Stewart Downing of Liverpool in action during the Barclays Premier League match between Aston Villa and Liverpool at Villa Park on March 31, 2013 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
In 2011-12, with most of the team playing poorly, it was to be expected that someone would be singled out as a target – and while Carroll was getting some returns, Downing wasn’t. He had gone from the best season of his career to his worst. Adding to that was the £20 million albatross hanging around his neck. From Left Wing Jesus to Dalglish Dud in one year – it would be a major knock to anyone’s confidence.
It did not help that Downing lacked the mental strength you need to succeed at Liverpool – or any top side for that matter. At the Kop, a player must offer spirit and character in addition to talent, in order to be truly accepted by the one entity that can decide stardom – the fans. Players are expected to demonstrate a level of desire equivalent to that of Jamie Carragher, who fought cramps for half an hour to deny Shevchenko and Kaka in the 2005 Champions League final.
And Downing lacked these attributes. His confidence began deteriorating as the 2011-12 season spun out of control. By April, he cut a frustrated figure on the touch lines, walking around aimlessly while the match was in progress, looking the least likely to force a breakthrough. As his motivation slipped, his form slid even further. The vicious circle was complete.
Brendan Rodgers identified the signs correctly when he arrived; and due credit to him for pulling the player out of the hole he’d dug for himself. In a series of pep talks, Rodgers told him that he had to fight for his place in the team. Then, employing the Arsene Wenger principle, Rodgers told the media that Downing could no longer be sure of his spot. Predictably, Downing said the comments had upset him. He was promptly hauled over the coals for his whining. Five months and a more consistent run of form later, Downing was thanking the manager for resurrecting his motivation.
Replacements
Downing’s principal strength – crossing – is no longer relevant to a team that requires inside forwards and play makers operating in that zone. And there are several waiting in the wings – literally – to stake claim: Raheem Sterling, Jordan Ibe, Luis Alberto and Oussama Assaidi. Additionally, the two senior full-backs, Glen Johnson and Jose Enrique, are quite comfortable going forward (a little too comfortable, given that their primary job is to defend).
Given that Downing was brought to Anfield primarily to supply Carroll, it is perhaps appropriate that both men have left Liverpool in the same transfer window. They’ve both joined West Ham, where Sam Allardyce’s aerial style of play will no doubt suit both to a T.
Downing’s performances in the Europa League and the latter half of the EPL 2012-13 season bear out his calibre. But, like Carroll, he was not a player Liverpool needed.
And the club are several million pounds the wiser for it.
