Thursday, October 18, 2012

Alexander Doni - How he's Been Missed

Doni plays out from the back.
Whatever the circumstances surrounding Alexander Doni's return to Brazil on leave for the last few months, it seems to be another unfortunate case of a Brazilian playing for Liverpool who hasn't had the luck or the opportunity to become a regular member of the team.

The title of this article might seem strange, considering that it might not be possible to miss a player who only has 4 appearances for the club, but in those four appearances Doni proved that he is a more than capable backup to Pepe Reina, and would probably be pushing for a place in the first team given Reina's recent form.

From what we did see of Doni at Liverpool, he was a goalkeeper who is comfortable on the ball and willing to play out from the back, as well as joining in, if needed, and settle things down in an attacking build up. He would receive the ball from the centre backs, and look to play a return pass rather than simply lumping it up-field.

If he could do this under the slightly more direct approach of Kenny Dalglish's Liverpool, he would have fit perfectly into Brendan Rodgers' system where the 'keeper is the 11th outfield player.

More importantly, he would have provided a challenge to Reina's number one position, which may have gone some way to preventing the sharp drop in form suffered by the Spaniard. Current reserve 'keepers Brad Jones and Peter Gulasci are able and willing, but Doni is a class above these two keepers, and also offers more experience during uncertain times.

Another Brazilian goalkeeper, Diego Cavalieri, made only 10 appearances for Liverpool, but was sold to Cesena in Italy, before returning to Brazil with Fluminense. Let's hope that Doni can come back to the club and play a part for the new look team, and be one of the few Brazilian success stories at Liverpool, or at least surpass the 10 appearances made by Cavalieri!

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