By Coral Barry
In 2009 Liverpool paid 17 million pounds for 25-year-old right-back Glen Johnson. Since then he has been a constant in the Liverpool backline. A constant when he hasn’t been injured that is. It was a hell of a lot of money at the time to pay for a right-back who was famously Roman Abramovich’s first acquisition and flop of his Chelsea reign. He had however, reinvigorated his career at Portsmouth and had been brought in by Benitez because in his words:
“We were looking for a player of quality and also somebody who is British because of the new Champions League rules. Glen Johnson fits both categories.”
Not exactly a ringing endorsement but Johnson had forced himself into the English frame, becoming a regular international from 2010 onwards. Last week he was dropped from the England’s squad marking an acknowledgement of his steady downward spiral of form in a Liverpool shirt. He has always been included in the England squad even if his form has been poor at times since 2010. He has not always deserved his place but England have until now, never really had a viable alternative. Nathaniel Clyne and Calum Chambers have been picked ahead of him and if both do well in the next few games, it may spell the end of Johnson’s international career. What then does that say about his place in the Liverpool side?
Johnson has never been renowned for his defensive capabilities as a full-back and because of that has often been questioned. However, he has been praised for his attacking prowess and ability to score and create chances. The Glen Johnson Liverpool fans adore is the Johnson who in the second half of the 2011-2012 season scored an astonishing, last minute winner against Chelsea and just a short while later scored another wonder effort against West Ham. The Glen Johnson that we expect is the Johnson who scored and created a goal on his home debut. The Glen Johnson that was a fantastic attacking outlet and could be forgiven for his occasional lackadaisical defending style as long as he was lighting fires upfront. This Glen Johnson has frequently not turned up and in recent times has almost vanished completely.
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