Danny Ings produced a sublime finish to score his first goal for the Reds since signing for them from Burnley. Ings was brought on in the second half for Christian Benteke against Norwich and the English striker did brilliant to control the ball and slot it past John Ruddy to give Liverpool the lead. Unfortunately for the striker that was not enough for his team to get the three points but it did give Rodgers a lot of headaches regarding the form of the 23-year-old.
Ings on wings?
There was this Twitter joke of Rodgers playing Ings wide right against Manchester United and he had to be renamed as ‘Danny Wings’ but we saw just what the striker is capable of if he is played in his central striker’s position.
Ings has the pace and control to run at defences with the ball and he is pretty adept at finishing as well, showcased against Norwich and also during his time at Burnley where 11 goals in 37 appearances last season for the now relegated club. Ings doesn’t have the best scoring rate, but he is not expected to star at Liverpool right from the go.
Ings would play second fiddle to the pair of Benteke and Sturridge, but he does give a different dimension compared to Benteke. Ings can play just behind the big Belgian and with his pace and directness; he can be a handful to most Premier League defences. Ings though is not the finished article; he still needs to refine his game if he is going to become the Liverpool striker who can lead them to glory but for now he does give Rodgers a headache in terms of team selection.
Ings has been the best of Liverpool’s strikers this season after Benteke, the English forward should be played more this season rather than the likes of Divock Origi, who surprisingly started for Liverpool in their Europa League game against Bordeaux last week, certainly a surprise seeing that Origi hadn’t really done all that much for the Reds since he signed for them.
Danny Ings was one of the few bright spots when he played for Liverpool against Manchester United, but he was played out of position, so his influence on the game was greatly reduced. The 23-year-old has certainly endeared himself to the Liverpool faithful with that well-taken goal against Norwich, now we just have to see if Rodgers plays him more often.
Daniel Sturridge is still being nursed back to full fitness and it could take a couple of weeks before he regains his sharpness in front of goal. This would be the ideal time for Ings to be played up top and hopefully form a good partnership with Benteke, or he can play on his own like he did at Burnley. Just how well he plays for a big club, certainly bigger than Burnley will be seen in the next few weeks as he tries to provide Liverpool with the kick-start they so badly need this season.