It is right to say that his new-found status in the starting 11 is a tale of perseverance, of jumping the highest hurdles and conquering all odds.
But that almost does a disservice to the development of Flanagan and the intelligence necessary to find himself in this position.
He has competition from Raheem Sterling, Philippe Coutinho and Jordan Henderson, but it's possible Flanagan is the player who has improved most under the coaching of Rodgers and his staff.
He has retained that visceral aspect of his play, steaming into his opposite number with ferocity, his face permanently contorted in bemusement towards anybody not of red persuasion.
But there is also an elegance to his passing now; an innate knowledge of what the right ball is at the right time.
Despite being right-footed and predominately deployed at left back, his distribution is good. He is not a full back who careers down the touchline and whips in balls – that is not how Liverpool play. Instead, he is far more considered with the ball, playing clever passes either to create chances or simply retain possession.
In 2010/11, his passing accuracy was 77.7%, while a season later it was 81.8%. It is now at 83.1% and Sunday's victory saw 91% of his passes reach the target, his most accurate game this season. He has also gone from an average of 0.6 accurate long balls to 1.7.
He also uses his aggression with more intelligence so that it becomes an asset rather than a hindrance - his head stayed firmly on his shoulders in big games at Goodison Park and Old Trafford, and his performance benefited from that.
After five yellows in his first 12 league games, he's only picked up a further two in his 17 games this season. And while he's more than doubled his average number of tackles per game (from 1.7 in 2010/11 to 3.6 this season), he only concedes an average of 1.2 fouls per game – down on his previous two seasons.
It is these tandems – heart and head, skill and guts, attack and defence – that have seen Flanagan embraced by the supporters. The Kop loves any Scouser, but loves a Scouser who can play football even more.
And that was all evident against Tottenham. No longer can the eighth-minute tackle on Lennon be forgotten, as Flanagan fired towards him like a missile, taking the ball cleanly and almost sliding into the Paddock.
He lost the throw-in, but Flanagan most definitely won the mental battle. Lennon's face was one of a player who did not anticipate a fruitful afternoon, and he was right. Of the Spurs players who completed 90 minutes, he had fewer touches than any other.
It is right to say that his new-found status in the starting 11 is a tale of perseverance, of jumping the highest hurdles and conquering all odds.
But that almost does a disservice to the development of Flanagan and the intelligence necessary to find himself in this position.
He has competition from Raheem Sterling, Philippe Coutinho and Jordan Henderson, but it's possible Flanagan is the player who has improved most under the coaching of Rodgers and his staff.
He has retained that visceral aspect of his play, steaming into his opposite number with ferocity, his face permanently contorted in bemusement towards anybody not of red persuasion.
But there is also an elegance to his passing now; an innate knowledge of what the right ball is at the right time.
Despite being right-footed and predominately deployed at left back, his distribution is good. He is not a full back who careers down the touchline and whips in balls – that is not how Liverpool play. Instead, he is far more considered with the ball, playing clever passes either to create chances or simply retain possession.
In 2010/11, his passing accuracy was 77.7%, while a season later it was 81.8%. It is now at 83.1% and Sunday's victory saw 91% of his passes reach the target, his most accurate game this season. He has also gone from an average of 0.6 accurate long balls to 1.7.
He also uses his aggression with more intelligence so that it becomes an asset rather than a hindrance - his head stayed firmly on his shoulders in big games at Goodison Park and Old Trafford, and his performance benefited from that.
After five yellows in his first 12 league games, he's only picked up a further two in his 17 games this season. And while he's more than doubled his average number of tackles per game (from 1.7 in 2010/11 to 3.6 this season), he only concedes an average of 1.2 fouls per game – down on his previous two seasons.
It is these tandems – heart and head, skill and guts, attack and defence – that have seen Flanagan embraced by the supporters. The Kop loves any Scouser, but loves a Scouser who can play football even more.
And that was all evident against Tottenham. No longer can the eighth-minute tackle on Lennon be forgotten, as Flanagan fired towards him like a missile, taking the ball cleanly and almost sliding into the Paddock.
He lost the throw-in, but Flanagan most definitely won the mental battle. Lennon's face was one of a player who did not anticipate a fruitful afternoon, and he was right. Of the Spurs players who completed 90 minutes, he had fewer touches than any other.
การแปล กรุณารอสักครู่..
