Liverpool left back cum left midfielder Jose Enrique has praised manager Brendan Rodgers’ approach to coaching, describing the Northern Irishman as the best he has worked with.
Enrique, 26, has recently been used in a more attacking role by Rodgers, having seen his form dip dramatically after a superb start to his Liverpool career at the beginning of last season.
“Last year, until December, I really played well,” Enrique told The Daily Mail. “I don’t know why my form dropped after that. But now I feel as if I am doing well again.”
After signing from Newcastle for a fee believed to be around £6m, Enrique quickly impressed at left-back under Kenny Dalglish. But his form dropped after new year and he has struggled to hold down a starting place ever since – with Glen Johnson used at left-back ahead of him.
“To be honest, you cannot worry about it. Every day you have to prove yourself. It doesn’t matter how well you have played in the past, it is what you are doing at the minute that counts. If you don’t play well, you are on the bench.”
A strange knee problem at the start of this season saw Enrique sidelined but he is now enjoying a more advanced role, where he has shown a good understanding with Luis Suarez in particular.
The Spaniard praised Brendan Rodgers, comparing his style similarly to Manuel Pellegrini – who Enrique played for at Villareal before the Chilean managed Real Madrid, and who is now impressing at Malaga.
“He [Rodgers] is the best manager I have had in terms of tactics and everything else,” praised Enrique. “Tactically, he is very Spanish. He reminds me of when I had Pellegrini at Villarreal. He really likes Spanish players, those who give him 100 per cent every game.”
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