"Andy is a terrific young player," said Brendan Rodgers as Liverpool prepared to face Roma at Fenway Park in Boston. "There is no doubt he is a terrific talent. There has been a lot of unfair criticism aimed towards him." Since arriving at the club, when it comes to Andy Carroll the manager has seemed far less enthusiastic than when discussing other players, and so his most unequivocally positive comments to date represent something of a shift in tone. "He's a player who can play in a number of styles and it was a wee bit unfair on him to say he couldn’t fit into the way I would want to play. For me, your game is based on your players, the players you have, and I am here to win games." Whether this means Carroll has a chance to work his way into Rodgers' plans or if instead Liverpool has accepted no club will match their valuation is anybody's guess, but for fans of the striker it's a lifeline after weeks of almost every noise from the club suggesting his departure.