Very interesting quote from benitez

[Huyton_Red]

If gonzalez is truly at the level we want right now dont you think he would have played a bit more often

 

Kewell is injured, so could not be picked regardless.

 

And pennant, IMO was the cheap option so we could buy kuyt. I think another right winger will arrive this summer or gerrard will more or less permantly move out there

 

Yes, we do have the option to play alonso and gerrard, or gerrard and sissoko. But when all three are fit and available I beleive it best suits the team to play gerrard wide right and the other two centrally.

 

I disagree with that to an extent. I don't think any player should be above being dropped or rested for the sake of the team. If we rested Momo for a game and saw Gerrard and Alonso playing incredibly well as a double act in the middle, then I'd stick with that until one of them needed resting.

 

We haven't seen a central midfield of Gerrard and Alonso for some time. While Momo is class, I don't know if we need that level of defensive protection/mopping up loose ball in every game. So I'd have no problem with Momo being dropped (rested) every now and then.

 

As for wide players - Speedy, Pennant, Kewell are good enough IMO... If they weren't good enough then Rafa wouldn't have brought them in (Speedy and Pennant at least)

In my opinion they are a very good combination but the combination could be improved as neither gets forward enough or breaks into the box enough to provide a goal threat from CM... Gerrard would bring this goal threat from CM.

 

IMO it's a case of balance across the team and how much offence or defence you want from your CM pairing.

 

Yes, but if you play with two proper attacking wide men who float and swap sides and two strikers with one dropping off you dont need central midfielder who can score goals and make lots of forward runs, especially if you have a passer of alonso's ability who can spread it all over the pitch.

[dodgy1]

i think he`s the ebst central midfeidler at going forward, of that i will agree, but while his forward game has progressed to a scary level, his defensive game has nearly disintegrated, he needs to focus on the team just a little bit more for me, rather than his goal tally

 

i could be wrong, and im not slagging him off, but i honestly beleive, and im sure im not alone, that Gerrard has not tracked back the last 2 or 3 years like he did when he came into the team first as a young lad,

 

You were slagging him off calling him Mr Headlines, and when he has to he will go crunching into tackles. He doesn,t do it as much cause his game has improved with more skill involved and better players around him with MOMO there now for the nasty stuff.

[Lee W]

i think he`s the ebst central midfeidler at going forward, of that i will agree, but while his forward game has progressed to a scary level, his defensive game has nearly disintegrated, he needs to focus on the team just a little bit more for me, rather than his goal tally

 

Is this the same player who was absolutely fantastic at right-back in the European Cup Final (with cramp) and played in 4 different positions ?

[Chief Robert]

And pennant, IMO was the cheap option so we could buy kuyt. I think another right winger will arrive this summer or gerrard will more or less permantly move out there

I agree that Alves was the first choice for RM, but if Rafa didn't think Pennant couldn't do the job, he wouldn't have bought him. I haven't been exactly thrilled with Pennants performances so far, but he's had what, 4 or 5 competitive games to impress people like you and me? Give him time before we write him off as nothing more than a cheap squad filler for RM...

 

Yes, we do have the option to play alonso and gerrard, or gerrard and sissoko. But when all three are fit and available I beleive it best suits the team to play gerrard wide right and the other two centrally.

Yes, but if you play with two proper attacking wide men who float and swap sides and two strikers with one dropping off you dont need central midfielder who can score goals and make lots of forward runs, especially if you have a passer of alonso's ability who can spread it all over the pitch.

I'm not entirely disagreeing with you - I just think it depends on who we are playing. I think in some games even with 2 attacking wide players, a CM who can score goals and make lots of forward runs is of benefit. Man Yoo have played like that for a long time with alot of success. In some games I think we can take the risk of being less defensive in CM for the sake of more runs into the box from there.

[chrisbonnie]

Is this the same player who was absolutely fantastic at right-back in the European Cup Final (with cramp) and played in 4 different positions ?

 

thats fair enough, i can hardly argue with that, i know he cant perform like that week in week out, thats impossible, but i couldnt remember the last time he gave that kind of effort in a bread butter premiership game,

[Leo No.8]

I think Rafa played Gerrard on the left against Chelsea for two main reasons.

 

Firstly, so he could run directly at Boulharouz. The Dutchman isn't the quickest anyway, and hasn't yet adapted to the pace of the Premier League. If Stevie would have shown a bit more composure that move would have paid off superbly when he beat his man easily but then tried to bend it in the top corner when the pull back across goal was the better option. Cole wouldn't have been as easily beaten.

 

Again, when he got to the ball first ahead of Bouharouz in the second half if he'd have shown more composure and brought the ball under control instead of taking it at a difficult height and shooting straight at Cech, that decision could have come off. I don't rate Boulharouz at all, he's a donkey.

 

Secondly, Pennant had performed well for us up until yesterday (when admittedly he saw a lot of the ball but didn't use it that well), and Rafa obviously felt he was a better option than Gonzalez on the left who he is bedding in carefully.

 

As for the first name on the team sheet if everyone is fit, there's just no justification for it being anyone but Gerrard. Thing is though, Sissoko's level of fitness is so great (and Rafa places a lot of importance in that - I always think he sees them all with fitness at a percentage like Championship Manager!), that he is probably likely to be picked for more games.

[realtarragona]

thats fair enough, i can hardly argue with that, i know he cant perform like that week in week out, thats impossible, but i couldnt remember the last time he gave that kind of effort in a bread butter premiership game,

 

Probably because he's played on the right in a sort of free role for about a year now. The emphasis is on him to get forward and no doubt encouraged by the manager. If he was played centrally again, defensively he'd be fine. People seem to have made up that he can no longer defend simply because he hasn't played in that position regularly for a while.

[CaptainXabi]

The interesting thing to see will be whether Agger's more frequent inclusion in the side means that Rafa will give Sissoko/Gerrard a try. Maybe Agger can act as defacto holding midfielder in the buildup which can help offset Xabi's absence?

[Guest Cardie]

The team should be built around Alonso.

 

Basically he's a quarter back, with his passing ability he can sit behind the midfield dictating the pace of the game and orchestrating attacks. We have enough pace and power in and around him that he should never be short of options.

[Guest koppitekop1]

Thing is though, he is the best. How can you slag him off its unbelievable. Were so f***in lucky to have him, he is on a different level. Yes he was brilliant in that game but he has since become the best central midfielder in the world (IMO). if you disagree who would you rather have?. For me we should put him in the middle and work the team around him. Yes he is that good.

 

Best post so far i cannot believe the gerrard slaggers

[Poolfrog]

He did ok. I've seen him have much better games.

 

That's because his standards are so high. He was way better than the likes of Lampard, who was very pedestrian

[Cooldude]

The team should be built around Alonso.

 

Basically he's a quarter back, with his passing ability he can sit behind the midfield dictating the pace of the game and orchestrating attacks. We have enough pace and power in and around him that he should never be short of options.

 

The thing I wanna see Xabi do a lot more of is pushing himself higher up the ground and try to find the killer pass. He's too good a player to be kept too deep.

[Leo No.8]

You are going to get shot down!

 

He's already a much more rounded player than Redknapp ever was. Even when his long-passing radar is off, he still runs the game from deep much better than Redknapp did and it goes without saying he tackles better.

 

I'm not saying he isn't a more rounded player Fred, you're right he is - he does the things they do/did well, better. But his failings are the same as Redknapp's in terms of not influencing our play in the final third as much as he should because of a lack of mobility.

 

You want your best passer to come and get it off the defence - the problem is, if they get things going but don't have the legs to then get forward and join the play, then he can prove to be a bit ineffective, sending long passes across the pitch from deep that don't achieve a great deal.

Edited September 18, 2006 by Leo No.8

[realtarragona]

I would drop either Sissoko or Alonso for the newcastle game. I expect to be shot down for this but I personally think Momo has been average since his injury (last 3 games) and the rest will do him good. Mind you Xabi isn't playing very well either so there's a case for either of them to be dropped. I just think it's important we get Gerrard back in the centre of the park to get things back on track, he provides a dynamism that no one else can provide in the whole squad and we need that extra intensity in the final third. It's not as if he can't do an excellent job on the right - he can - but not if the central pairing aren't firing together which they aren't at the moment.

 

I'd do the same. Would like to see Gerrard in the centre for most games at Anfield...

[Earl Hafler]

Gerrard does it every game for us. if you took someone who didnt know any of our players but knew football, and asked him who the best player is, 9 times in 10 they would say Gerrard. the problem that some of our fans is that they see the really brilliant games he has, The European Cup Final, the FA Cup final etc, and if he doesnt do that on a regular basis then he isnt playing well. people expect a 9/10 performance from gerrard every week.

 

if gerrard has a 7/10 game and say Warnock has a 7/10 game, then Warnock is praised and Gerrard criticised. expectations are too high for Gerrard, who for my money, is the most complete player in world football, and that is part of Gerrards problem. he could play in any of the out field positions on the park and walk into most Premiership teams . he is a brilliant right back, can play anywhere across the middle and up front. he would probably do a job at centre half and left back as well.

 

Our best player, and among our fans, our most under rated player

 

 

Gerrard does not do it every game.

 

And similarly, if Warnock makes a mistake he is vilified by some fans who ignore Gerrard's mistakes and poor games because he's capable of so much better.

[Guz]

I'd do the same. Would like to see Gerrard in the centre for most games at Anfield...

 

Maybe, maybe not. Hard to say long term but everytime Xabi or Momo aren't firing as a partnership I'd stick Gerrard back there immediately.

[lawrie]

thats fair enough, i can hardly argue with that, i know he cant perform like that week in week out, thats impossible, but i couldnt remember the last time he gave that kind of effort in a bread butter premiership game,

 

This is because Rafa has told Gerrard to play differently

 

Gerrard does it every game for us. if you took someone who didnt know any of our players but knew football, and asked him who the best player is, 9 times in 10 they would say Gerrard. the problem that some of our fans is that they see the really brilliant games he has, The European Cup Final, the FA Cup final etc, and if he doesnt do that on a regular basis then he isnt playing well. people expect a 9/10 performance from gerrard every week.

 

if gerrard has a 7/10 game and say Warnock has a 7/10 game, then Warnock is praised and Gerrard criticised. expectations are too high for Gerrard, who for my money, is the most complete player in world football, and that is part of Gerrards problem. he could play in any of the out field positions on the park and walk into most Premiership teams . he is a brilliant right back, can play anywhere across the middle and up front. he would probably do a job at centre half and left back as well.

 

Our best player, and among our fans, our most under rated player

 

Is exactly right and its really beginning to p*** me off big time that the latest craze of Gerrard bashing seems to be on the increase.

[Guest Sabre]

I don't think there is a latest craze of Gerrard bashing. I think he is easily our best player but that doesn't mean he shouldn't be criticised. Most players get polarised support - heavily criticised by some for errors and heavily praised by some for good things. Gerrard wins us matches, pure and simple, but if you look beyond that occasionally, his attitude can affect the team and its results in a negative manner, and sometimes even his actions cause us points! Passbacks to Henry to slot home deserve some criticism although its tempered by remembering all the good things he's done for us. Reading his book provides evidence of what we saw occasionally in previous seasons - taking the ball off Igor's toe because he didn't trust him and things like that. Stevie has a very high opinion of himself and I get the feeling that Rafa is constantly trying to keep his feet on the ground. With his talent he can win every match from any position on the pitch, not just when he's playing in his favoured position.

 

I think that yesterday was the first time in a while that he has performed consistently in a match against our rivals in the league - he was playing good steady football, keeping the ball, playing the easy pass, moving into space for the return etc. However, when we went behind, he seemed to go missing for a bit but still had our best chances!

[Chili Palmer]

I don't think there is a latest craze of Gerrard bashing. I think he is easily our best player but that doesn't mean he shouldn't be criticised. Most players get polarised support - heavily criticised by some for errors and heavily praised by some for good things. Gerrard wins us matches, pure and simple, but if you look beyond that occasionally, his attitude can affect the team and its results in a negative manner, and sometimes even his actions cause us points! Passbacks to Henry to slot home deserve some criticism although its tempered by remembering all the good things he's done for us. Reading his book provides evidence of what we saw occasionally in previous seasons - taking the ball off Igor's toe because he didn't trust him and things like that. Stevie has a very high opinion of himself and I get the feeling that Rafa is constantly trying to keep his feet on the ground. With his talent he can win every match from any position on the pitch, not just when he's playing in his favoured position.

 

I think that yesterday was the first time in a while that he has performed consistently in a match against our rivals in the league - he was playing good steady football, keeping the ball, playing the easy pass, moving into space for the return etc. However, when we went behind, he seemed to go missing for a bit but still had our best chances!

 

100% correct, when his mind is right, the best player in England, when it is wrong, it seems to effect the whole team.

 

In his book he talks about needing everything to be perfect off the pitch to perform to his best on it, e.g when his parents were seperating, he played poorly. He seems the kind of person that Rafa will have to keep happy at all costs.

[Guest Sabre]

Having not read the book, out of interest, was this when Houllier publically criticised him around the time we lost to Basle?

 

Yup, you're right. In his book, Stevie talks about it for ages. His parents were splitting up at the time.

 

I quote from page 253:

 

"Before we flew out to Basle, Gerard hauled me into his office at Melwood. He'd had enough. He wanted to find out what was bugging me. I walked in to be confronted by Thommo, Sammy Lee, Joe Corrigan and Alex Miller, as well as Gerard. Christ, they looked like a bloody firing squad standing there. Gerard opened up first: 'What's eating you, Steven? Is your family all right?'"

 

He didn't tell them because he couldn't in front of them all. Each person apparently laid into him and Steven stormed out, incensed that the chief scout and the goalkeeping coach were even involved.

 

If you remember, he was hauled off at half-time. In the book, he lays into Diao, saying that he couldn't believe he could be hooked for Diao, but then admits that he did help turn the game around. (Stevie talks a lot about how he hates being subbed/not started)

 

I quote: "In the dressing-room, I was scarcely through the door when Gerard shouted, 'Steven, shower.' That was it. Me off. f***'s sake. All the lads felt embarrassed because I looked stupid. If a player has a nightmare, a manager can react in two ways at half-time. Either give the player another five minutes so the subbing doesn't appear that bad, or humiliate the player by not allowing them out for the second half. [] Corrigan walked into the showers. 'Keep your chin up' he said. 'f*** off' I told him."

 

About Salif: "Even if I was playing four out of ten I could do what Diao did. In fairness to Salif, he did help turn the game around."

 

GH then laid into Stevie G in the press and their relationship was strained for a while.

 

And don't say, "A yes would have sufficed"

[Stevie H]

Thought Momo was poor yesterday.

thought he was a bit naive personally. not one of his better games.

[_00_deathscar]

Where do you folks think Gerrard will finish in the 100 Players That Shook The Kop?

 

Top 3 I reckon...

[Elisha_Scott]

you can guess it, Steven "the papers(and my book) say im the best" Gerrard

 

i still honestly beleive his best ever game for us was against Leeds in elland road under Phil thompson, we battered them 3 or 4-1, he got a yellow in the first minute that shut Batty, their hard man up, he may have scored a s*** load of goals for us since then, and of course that comendable, but he`s never tackled as hard as that in the last 2 or 3 years, theres no denying it, we all know,

 

Players tend to get headlines when they score 23 goals from midfield, and 2 of them are in the FA cup final, 1 of which is a spectacular last minute eqauliser in a classic. Being named player of the year also contributes to headlines.