Pirlo plays in front of the defense with Vidal and Marchisio in front of him. Sergio plays there with Xavi and Iniesta in front of him. Makelele played there with Zidane ahead of him. All the same ‘position’. Just like Gerrard has this season with Henderson and Coutinho/Allen ahead of him.
Err, the season he played RW he racked up 23 goals and won the PFA player of the year. The season he played behind the striker he was Liverpool’s top scorer and instrumental in their title challenge that year again surpassing 20 goals.
He is not ‘technically decent’, He is outstanding. He can do much more besides ‘run a lot’. He can shoot, dribble, tackle and head with the best of them, He has single handedly bailed Lpool out time and time again - West ham FA Cup final, Olympiakos Champions leage- Group stages, Middlesborough etc etc.
He is not ‘adequate’, he’s world class at quite a few. The man is an icon and among the premier leagues best players of all time.
I get that British players are a decade behind continental europeans and south americans but some of them are good y’know?
Gerrard is overrated. He was at his peak a handful of seasons ago. Talk of he ‘deserves’ the title is hogwash. Title is won on points tally not compassion. Hegh
A player who has over a century of goals in his career while being shuttled all across the park is overrated eh? Bizarre.
And he does deserve the title because he has played with rubbish throughout his career. Played with shit like Biscan, Traore, Cisse , Henchoz etc.
He played with one decent side under Benitez and won the champions league, FA cup. Put in a title challenge and finished runners up in the champions league.
This is his second decent side and in the second season they will finsih tied on points with the team that has the largest wage bill in sport. He stayed loyal when most people would have jumped ship during tough times.
It’s a shame plyers like Matt Le Tissier never won the title just like it will be a shame if one of the greatest players of the modern generation Steven Gerrard does not.
I remember when i first started watching footy and Liverpool would have their backs against the walls it was always gerrard who popped up with something out of the blue.
Liverpool’s saviour…again and again and again. Captain Fantastic.
I can’t type that many words on my phone. But again you keep going back to goals, Gerrard is a goalscoring cm who can run a a lot, track back and press. I get it, he was good at what he did. But he was not a world class winger or no 10 or dm. He lacks the dribbling to be a winger, lacks the extreme technique and creativity to be a 10 and possession skills to be a dm. But English players are always graded on a different yardstick.
In terms of Liverpool players I’d prefer Xabi Alonso any day.
The beautiful thing about football is we all play it in our own way. Redondo was brilliant, He was an artist.
Gerrard doesn’t have to play the game like him but he is brilliant in his own way, enjoy watching him. Players like him don’t come around often.
Even if you prefer players like Sergio, Xavi and Redondo it’s not accurate the way you dismiss that as a ‘basic shot with lots of spin’.
Anyway moving on, last day of the season tomo. After that La Liga will head for a grandstand finish, After that a Madrid Derby on club football’s biggest stage before we head for the biggest spectacle the world has ever seen.
Lovely England team. He’s taken the players who are good technically. If it were in Europe they would be an outside bet to reach the semis.
But when you listen to English commentators - ’ The player needs to bulk up to play in the premiership’, you can’t help but shake your head in bemusement. They still think the game is about physicality.
You’d have though they’d have learnt after Silva and Modric but their views are still archaic.
Surprised to see Iturraspe make the squad, I assumed that Mario Suarez would be Busi’s backup. Also odd is that Spain only has 3 CBs there, but it’s possible they want Martinez as a backup. Another problem is two of their RB’s are going to be in the CL final…hopefully those two aren’t the ones going to Brazil.
The Spain squad is stacked. Surprised that Mata and Torres made it. The team is still stacked regardless. If they hit the right form, they could take it again.
IMO Torres and Negredo will be cut eventually. Llorente brings something different with his height, and Villa is a great finisher, and could be a good sub.