Liverpool FC Forum

[addicted norwegian]

When I saw the look on Gerrards face after scoring the 2-1 goal, I believe that this was a totally different Gerrard, compared with the one celebrating his two brilliant goals against Grazer. Seeing his face yesterday is from now on my top 5 list over magic moments with Liverpool. Against Grazer he raised his hands but seemed almost a bit sad even when scoring. But yesterday there most certainly wasn`t much worried looks left on his face. It gave me the chills, and makes me convinced that both his heart and his head is 100% committed to bring trphys to Anfield again. Gerrard is a god

[barnesrush]

i reckon playing under rafa this season he will become closer to the title of best midfielder in europe.....thank god we kept him   

[Ciggy]

No wonder he had smiles on his face the noise of his name being chanted even made me smile god I love him what a bloody player.
Think he was showing us how much he loves us being first day back at anfield and hearing his name being said constantly wonder if the thought crossed his mind had he had left he would have had a capacity crowd booing him in a blue jersey.  

[madred]

There is nothing more i can say about Stevie so i wont!!

[jordantoh]

yeah... dun even doubt it.. he is the best central midfielder in Europe and the World... who else can cover so much ground, win the ball, distribute the ball acutrately and even score goals like our King Stevie... come on Stevie... i amm very sure and confident you will be the captain to lead LFC back to the top of EPL and Europe..

[A.B.]

Stevie G is a great midfielder,great player overall. However I don't want to take him for granted like I did with Owen.

[ivor_the_injun]

And let's not forget, 3 goals in 3 games.

Michael who?

[azriahmad]

Stevie G still have much room for improvement. I still think that our best ever midfielder, considering the all-round skills and attributes, is Graeme Souness but not even he can carry the whole team like Stevie G can.

Imagine what he will be like if he can develop his vision, passing and shooting qualities to a similar level of Souness in his hey day and couple that to his great engine. He can be the complete player for us. Right now, his vision, passing and shooting qualities, although can be improved still, is already at a high level. On top of that, he is still only 24.

[desperado0831]

i was really impress by the stevie-G style movement and passes in ManC games as well as he did a 90 minutes good jobs for being cover after cisse and baros...... stevie really inspired the team a lots and as a captain,he show good expectation so far damn good than our 'respected' england's david. he bring out good partnership with harry. that's what i like to see.

1 goal + 1 assist......what's more?   

[Starbridge42]

To me there are three only three truly great midfielders in the world at the moment, Pavel Nedved, Zinedine Zidane and Steven Gerrard, the first two, however don't carry the hopes of their entire club on their shoulders. 
England may have Beckham as captain but in Gerrard they have a man of remarkable mental strength and playing ability, a tireless master who is the heir to the englandd arm band and could be worth a place alongside Pele, Maradonna and Cryuff if he reaches the level he can.

[Bruno Zidane!]

Can anyone actually remember the last time Stevie G had a bad or even average game in a red shirt?? He is the form player along with ronaldinho in the whole world, ive never seen a player whos so consistantly brilliant in my life, although i think after saturday we looked a better team as a whole and he will be able to concentrate on his job rather than last season when he was carrying the team in some games....The futures bright, the futures Gerrard! (How cheesys that!!!)

[azriahmad]

Bruno, Stevie had a bad period when Houllier publically blamed him for the CL exit when we drew FC Basel 3-3, I think in 2002-2003. Afterwards, he was dropped for a couple of games and then we hit that awful run without a win in the league starting with Dudek's (him again! I am not trying to have a crusade against him, honest, just trying to convey some history) gifted goal to Forlan against manure.

This public slagging of Gerrard by Houllier was almost like his public statement that Davis Ginola was responsible for France losing the 1994 World Cup play off when they were winning as Ginola lost possession which led to France conceding a goal. He said something like 'Ginola should be shot for the mistake' which left Ginola's French career in ruins.

[azriahmad]

I agree that the future is bright but we can't go on hoping that Gerrard will carry the team on his own - sooner or later, the straw will break and he will either burn out badly or move on. It would have happened had we not changed manager.

However, I don't believe this will ever happen with Benithez in charge as he has lined up quality players to help Gerrard share the burden, not just to admire his expliots.

Gerrard never gets to do what he can do with his talents for England as Sven Goran Ericsson is in love with Becks first, and Owen second and perhaps now Lampard as the third most loved player.

[Bruno Zidane!]

Firstly Azriahmad, well done on the homework my friend! and secondly i dont think we are gonna be as dependant on Stevie this season as the players around him are gettin better and the front two are gonna be awesome....also once Alonso and Garcia are playin Gerrard will be able to keep to his own role more and when youve got a great team in becomes easier to become a great player because of the quality around you.

[azriahmad]

This is from the telegrahp website:

Benitez finds right words in language of football
By William Johnson  (Filed: 23/08/2004)

Steven Gerrard, as inspirational a Liverpool captain as any of those who preceded him when the Merseysiders reigned supreme at home and abroad, revealed after this important victory in the first Anfield engagement under new management that "we had words" in the dressing room.
The manner in which those words were delivered half-way through a tough battle with Manchester City remains a mystery for the time being. Rafael Benitez has given little away so far regarding his modus operandi as he seeks to improve the fortunes of a Liverpool team who were stagnating under former manager Gerard Houllier.

It is clear that Benitez, whose command of English is more than adequate to get by, is a master of communication in the universal language of football because the response from his players after a lethargic first 45 minutes bordered on startling.

Within three minutes they had cancelled out a shock City opener by Nicolas Anelka – his third on this ground since brusquely being given the push by Houllier – and they dominated what remained of an untidy contest.

Having set up the equaliser for Milan Baros, top scorer at the recent European Championships, Gerrard fittingly added the winner 15 minutes from time after the probing Baros had forced some sloppy goalkeeping from England's David James, one of three Liverpool old boys in the City team.

Whenever Gerrard has produced that type of match-turning display, the praise until now has been gushing. Until now.

Spaniard Benitez, a massive success during his three years at Valencia, is no Houllier and preferred to be constructively critical rather than blindly enthralled by the efforts of his key midfielder.

"Steven has the freedom to go forward and work back but it might be better if he ran less and ran more properly instead," was the manager's verdict. If that was the public analysis by Benitez, one wonders what message was conveyed to Gerrard when they had those private interval "words".

Liverpool supporters will be hoping that their astute new manager is not on a mission to rid the club of another of their local favourites after swiftly engineering the departure of two other England internationals in Michael Owen and Danny Murphy.

Those fans should not worry unduly. Benitez's no-nonsense, non-sycophantic approach is what Liverpool badly need as they set out to retrieve the acres of ground they have surrendered to Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United.

I think Benithez wants Gerrard to do a bit less running from end to end as he does get winded (like anybody else does) and sometimes Liverpool get caught and the other Liverpool players who were admiring Gerrard's runs became ball-watchers as the counter-attack leads to goals by the opposition. Benithez perhaps wants to add a bit more intelligence to those runs and has also promised to make Gerrard a better player.