Liverpool FC Forum

by **Reg** » Fri May 09, 2008 3:08 pm

Liverpool reject Inter Milan bid for Gerrard
By Telegraph 09/05/2008

Liverpool have turned down a £25 million bid from Inter Milan for captain Steven Gerrard, according to reports.

The Italian club are determined to mark their centenary celebrations with a big-name signing and Gerrard tops Roberto Mancini's wish-list.

The England international, 27, has two years to run on his current Liverpool contract, and an Inter official said: "We need to make a big signing for next season and Gerrard was at the centre of our thoughts.

"Liverpool gave us the most emphatic response he was not for sale.

"We have drawn up a list of alternatives. But if Liverpool decide to sell, Gerrard is our top priority."

Another Liverpool midfielder linked with a move to Serie A is Spaniard Xavi Alonso, with Juventus poised to make a £15m bid.

Alonso could be replaced at Anfield by £10m-rated Mail international Seydou Keita.

Keita, 28, has drawn the attention of Rafa Benitez after impressing in his first season at Sevilla, and a Liverpool insider said: "Rafa has Keita very high up on his list this summer and may well make a bid for him."

by **account deleted by request** » Fri May 09, 2008 3:15 pm

David Prentice: Statistics show the full story of Steven Gerrard influence
May 9 2008 by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo

FERNANDO TORRES is Liverpool's undoubted Player of the Season for the campaign just about to end.

Indeed, but for a remarkable run of form from Cristiano Ronaldo he may even have been the Footballer of the Year.

But when you analyse the stats for 2007/08, one figure jumps out and hits you with all the force of a John Arne Riise volley.

Steven Gerrard is still the man Liverpool rely on the most.

The Reds skipper has scored 21 times this season, helped by manager Rafa Benitez's decision to use him in a more advanced attacking role.

But it's Gerrard's assists which are truly remarkable.

In all competitions this season, Liverpool's captain has directly created 23 goals. That's twice as many as anyone else at Anfield. And added to the goals he has scored, that makes him responsible for more than half his side's goals output in 2007/08.

Not bad for a man many reckon has been overshadowed by the Spanish striker.

Across the park, there's another, even more unsung hero.

Steven Pienaar spent a month of the season in Ghana at the African Nations Cup.

Yet the little South African still produced the best assists return of anybody at Everton, and in his debut season in English football.

Inventive, stylish and ambitious in his passing, his signing has been one of the unexpected high points of Everton's season.

And if such a competition existed, he'd get my vote for the assist of the season for his beautifully inventive backheel which teed up Leon Osman for Everton's Goal of the Season against Larissa.

There were other stand-out stats from this season's assists chart.

For the first time we had BOTH goalkeepers featuring.

Tim Howard's monster punt against Sunderland was possibly intended as nothing more than an attempt to give Yakubu something to challenge for, but Pepe Reina's precise volley in a deadlocked home match with Fulham was stunning. It received the finish from Fernando Torres such deadeye distribution deserved.

There were other anomalies, too. Sebastien Leto, it seems, wasn't totally hopeless. He contributed one key-pass in a Carling Cup tie at Reading before his season ending performance against Marseille.

And Jermaine Pennant proved once again that he can still deliver defence-splitting passes even if consistency eludes him.

But for a second season running, there was a worrying stat on the Liverpool chart.

Two years ago, during a devastatingly impressive introduction to English football, Xabi Alonso strode across the Anfield turf like a latter day Jan Molby.

His ability to dictate the tempo and direction of a match was one of the highlights of the season.

But after seven assists in his debut season, there was just one the following campaign - and only one more this time round.

The stats seem to underline a diminishing influence Alonso has exerted on Liverpool’s fortunes – and perhaps explain the interest in Gareth Barry's signature.

Stats don't always deliver good news.

Red assists

23 Steven Gerrard

11 Dirk Kuyt

8 Fernando Torres, Ryan Babel, Jermaine Pennant

7 Peter Crouch, Yossi Benayoun

5 Andriy Voronin, John Arne Riise

4 Harry Kewell

3 Javier Mascherano, Lucas Leiva

2 Alvaro Arbeloa, Sami Hyypia, Steve Finnan, Jamie Carragher, Fabio Aurelio

1 Sebastian Leto, Xabi Alonso, Pepe Reina

10 unassisted

-------------------------------------------

I think this explains why the offer was rejected emphatically

by **Reg** » Fri May 09, 2008 3:36 pm

Good to see that Pepe Reina is as productive as Xabi Alonso...............

by **Effes** » Fri May 09, 2008 3:37 pm

How can mancini have a wish-list if he's going at the end of the season?

by **Leonmc0708** » Fri May 09, 2008 4:18 pm

Kepp this sh.ite in the right place please.

by **nemolyk** » Fri May 09, 2008 4:27 pm

they are dreaming
chelsea did not bring our caption away in the very special time
how could they?

by **Reg** » Fri May 09, 2008 4:37 pm

Leonmc0708 wrote:Kepp this sh.ite in the right place please.

Now, now Leon, its friday afternoon so you should be able to read these posts with a smile on yer face ! :buttrock

LFC have had to respond so it doesnt belong in the rumour mill.

Good weekend to all.

by **Toffeehater** » Fri May 09, 2008 5:30 pm

Stevie would never leave LFC , its a pity just hope he retires with a premier league medal . If not it would be a tragedy , the best midfielder to have never won a domestic medal

by **Toffeehater** » Fri May 09, 2008 5:31 pm

Effes wrote:How can mancini have a wish-list if he's going at the end of the season?

No he's staying , he resigned after the champions league game but the chairman persuaded him to stay on

by **Sabre** » Fri May 09, 2008 5:35 pm

Reg wrote:Good to see that Pepe Reina is as productive as Xabi Alonso...............

you may find a pattern in that stats, that is, the more deep is the position of a player, the less likely is he'll give a last pass.

If you think about it 2 secs, it makes sense.

Ah, statistics.

by **account deleted by request** » Fri May 09, 2008 5:42 pm

Sabre wrote:
Reg wrote:Good to see that Pepe Reina is as productive as Xabi Alonso...............

you may find a pattern in that stats, that is, the more deep is the position of a player, the less likely is he'll give a last pass.

If you think about it 2 secs, it makes sense.

Ah, statistics.

I didn't realise Alonso was playing behind Carra and Hyypia Sabre

Ah, statistics :nod

by **Lando_Griffin** » Fri May 09, 2008 5:48 pm

Here we go with the Xabi bashing again...

It was him that was behind World War I, you know - he shot Franz Ferdinand... :no

by **Sabre** » Fri May 09, 2008 5:53 pm

No, seriously, you can find a better daily dig against Alonso.

First off assists are a concept of basketball, the stat per se in football is not as meaningful. The position of Gerrard, one of Rafa's mistakes along the season has abled him to give him a lot of last passes to Torres, I guess most of that 23 are up to the Torres-Gerrard link.

Should Gerrard had played in Mascherano's and Alonso's position, he'd still have 12 or 13 assists, because his game is about going forward often. Still he would had have a lot of less assists, and that obviously WOULDN'T mean he'd be half as productive, or half the passer. That 23 goals of course depend a lot on the finisher, should he had have a worse striker, that wouldn't mean neither he's a bad assistant.

Play Carra in the RB all the season and he'd get 7 assists for you, and then you can claim he's a better assistant and passer than Mascherano aswell.

Actually, Reina's got just one, but probably that one doesn't talk much about his excellent starting of counter attacks with his distribution, just because there was a later last pass.

Assists? Basketball. But absolutely meaningless in terms of productivity. I'm not denying Alonso hadn't his best season, I'm arguing that this point about assists is massive sweaty bóllocks.

Even if Gerrard hadn't 23 but 10, he still would have been a great passer, if you see what I mean.

by **Toffeehater** » Fri May 09, 2008 6:35 pm

just one thing to add , the stats don't lie , a blind man could make 7 lucky passes and they end up as assist , its still considered an assist , he could be the poorest passer of the ball but he has 7 assist to his name

by **Sabre** » Fri May 09, 2008 7:13 pm

Toffeehater wrote:just one thing to add , the stats don't lie , a blind man could make 7 lucky passes and they end up as assist , its still considered an assist , he could be the poorest passer of the ball but he has 7 assist to his name

So, for those stats believers , all that mantra about bashing Rafa for using Gerrard as second striker or attacking midfielder is utter :censored:

aswell no?

I mean, those who said Rafa was wrong in that decission have a "proof" they're wrong looking at Gerrard's goals and 'assists'.

Or maybe the stats are not reliable for that case?

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