Posts Tagged ‘Steven Gerrard’

1FITG mid-season review: Liverpool

Posted: February 12, 2013 by onefootinthegame in Uncategorized
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With less than a third of the season left to run, we’re reaching a key period for a number of clubs that still harbour some sort of ambition for the end of the season. In the first of a series of pieces where we’ve asked some of our writers for their thoughts on their team’s season so far, Trebor A gives us his reaction to Brendan Rodgers’s first season at Anfield.

1. So what are your thoughts on Liverpool’s season so far?

The season has been ok so far, in truth. An unconvincing tricky start in the league set off some alarm bells. The team looked unsure, of how to play under Rodgers. That has now changed, and the players are playing with greater fluidity, and composure. You can see that the team is evolving. The cup performances could have been better. I still can’t believe we lost to Oldham. However, doing well in cup competitions didn’t exactly help Kenny much last season.

2. How are you feeling about your chances in the Europa League this season – is it a cup Liverpool should be actively trying to win and will Rodgers prioritise it?

I’m feeling fairly optimistic about the Europa League. We have progressed well, whilst managing to give young players like Suso, Wisdom and Sterling some much-needed European experience. Liverpool have never won the Europa League – so I would like to see us make history this season. There are some big clubs still left in it i.e. Ajax, Tottenham, Napoli, Chelsea and Benfica. Which will certainly make winning it tough. Will Rodgers prioritise it? I don’t think he has much choice – put simply, this is the only competition Liverpool can now win this season.

3. Would you agree that Gerrard has been below par this season?

English: Steven Gerrard, Liverpool F.C. footballer

Steven Gerrard – still got it. Or, used to have it, but has replaced it in his aged state with something else also useful

No, I couldn’t disagree more. Gerrard, like the whole team, started the season slowly. He looked a bit lethargic. This was understandable, considering his involvement in last summer Euros. He has been excellent for a couple of months now though. What people do not seem to understand is that Gerrard is 32 years of age. He can’t run for 90 minutes from box to box anymore. Gerrard is a different player now – more reserved, but still able to produce moments of brilliance. 7 goals and 9 assists in the Premier League testifies to that. He’s the only premier league midfielder to have played every minute of every game this season as well. That is a remarkable feat, taking his age, and past injury record, into consideration.

4. Has Rodgers fundamentally changed the style of play at Liverpool. Do you feel you can progress into the top 4 in the future playing the brand of football that Rodgers is trying to play?

Rodgers and his love of buzz words, calls his football ideals a ‘philosophy’. When in truth it is fundamentally ‘passing football’. Not exactly re-inventing the wheel, is it? However, in fairness to Rodgers, there has been some change. A lot this has been off the pitch i.e. backroom staff, training methods, scouting network etc. Even the formation has changed from last season. Due to this, the teams results have somewhat fluctuated. The football hasn’t always been sparkling or scintillating, and I still can’t help but fret every time the ball is passed around in our own defence. Rodgers is militant about the constant need to keep possession and controlling the game. It can appear to be counter-productive at times. Yet I can sense the players are starting to become more and more comfortable with this. Overall, the style of play has been progressive. Will this brand of football get Liverpool back into the top 4? Hopefully the results will start to match the quality of football. Only then can progress be achieved. I know it might seem a bit cliché, but I can’t help thinking of this team as a ‘work in progress’.

5. Predicted finish in the Premier League this season?

Last summer, before the season started, I said finishing 5th in the Premier League and winning the Europa League should be Liverpool’s target. Nothing in that regard has changed. Obviously, I would love to see Liverpool finish 4th. While that is not improbable, it is possibly a tad unrealistic. So, 5th and winning a European competition – that’ll do for me.

5 people who benefit from John Terry’s international retirement

Posted: September 24, 2012 by onefootinthegame in Uncategorized
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Steven Gerrard celebrating John Terry‘s international retirement (or possibly just a goal)

After announcing his decision to spend more time with his – or possibly someone else’s – family, we pick 5 people who are likely to benefit from John Terry’s retirement from international football.

1. Steven Gerrard

Even without the armband, John Terry liked to style himself as the de facto leader of the England team – casting a long shadow from which it was hard for players to escape.

The accumulated baggage that Terry brought with him to the England camp was a burden the rest of the squad never needed or benefitted from.

With Terry’s departure that’s now gone, leaving Gerrard as as the undisputed leader within the England team. Galvanised by his appointment as captain, Gerrard was arguably England’s best performer at Euro 2012. Hopefully, without Terry to cramp his style, his influence over the squad will grow.

2. Roy Hodgson

Despite regularly praising JT’s virtues as a player, Roy Hodgson is also likely to be breathing a sigh of relief. As we pointed out during Euro 2012, Terry’s days as a top level international looked increasing numbered due to his declining pace and vulnerability to the ball in behind the defence.

Terry’s decision to go into self imposed exile has spared Hodgson the inevitable soap opera which would have followed attempts to phase out, let alone drop, the Chelsea defender. And given that Terry did on occasion seem to believe that he was the England manager and in charge of team selection (see the fiasco at the World Cup in South Africa) Roy will no longer have to worry about him sparking another mutiny.

3. Phil Jagielka

With one of the big beasts of the England squad put out to pasture there is, what I like to imagine anyway, a Phil Jagielka shaped hole in the centre of England’s defence. A consistent performer over many seasons, he’s missed out at international level due to the plethora of centre back options and a preference for Champions League hardened defenders. Back in the spotlight with Everton’s impressive start to the season, Jagielka finally has the chance to make the England no.6 shirt his own.

4. Rio Ferdinand

Could the door to an England return for Rio Ferdinand have opened? Whilst the obstacle that was John Terry has been removed, it is Hodgson himself who now remains the problem.

Ahead of selection for the Euro’s the England manager was put into an impossible situation by the bad blood between the two players. Dealt a bad hand, Roy played it as best he could, enduring several awkward media grillings as he tried to justify excluding Ferdinand from the squad. Having been through the mill on that it’s hard to imagine Hodgson putting himself through a similar inquiry by selecting Rio. Stranger things have happened in football though.

5. Roberto Di Matteo

I’ve long thought that John Terry wouldn’t play much after 30. Injuries have taken their toll and the aforementioned lack of pace is catching up with him. Reluctant ever to miss a game, the Chelsea captain has played with injuries on many occasions, often to the detriment of his performace.

But with the international weeks providing regular for rest and recuperation, the ultimate beneficiary of Terry’s retirement may be Roberto Di Matteo who will have a fully fit player in his dressing room, eager to show people what their country are missing.

 Written by James Albion

New role for Raul from Liverpool to Chelsea…

Posted: September 4, 2011 by onefootinthegame in Uncategorized
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RaulI suppose Raul Meireles’ last-gasp £12 million move from Liverpool to Chelsea was the stand-out, from a rather underwhelming transfer deadline day.

So, what have Chelsea now got in Raul Meireles? Is he a Modric clone that will link play and pirouette through the midfield? No, Meireles doesn’t have those attributes.He is far more likely to rampage through a midfield than dribble around it.

However at 28 years of age, Chelsea have purchased an experienced International footballer who will give their midfield much needed exuberance and mobility. Meireles is an energetic player who provides versatility, assists and goals.
Some will ask where Raul Meireles will fit in at Chelsea? Cynics suggest he was a panic buy by Villas-Boas, after being thwarted in his efforts to sign Luka Modric. Others think that Meireles and Lampard will struggle to co-exist in an attacking midfield. Both like to readily vacate central positions and get in the box. Both like to hang around the edge of the area and shoot at distance. Surely they’ll make the same runs and get into each others way?
These suggestions couldn’t be further from the truth. What I believe Chelsea have actually done, is finally fill the void left by Michael Ballack last summer. With Lampard and Meireles, Chelsea now have much more of a goal threat from central midfield. There will be less pressure on Didier Drogba to be the clubs principle source of goals. Chelsea do not look the same team when Drogba is unavailable or off-form (as we saw last season). Heck, the additional goal threat might even take the spotlight off the misfiring Fernando Torres.
As a Liverpool fan, I know first-hand how good Meireles can really be. Especially, in a free-flowing team that play with fluidity and pace. He’ll exploit gaps and make a ridiculous amount of runs for the team. One of the reasons he settled so well into life in the Premier League is because he’s an extremely intelligent player. Let’s not forget he won the 2011 PFA Fans’ Player of the Year award in his debut season.
Trust me when I say that the deadline day deal for Raul Meireles, was a clever coup by Andrea Villas-Boas. He now has a player who was one of the few success stories from Liverpool’s dismal 2010/2011 season. Meireles has also played regularly in the Champions League. Something that will come in handy as Abramovich’s Chelsea plot another pursuit of club football’s richest prize.
I would go as far as saying that this transfer may have swung a title challenge back in Chelsea’s favour. With Meireles, Mata and Lukaku added to Chelsea’s already strong but slightly ageing spine, they now have a squad capable of keeping pace with both of Manchester’s early pacesetters. Man City and Man Utd have been playing sparkling football thus far, but weren’t we saying the same thing about Chelsea this time last season? You don’t win anything in September, as the pundits love to say.
It is unfair to make direct comparisons with the man Abramovich eyed (Luka Modric) and the man he ended-up with (Raul Meireles). Modric is a creator who can win you a game single-handedly. Meireles is perpetual motion and makes others around him tick. They are very different players but equally excellent, just in varying ways. This is despite the fact both players created exactly, 66 goal-scoring chances for their respective clubs last season.
This is an interesting tidbit to finish off with. Only two players scored for Liverpool against Chelsea during the whole of last season (Torres and Meireles). Now both ply their trade with the club from Kings Road. The two clubs will clash again this season on November 20th 2011 and 5th May 2012. I wonder what will happen if Steven Gerrard or Luis Suarez score in any of those games? Just a thought.
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The King Of Comedy

Posted: January 25, 2011 by onefootinthegame in England, Liverpool, Premier League
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Given the events of the last week, the messianic return of Kenny Dalglish should be celebrated. Not for the 3-0 win that his team recorded over Wolves. Nor for any belief that the return of the ‘King’ is a panacea for Liverpool’s ills – such beliefs are misguided. No, his return should be celebrated for his handling of the press and media, and it should be celebrated by all fans.

Daglish’s caustic wit was at its finest this week when he mocked a Sky Sports News reporter, questioning whether it was ok to have a woman present, and then noting the absence of any questions relating to female officials. Though they were the two most amusing moments of his press conference, the most satisfying was his reaction to being asked why he thought there were six managers from Glasgow in the Premier League. “Is that your last question? And you want me to answer your questions?” was accompanied by a look of disbelief, followed by a shrug of the shoulders and a weary response that he had no idea why there were six Glaswegians in the Premier League but at least he had someone to talk to.

His reaction should be applauded and long may such treatment of anodyne and facile journalism continue. Football reporters, journalists, pundits and presenters seem to be on a never ending decline into tedium, asking the most questions lacking in any insight (let’s not even get started on how Andy Townsend is the lead pundit for the Champions League). We’re now used to a reporter thrusting his microphone under the nose of a triumphant manager, to ask “You’ve just won six-nil, Alan. Does it feel good?”. Or “The referee gave that crucial penalty against you for a foul that was two yards outside the box. Are you unhappy with the decision?” What next? “I’ve just slept with your wife, Steve. Do you mind?”

Dalglish is a throwback to a time when managers wouldn’t suffer fools gladly. They didn’t have intensive media training in his day, they simply answered good football questions with good football responses, and woe betide anyone who deviated from that simple brief. In those days, managers like Clough, Atkinson and Graham spoke their minds. In those heady days, it wasn’t uncommon to see such managers as members of the panel for live games, before things got so litigious and carefully scrutinised by the FA.

Ferguson too, was once a master of insight and cutting sarcasm but, alas, has long since turned his media events into a hand selected crowd of fawning journos feeding bland and toady questions, lest they be banned for asking anything remotely tricky. Perhaps, just maybe, Fergie will get that fire in the belly of his press conferences again with the return of his old sparring partner down the M62. Let’s hope it rubs off on a few more managers too because, frankly, things have been a bit dull.