Steven Gerrard article

[Asterix]

Good article on the press and the man himself over-inflating Gerrard's performances this season. Interesting stats included - Pool have won more games without him in the squad. Alonso has better opta stats than Gerrard. Also raises the point that 30m quid and no disruptive Gerrard could actually do good things for Pool (parallels with the Ash Cole saga there). The author also cheekily suggests that Chelsea would be the loser if they had England's central midfield from Euro 2004.

Personally I think Gerrard and Alonso have the potential to form a great partnership at Liverpool, and Gerrard would be foolish to walk away from that potential. If Cisse regains full fitness and Liverpool get a reliable keeper (or if Rafa brings out the best in Dudek / Kirkland) then Liverpool should have productive 05/06.

http://football.guardian.co.uk/comment/ ... 35,00.html

 

[Canuck]

I thought that they would be making waves this season, but the luck just hasn't been with them. Agree that Gerrard would be a fool to walk away this summer. I still think he wouldn't have the pull in the dressing room and on the pitch with any other team except 'Pool. He's the heart of that team (even if he isn't their best player...) and if he moved to Chelski et. al. he would only be a bit player. He should take a lesson from Owen. A move away will get you a change and a new challenge but it's also risking taking the step from being an Anfield hero to being a more mundane bit player somewhere else.

I look forward to seeing what Rafa can do over the next couple of seasons. It can only be good for the league if he can make Liverpool contenders again.

 

[Gunner4Eva]

I agree. Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso have the potential to be one of the best central midfield pairings in all of Europe. Leaving the club would be a definate step backwards not only to his reputation, and maybe his career, but also for Liverpool, who will have to find another player to step in and take his place as the heart and soul of the team.

 

[KingReyes]

The thing that Steven Gerrard has that others like Xabi Alonso don't which you need to make yourself in the premier league is one thing. He's English.

English players are hyped up to be these World Class Superstars from the English media but are then put down when they don't deliver on the World Stage. Don't get me wrong I think Gerrard is a great player and would be the perfect partner for Vieira or any midfielder but it seems that the way he carried Liverpool to fourth place last season which he did has put him on a stage where a glimpse of magic from an entire 90 minutes of football where he was relatively quiet gets the praise rather than what others on the Liverpool side do for an entire match.

 

[Gooner83]

The thing that Steven Gerrard has that others like Xabi Alonso don't which you need to make yourself in the premier league is one thing. He's English.

English players are hyped up to be these World Class Superstars from the English media but are then put down when they don't deliver on the World Stage. Don't get me wrong I think Gerrard is a great player and would be the perfect partner for Vieira or any midfielder but it seems that the way he carried Liverpool to fourth place last season which he did has put him on a stage where a glimpse of magic from an entire 90 minutes of football where he was relatively quiet gets the praise rather than what others on the Liverpool side do for an entire match.

Yea and Beckham.

Rooney is the only one thats kind of proven himself at world class level, and hes still only young.

 

[Ste M]

Woooah with the Rooney thing, he's a fantastic talent, but he's still to prove himself really yet. As for no England players proving themselves at world class level, that's not really true, although you have a point.

Campbell has rarely, if ever, had a poor performance for England, and is world class, you can chuck Gary Neville into that as well. A certain Michael Owen springs to mind too, he's scored against every calibre of opposition at international level and keeps on doing so.

 

[Ste M]

As for the original article - it's absolutely spot on.

Gerrard isn't the player he's made out to be, yet, he certainly hasn't been our best player this season, and now isn't really our most important player.

There are alot of myths surrounding him, as well as alot of glitz and glamour, and when people actually cut through, and watch him properly, then they start to understand what nearly all Liverpool fans have realised for a while now.

He's still one hell of a player though.

 

[Mark]

Gerrard is great and will only improve, but I've always rated Alonso higher.

 

[ChelseaFan]

I consider Lampard a better overall player than Gerrard (but your probably expecting that from a Chelsea fan right? ).

There are few players in the premiership that can dominate a match by their prescence. Roy Keane was one, Patrick Viera when on form is another, Lampard is often one, Scott Parker was looking like he could be one when he was at Charlton and Gerrard is one for Liverpool. To me, these players are worth their weight in gold. They help take control of the match and possession and generally are the difference between being the team that defends all match or the team that is attacking. To me, that makes Gerrard a very very valuable player to anyone who can get him.

However, I think Steven Gerrard isn't the be all and end all. He's great at what he is great at (controlling the game, winning the ball) but he's not some of the other things he tries to be (playmaker). His passing is generally poor by comparison and this is where his problem lies. He tries to do too much for Liverpool. It seems as if he feels he needs to do everything and therefore rather than laying off the simple pass to retain possession, tries the risky long ball or to play one of the strikers through on goal. This rarely comes off and brings down Gerrard's performances as a result.

So yeah, I think he's a great player and I personally am hoping he joins Chelsea. But I think he needs to just concentrate on doing his job right and letting his attackers attack. I think under Mourinho (if we get him) he will be a great success because he won't have so much workload in the playmaking department.

 

[Chips&CurrySauce]

The things is with both Lamaprd and Gerrard the team is built around them. Liverpool play with a holding midfielder to give Gerrar the license to pretty much do what he wants on the pitch. The same applies with Lampard.. Personally I think gerard is a class act, but the team needs to be set up in the right way to allow him to perform.. He often looks average for England because he has to play a more disciplined role.. As for Lamaprd, I just think he's over rated... He just shoots on sight, for every goal he scores he probaly had 10 attempts... If you take his goals away I don't think he has much more to his game, he has no pace, his tackling is awful (just ask Alonso) and he can't run with the ball, he has a decent pass though and he does have the David Platt knack of arriving in the box at the right time!

 

[ChelseaFan]

The things is with both Lamaprd and Gerrard the team is built around them. Liverpool play with a holding midfielder to give Gerrar the license to pretty much do what he wants on the pitch. The same applies with Lampard.. Personally I think gerard is a class act, but the team needs to be set up in the right way to allow him to perform.. He often looks average for England because he has to play a more disciplined role.. As for Lamaprd, I just think he's over rated... He just shoots on sight, for every goal he scores he probaly had 10 attempts... If you take his goals away I don't think he has much more to his game, he has no pace, his tackling is awful (just ask Alonso) and he can't run with the ball, he has a decent pass though and he does have the David Platt knack of arriving in the box at the right time!

Lampard is certainly used as a talisman for Chelsea but to say he has a free role and complete license to roam is an incorrect statement in my opinion. This season he has spent alot less time ghosting into the box to last season due to the fact that this season's Chelsea is alot more tactically disciplined than last seasons.

However I don't beleive Lampard is overrated.

 

[patrick42uk]

i'v said this before, a few shots from distance and a lot of the press get carried away with stevie g. lampard has built a career on that for **** sakes. but despite thinking he is overrated, i still think he is better than xabi alonso. alonso is a fine player, a lot more disciplined than gerrard and would be more useful in some games. but gerrard has a great engine, pace and strength to go with equally good passing which makes him superior to alonso.

take away lampard's goals and there is nothing much else. when hargreaves comes to the premiership, you'll see what a talented midfield player is.

 

[Canuck]

when hargreaves comes to the premiership, you'll see what a talented midfield player is.

:wink: On the nose Pat... :mrgreen:
Hope he comes to us, but highly doubtful.

 

[Gurgen]

The things is with both Lamaprd and Gerrard the team is built around them. Liverpool play with a holding midfielder to give Gerrar the license to pretty much do what he wants on the pitch. The same applies with Lampard.. Personally I think gerard is a class act, but the team needs to be set up in the right way to allow him to perform.. He often looks average for England because he has to play a more disciplined role.. As for Lamaprd, I just think he's over rated... He just shoots on sight, for every goal he scores he probaly had 10 attempts... If you take his goals away I don't think he has much more to his game, he has no pace, his tackling is awful (just ask Alonso) and he can't run with the ball, he has a decent pass though and he does have the David Platt knack of arriving in the box at the right time!

Lampard is certainly used as a talisman for Chelsea but to say he has a free role and complete license to roam is an incorrect statement in my opinion. This season he has spent alot less time ghosting into the box to last season due to the fact that this season's Chelsea is alot more tactically disciplined than last seasons.

However I don't beleive Lampard is overrated.

Lampard is extremely overrated. He embarassed himself against us this season, and I'm not even talking about last season. Makelele is the one who controls the midfield for you Mr. Chelsea fan, you should know that by now. Why do you think teams try to close him down instead of Lampard?

 

[Jose_Reyes_2005]

I think KingReyes and patrick are spot on - one thing i would like to add, however, is that to the average football fan, a player like Lampard/Gerrard will always be better than a player like Xabi Alonso.

Why ? Because people watch football for entertainment - things such as thunderous strikes from 30-40 yards out going in seems to be much more interesting than a solid, disciplined, defensive, and vital display in the middle of the park.

Look at what Lampard adds to a team and look at what Alonso adds to a team. Lampard is pathetic at tackling and if he wasnt english, the media wouldnt stop talking about it. He's also pretty slow, and apart from his good shooting from distance - he has nothing special about his attacking game.

Alonso gets on with the job, as consistant as anyone, he's balanced out his qualities evenly down the years, and as opposed to lampard/gerrard - he has very, very few weaknesses.

This doesnt really bother me as nearly all managers see it, but its just annoying when people go on about 'world class' lampard/gerrard are - just because they scored a cracker, and completely ignoring the other 89 minutes of their performance.

 

[Muppy]

My father says Lampard/Gerrad are the best central midfielders in the world, i say no. He calls me to list other midfielders and i say Xavi and Pirlo are better. Even Graveson, i'm more impressed by Gravesen than Gerrad. In terms of those 25m shots, i feel that Baptista is way better than Gerrad/Lampard. I don't watch much of other team football except Milan's and Arsenal's. Can you guys tell me the other good midfielders in the world who are better than Lampard and Gerrad?

 

[Anonymous]

My father says Lampard/Gerrad are the best central midfielders in the world, i say no. He calls me to list other midfielders and i say Xavi and Pirlo are better. Even Graveson, i'm more impressed by Gravesen than Gerrad. In terms of those 25m shots, i feel that Baptista is way better than Gerrad/Lampard. I don't watch much of other team football except Milan's and Arsenal's. Can you guys tell me the other good midfielders in the world who are better than Lampard and Gerrad?

Vieira.

 

[Gurgen]

Gattuso would piss on both Lampard and Gerrard.

 

[Gunner4Eva]

I think Gerrard is a much better midfielder than Lampard. Lampard is good because of the players around him. He does have good long shots, but so does Gerrard, and they are probably better.

As for defensively, Lampard isn't rated highly in my books. Gilberto is a way better defensive midfielder than him. Vieira, Xabi Alonso, Gattuso....all are class midfielders.

Overall, I don't think Gerrard and Lampard are in the class of Vieira and Gattuso, but then again, they are different kinds. Some are more attacking while the others are defensive minded. You don't get many of the mix, such as a Vieira. You have to truly understand how lucky we are to have him in our squad.

 

[Muppy]

Yeah, Gattuso and Vieira are the best IMO in terms of defending.

Anyway, i haven't seen much of Davids recently, however from the past whenever i see him play he wins a hell lot of balls. Him and Vieira are the best in terms of transitioning from defending to attacking from what i've seen.