Gerrard The England skipper says the loss of Wayne Rooney for the first two games of the tournament could be softened if Carroll can reproduce his recent club form on the international stage in Poland and Ukraine. "I hope he can help make up for losing Wayne," said Gerrard. "We'll have to wait and see what the manager goes with formation wise and personnel. "But if Andy was to bring his form for Liverpool over the last couple of months to the international stage, it would be a big plus. "Because when he's in that form and he plays with that intensity, sharpness and directness, he can be unplayable. "That's the reason we signed him because we saw some of that at Newcastle. "He's come into form and, if he can maintain that, it can only be a positive for the national team." Gerrard added: "He took a bit of criticism this season, but you've got to understand he is still a baby in terms of his age as a footballer. "I think he's settled down now. He's enjoying being at the club and I think he's starting to prove a lot of critics wrong." Author: @PaulEaton_LFC Shearer After a commanding end to the season, the Liverpool striker was included in manager Roy Hodgson's Three Lions squad for the finals in Poland and Ukraine next month. And former England and Newcastle striker Shearer believes Carroll has the ability to leave a lasting impression on the tournament. "He has finished the season well," he said. "The Andy Carroll that I saw coming on against Chelsea in the FA Cup final was the Andy Carroll I have seen week in and week out at Newcastle. "He was bullying defenders, scoring goals, running the channels. The ability is there." Carroll ended the campaign with three goals in seven appearances, but that statistic only tells half the story with the No.9 also turning in a series of displays that were described as 'unplayable'. Shearer believes those performances offered just a glimpse of the striker's true potential. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I hope he does well and then brings that form back to us ready for next season.
Kenny's biggest mistake was not starting him in the FA cup final. How ironic would it be if he takes the Euro's by storm.
The biggest mistake anyone can make is thinking football can be run on hindsight. Can yoiu show with evidence that had Carroll started, the game would've been any different? And how would it have been different? Would Carroll have had as much luck if we hadn't been two down and pushing for it with little concern for leaking another goal? Hmnm, maybe if we'd played Doni he'd have saved the goal from Drogba. That was Kenny's mistake, too, right? Was he wrong to go with Maxi, Suarez and Bellamy against Chelsea in the league when we beat them 1-2 at the Bridge?
well who the hell knows! all i can say is we never started but when carroll came on he dominated terry... mind you he could have seen what he needed to do off the bench? who the hell knows! I think we forze o nthe day and a lot of guys should be very disappointed in themselves... Bellamy and downing in particular.
Get a grip; it doesn't take a genius to work out that our formation and tactics were wrong on the day. Sure, that is with the benefit of hindsight but as far as I know, mistakes can only be identified AFTER they've happened....unless you know better? Hmmmm?
How else are we as fans going to judge the tactics and line up, before the game? Our gameplan to let Chelsea the ball with us having 5 in midfield was never going to work well because when we wanted to counter attack quickly no one was in the attacking spaces to give the ball too and we had no outlet. Had Carroll been on earlier then him holding the ball up would've given the rest of the attacking players a chance to get up the pitch to support. The whole point of 5 in midfield is to help you keep possession but our gameplan was to do the exact opposite and let Chelsea have the ball.
I agree! If the big man's on form, I'd also add Walcott and young running onto his flick-ons and Gerrard/Lampard running onto his knock downs...etc, etc....He could be a pivotal player.
My Prediction is he does well, we cruise through the group stages without Rooney. Rooney comes back in at knockout stages and we lose and go home... It would be good if Carroll has a decent summer though and he can start next season the same way he ended this one.
Hope the lad does well this Summer, but don't expect him to do so. He clearly hasn't handled the pressure very well during his time at LFC, please don't pile any more on him. He's there for one reason only, we've not got anyone else!
I think he is starting to deal with the pressure and that he's in the England squad as he is very different to the other strikers.
I have to piss a bit on your bonfire here... Andy Carroll is not "unplayable" for a start. He's a bit of nuisance, but only under very specific circumstances that I believe will rarely come into fruition at Liverpool, or England. Those circumstances are when he has a height advantage over the opponent (usually a given), the defenders are slow(cough Terry cough), he's got lots of central midfield runners coming in behind him (who he has to have some sort of bond with) and wingers providing many MANY balls... At Liverpool he's just beginning to settle, which will account for the centre midfield runners, and he'll occassionally find slow enough defenders to beat in the Premier League... Wingers? Nah, Hendo and Downing were terrible for their previous clubs and shocking for you last season, and Carroll needs copious chances to score, because he's one of the least prolific strikers I've ever seen at St James' (if I talk shot/goal ratio). I've seen him head quite a few wide for Liverpool too. Much investment is needed if you are going to get the best out of him, and that involves placing him at the very centre of your plans as Hughton was prepared to do... What's worse is the England call-up... He's not "different". Crouch, Heskey, Holt etc would all have offered similar traits. Andy's age is in his favour, but England's slow, terrible play (and weirdly unrepresentative of our league play, but instead a pathetic pining to supposed "European tactics") is based on having as many holding midfielders passing backwards or sideways as you can possibly fit in, not an aggressive game prepared to go long-ball with midfield runners and constant crossing (as much as I think that would work). Why? Well Roo wouldn't really fit in the system unless you have him as a wide-man or midfielder, but he's not really at his best at AMC these days. The France game proved this. Would be brilliant to see Hodgson try this in the first two games though, but I still feel we missed a trick not taking the slightly more experienced big man Holt. Technically, I'd say he's decent. In the air (if you take away heading at goal) he's better than Crouch (he can actually jump and add power to headers). Form wise? Not brilliant unless you have a one or two match memory. I mean, everything he was getting criticised for at the beginning of the season (not showing desire to get in the box, poor composure etc) were all evident in those two matches he was supposedly good in, yet because he scuffed in a couple he gets lauded? In general terms, the effect his barging around had on the Chelsea game was more significant to momentum certainly than his build-up etc. So, why is he going to the Euro's exactly? Because he's young and plays for Liverpool, seemingly. Shall cheer him on at the Euros though, and hope he gets played a bit more next season to help him develop his finishing and composure a bit more for future England causes.
.... with a half decent showing against a team that put out reserves and a couple of headers in a cup final you got stuffed in??? LOL I hope he starts next season like this too! PMSL
