According to the article, ZZ didn't and I'd be inclined to agree. This was my concern earlier in the season, especially after Brod's announcement of Gerrard playing deeper. However, credit where its due, after a couple of early games, Stevie has been fantastic in there in IMO.
Zizou may have got the traits wrong, but he recognized Gerrard as one of the worlds best and imporant to the team. Something Fergie did see then backtracked.
But recognising someone as the worlds best for the wrong reasons makes his comment somewhat invalid Its like saying Dirk Kuyt was the worlds best because of his blistering pace and predator like finishing abilities!
I thought you needed to comment on everything? On the Owen bit. Mickey was a star first, but all LFC watchers that I knew could see that Gerrard had the greater potential. His was a talent that needed to mature, and one that he had to keep displaying over and over again before people took notice. He has, over the years often been the victim of his own versatility ( especially at international level), by being played out of position to accommodate others who could never do as good a job as he unless they were in their comfort zone (yes, you Frank). And, as JB says, who gives a toss about Fergie's opinion of rival players? He's hardly objective, is he?
I actually think the journalist misinterprets Zidane's comments. This is what Zidane said about Gerrard "He has great passing ability, can tackle and scores goals, but most importantly he gives the players around him confidence and belief. You can't learn that â players like him are just born with that presence." The journalist directly compares Makelele's 'traits' with Gerrard's which wasn't what Z was getting at, he was simply saying the team needed a Makelele or Gerrard for the flair players to thrive. No way he could say Z liked him for the 'wrong reasons' because the reasons Z actually gave are in quotes above.
It was more in response to the length of the article but I guess you knew that really... #commented PS...it would be rude if I didn't comment since its all about me
Oh Back to the article, you were right when you said Zidane recognised Gerrard's traits because according to Zidane they are passing, tackling, scoring - nothing wrong with that!
Essentially the journalist does not know what he is talking about. My interpretation is that he believes that you have to be a Vierra or Keane to be a leader which is just not true. There are many different styles of leadership and Gerrard's is very individual. Gerrard has grown over the years as a leader. He may not be the brains of the team but, whatever position he plays, he is the focal point for the whole side - especially when things get tough. The best players all agree that his footballing skills are still phenomenal, they respect and trust him. Lesser players get confidence from his very presence on the pitch. As far as Liverpool sides are concerned, he has come to encapsulate the whole spirit of the club. Sure he never did have the pace of an Owen or Sterling, even in his youth he was never as 'hard' as Souness or Smith, but his own will for Liverpool to win took him to greater heights. For me there is nobody who can match him in his ability to switch play with accurate 40 yd balls. There is nobody who can put in such dangerous crosses into the box. There is nobody at Anfield who can lead this side they way that he does. I find it amazing that in all the phases of his career he has become Captain Fantastic and remains so - even as his has adapted his play to meet the needs of LFC and his body.
I wouldn't have said it quite like that, more like he gets himself a bit fuddled. He's taken quotes from various people and completely misinterpreted or missed the point. He could well have put up a picture of say a blue square and said, 'it's not really blue it's more green'. For example - There's a direct quote from Gerrard talking about tackling and the journalist rather than picking up on the desire and passion to win the ball, picks up on the use of the word 'collision' and then once again compares Gerrard and Makelele in their ability and somehow also gets in there how Zidane was wrong about him because look they don't tackle in the same way at all!
JB, I'm sure that he has very little understanding of leadership and therefore limited himself to only one type as being practical when it comes to football teams. As for the rest of the article, I think you may be right in that he gets himself lost in what he is actually trying to say.
Gerrard is a natural born leader. He leads by example and inspires all of those around him. There are few players in the game with as much universal respect as him and that is because he has earned it. Throughout his career he has been a world-class central midfielder, world-class right midfielder, world-class "number 10" and now he is developing his game and becoming a cracking anchoring midfielder. You also get the feeling he would have made an exceptional centre back or full back. It's a bit insulting to suggest he doesn't have a footballing brain. Sometimes brain and braun are not disparate qualities. Gerrard just happened to have both in abundance. He is a player the likes of which come around very rarely. Long live Stevie
A good article, think it highlights the different role stevie now plays in the team. The comment from Bellamy was that everyone knew (including Gerrard) that if the team were to win Gerrard had to be top of his game. I think finally this season we have stepped away from that and now Gerrard can be an important cog in the machine instead of the whole ****ing engine. Maybe down the years Its been a failure of liverpool fc to either fit Gerrard effectively into a team or create a team around him but I can't think of a single trophy we would have won without him. I only hope he does get a PL medal as there is no one more worthy of one, YNWA Stevie G.
