Steven Gerrard

[Hiney]

But if he was THAT good wouldn't England set up the team to utilise all his talents? Wouldn't he be the first name on the team sheet, and then the rest of the team built around him? The fact he's just one cog in a fairly dull team is surely an indictment of how poor he is at the highest level.

If I was England Manager he WOULD be first on the team sheet. IMO he's a better player than Lampard but Lampard plays the percentage game better. He (Lampard) will bomb forward only when he's absolutely sure he's going to get on the end of stuff but Gerrard will RAMPAGE around the midfield and try and be involved in everything.

England under The Swede and particularly MacLaren have played a hesitant, stilted form of football TOTALLY unsuited to the way Gerrard plays, hence the 'he's SHIT for England' crap that comes out.

If there was some magic formula to remove all the mental baggage and inhibition that seems to typify the way England plays, then we WOULD be challenging for the major honours at EVERY tournament.

Capello has some potential in this regard and it was good to see him using Stuart Pearce as well.

 

[One True BHA]

I agree with that MOST of the time (there is a lot of shit in international football), but I still think playing Brazil or Argentina (which is my definition of the highest level) is a far stiffer test than playing Liverpool, Milan, or some other decent champions league side.

milan are uefa cup

liverpool can be very average.

the two best teams in the world (united and chelsea, probably) would beat italy and spain (the two best in the fifa rankings) any day of the ruddy week (and brazil and argentina are not very good anymore)

 

[Hiney]

the two best teams in the world (united and chelsea, probably) would beat italy and spain (the two best in the fifa rankings) any day of the ruddy week

With respect mate, that is utter shit.

 

[Pablo]

You're looking at "rampaging around the midfield" as a GOOD thing then. I think it's what makes him look like a headless chicken when you put him on the same pitch as a Kaka, Pirlo, or Messi. Sure, he's good enough at it to look good in the premier league, and even a fair bit of the champions league, but in neither of those competitions are you playing against the best players in the world every match. In the latter stages of a world cup, you are. To win a world cup you need quality players in all 11 positions, so the idea of 3 average midfielders supporting one main man (ie Liverpool style) is never going to work. I'd rather have Lampard playing his part for the team alongside Barry, Hargreaves et al than putting all our eggs in the Gerrard basket, building the rest of the team around him, and hoping he turns up.

Weren't Pirlo and Kaka on the pitch when Liverpool won the Champions League??

 

[empire]

Didn't play against Croatia and it was our best performance for ages.
Perhaps Lampard is the better England option.

AND WE DIDNT MISS HIM V ANDORRA?TOO RIGHT WE BLOODY DID

 

[empire]

milan are uefa cup

liverpool can be very average.

the two best teams in the world (united and chelsea, probably) would beat italy and spain (the two best in the fifa rankings) any day of the ruddy week (and brazil and argentina are not very good anymore)

 

[Gullywog]

the two best teams in the world (united and chelsea, probably) would beat italy and spain (the two best in the fifa rankings) any day of the ruddy week (and brazil and argentina are not very good anymore)

That is a ridiculous comment,

Barnsley beat Chelsea last season, does that mean they could beat Spain and Italy as well??

 

[HseagullsH]

How can any one call Steven Gerrard a headless chicken. He is probably the most complete player in the world.
He defends well, he passes well, he scores goals and he's a leader.
I think he plays best when he has a holding midfielder like Masherano in the centre with him.

So I think it should be Hargreaves when fit in the centre for England.

 

[HseagullsH]

And how Italy are still 2nd in the Fifa World Rankings I'll never know.

 

[logan89]

He can't do that for England because they don't build the team round him, and therefore doesn't get the freedom he does at Liverpool.

I mean at Liverpool he plays in front of 2 defensive midfield players, usually. And for England, he is either out of position or playing alongside Lampard or Barry who won't just sit and let him go where he wants.

 

[One True BHA]

Liverpool and Milan are 2 of the last 4 champions of Europe, so not quite a "dunce" point is it.

As for the second paragraph, you should be embarrassed

milan are not the side they once were. fifth in the italian league last season. uefa cup this year. and lost their opening two games.

of course man united would beat the national teams. look at it on paper, each of their players are full internationals but they play and train together as a team every week.

please tell me how any national team would beat united or chelsea

 

[One True BHA]

That is a ridiculous comment,

Barnsley beat Chelsea last season, does that mean they could beat Spain and Italy as well??

no. but barnsley didn't finish 2nd in the premier league. runner up in the champions league. and won the league twice on the trot a few years ago.

 

[One True BHA]

With respect mate, that is utter shit.

please elaborate

i genuinely think united would beat any national team going. they have internationals in every position. and several of the top players in the world. they also work very well as a team and are very used to playing together at the top level

 

[BRIGHT ON Q]

AND WE DIDNT MISS HIM V ANDORRA?TOO RIGHT WE BLOODY DID

Yeah and we play so well when he plays dont we.2nd half we were fine.Keep it the same i say.

 

[keaton]

Can anyone name another team where a central midfield player is allowed to maraud around without having to worry about keeping the ball or tracking back?
Isn't the main problem with Gerrard he deems his best position to one that very few teams can afford to have

 

[hans kraay fan club]

i genuinely think united would beat any national team going. they have internationals in every position.

Funnily enough, so do most national teams

 

[Les Biehn]

Bulldog, Keaton, Badger and Edna all have valuable points. Basically Gerrard plays like a thicko for England.