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25 Mar 2020 15:01:46
Ed001 can you give me your opinion please on why Fernando morientes and Christian Ziege were not successful at our club.

{Ed001's Note - Morientes was bought to play up top and Torres was meant to work with him but Gerrard refused to play on the right. Suddenly Morientes was fighting for a place against Gerrard and Torres, not a chance for him really. If Gerrard had been on the right still, providing the kinds of delivery Trent does now, Morientes was perfect as he was strong in the air. With Gerrard central, Rafa was not convinced the midfield was strong enough defensively for two up top, so Morientes lost out.

Ziege had injuries so never really got going.}

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25 Mar 2020 15:49:44
Was Torres planned that far ahead Ed? He joined in 2007 and Morientes left the summer before, if I recall.

{Ed001's Note - Rafa wanted Torres when he first arrived mate. The plan was to have him off Morientes. Actually thinking about it, it might have been before Gerrard refused to play on the right that Rafa decided the midfield needed a third man to cope in England. It is difficult trying to keep the dates in line now so many years later.}

25 Mar 2020 16:24:16
Thank you for the reply Ed I honestly thought he just flopped but it interesting to think of him and torres together what could have been.

{Ed001's Note - he wasn't really working but it can take time to bed in for any player moving league. Rafa did a lot of ins and outs, which didn't help. Once Rafa decided he wanted one up top, Morientes day was done as he didn't have the pace for the counter that Rafa wanted.

If Rafa had stuck to his guns and gone for trying to build a ball-dominant team, like his Valencia one, things might have been different for Morientes. He was much more suited to that than the counter attacking team we were under Rafa.}

25 Mar 2020 16:38:32
Morientes always looked like he wanted the ball handed to him on a plate and wasn't willing to stick his body where he might get in a physical battle. He left in the summer 2006 and Kuyt came in and played up front for a season before moving onto the right.

Gerrard played on the right for pretty much all of 05/ 06, but I can't remember what position he usually played in 06/ 07. We usually played with 2 up top (two out of Crouch, Bellers and Kuyt), but we bought Pennant as well and he did play a good bit. Gerrard probably alternated between being on the right and just behind the striker if we played with 1 striker.

Any ideas why Gerrard kept seeing himself in the mould of Vieira, Keane, Souness etc. and wanted to play central midfield, when if given a free role (either from the right or as a no. 10) he was world class and was worth about 40 a season between goals and assists?

{Ed001's Note - I have no idea why Gerrard thought that. He was incredible on the right and should have stayed there imo. I guess that was just one of those things. What didn't help is that no one was saying no to him, people would just say 'oh yes Stevie, you are a legend, you are great, you can play anywhere and do anything'. No one was pointing out that he couldn't read a game defensively and was caught napping far too often leaving himself out of position. I am quite sure if someone had pointed out his deficiencies, rather than just kiss up to him, he would have been an even better player. I have no doubt he could have played the role if there had been people close to him who criticised his weaknesses as well as praised his strengths.}

25 Mar 2020 16:54:20
Ed that is a terrific account of Gerrard and it reminds me a bit of Gazza, if someone had just got hold of him and let him know he wasn’t a legend yet and made him aware of what he needed to still do and learn then who knows
For every million dollar pass a simple one sometimes is suffice
Gerrard to me a was a player who did not have the right manager in his career at Liverpool he needed a strong character like klopp or Jose or fergie
Rafa gave up trying I think.

{Ed001's Note - Rafa wasn't a man manager, he was a tactician and Gerrard was in too strong a position at the club when he arrived for him to stand up to him. That is mostly the fault of Rick Parry.}

25 Mar 2020 20:02:57
Such as shame, the thought of them two up top with Gerrard's wicked delivery is frightening.

25 Mar 2020 19:43:53
Spot on, Ed01. I remember a time where Rafa was being criticized in the media for playing SG on the right instead of in CM and that was put to him by a journo and Rafa simply said that he knew of the criticism BUT pointed out that till that time, SG had then, his best season (05/ 06) playing on the right with 22 goals and a shed load of assists cos he was brilliant on the ball w/ great delivery and precision passing. That shut up the journo right there.

Till this day, that season was SG's best season in terms of production and even then, many believed Rafa was on to something BUT since SG had too much power (esp. with the media touting his non partnership with Lampard in CM for England) Rafa did not have a chance. SG may be a legend at LFC and an idol of many BUT for me, his conduct half the time was dreadful and has thrown some shade on his legendary status.

26 Mar 2020 01:40:59
100 percent with you there mate and his conduct outside of football is even worse big time bully and do you know who I am syndrome comes to mind
Give me Kenny over him any day of the week as a legend for Liverpool.







 

 

 
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