Forget groin surgery, Steven Gerrard needs a lobotomy - Footbo

So Liverpool have made it three eye-gougingly bad performances in a row with one notable constant, Steven Gerrard playing centrally in a 4-4-2.
 
Coincidence? Nada. Media furore? No chance.
 
He may have taken the plaudits on Saturday for his last minute strike but he was truly woeful during the game just as he was against Sunderland the week before and just as he was last night yet still we get pathetic pundits pandering to his ego by lamenting his manager whenever he gets played anywhere other than 'Steven Gerrard's best position'. Surely it's painfully obvious for anyone to see that he just isn't good enough to play in centre midfield in a 4-4-2?
 
Superior athletic and technical capabilities alone do not make a player capable of playing in such a tactically disciplined role as one of the central two in midfield. It requires a player with solid fundamental tactical intelligence that Gerrard so obviously does not possess. Constantly squandering possession from deep through infantile impatience thus disabling his team's capacity to retain the ball further up the pitch and therefore stifling his own attacking ability, he's astonishingly frustrating to watch. He can not and never has been able to control a game and is more of a liability to a side when played there.
 
Of course he's a player capable of producing phenomenal feats from out of nothing but he's also a player capable of producing nothing out of his phenomenal potential when played in a role that requires great tactical responsibility. He requires players behind him to mop up, link defence and attack, and retain the shape of the midfield providing a base for attacking play. He needs to be freed of tactical responsibilities to be effective over 90 minutes.
 
He's not alone in this problem, almost every English midfielder suffers from a lack of football intelligence hence England's disjointed performances and failings. Look at the Croatia game where supposedly 'lesser' players passed the ball around the gaping English midfield like a bong at Woodstock, creating a glut of clear chances to punish players endulging in this embarrassing comic book heroism that the media lionise.
 
If only all English midfielders had the brain of Paul Scholes then they might be capable of playing the kind of football that the blinkered media thinks they're capable of. 
 
Lobotomies for all.

Por  Nick Price  |  Publicado el 28.08.2008 10:29 |  Etiquetas: England,Steven Gerrard
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Comentarios (5):

Nick, which team do you support on an international level? Clearly not England I assume. T
Creado por: Mani Honigstein       Publicado el: 28.08.2008 10:37
I'm English but I haven't been a fan as such for a long time. I don't wish them failure but I do like to see the media embarrassed when they make ridiculous comparisons to other teams that are much better than us and suggest that we should be winning every tournament we enter. I'd like to be less cynical but it's hard not to be when almost all of the players are unlikeable on some level.
Creado por: Nick Price       Publicado el: 28.08.2008 10:58
The whole england midfield is in need of changes. The manager needs to pick players suitable for the positions and not pick a player and hope he adapts to the position. e.g. carrick or hargreaves (has been injured) for the defensive midfield/holding role...or maybe even huddlestone? I just mentioned about getting Carragher out of retirement on Simon's blog (http://footbo.com/Users/Gooner/Blog/947123) - how about Scholes too?! ;-) Just shows we havent developed outstanding fresh talent
Creado por: Dan K       Publicado el: 28.08.2008 11:00
Didn't Capello try and coax Scholes out of retirement? It does say a lot about the lack of talent coming through but Scholes is definately good enough to be in the England team should he want to be. He was fantastic against Portsmouth, keeps things simple and utilises his ability without compromising his team. He can play pretty much in any central position in any formation. He should be the role model for all young midfielders, both in terms of how he plays the game and how he's a genuinely decent bloke off-the-pitch. Pound for pound he's one of the best players England has produced in my life time.
Creado por: Nick Price       Publicado el: 28.08.2008 11:11
Ive never heard someone being negative about Gerrard, especially from a Liverpool fan. I think he is a great player in every aspect of his game. I think the England midfield is easily solved. Get rid of Lampard and play one of the three great holding midfielders England have in Barry, Hargreaves or Carrick.
Creado por: Neil Samuels       Publicado el: 17.09.2008 15:03
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