Where did this "Gerrard is the best player in the world" nonsense come out of? From John Aldridge to Zinedine Zidane there seems to be a world-wide conspiracy whereby we are fed with the notion that Stevie G is the best we have to offer. It was one thing trying to convince people that Ronaldo wasn't the best footballer in the world when he was banging in goals right left and centre, but surely nobody can make a solid case for Gerrard being the planet's best?
His recent performances have been pretty decent, but honestly, he's not even been the best Liverpool player in either of the last two games, not to mention his credentials for best in the world. Torres was better against United, and Reira was better against Villa. Is Gerrard a good player? Of course, but let's not get carried away here people. He has a good shot, and he bursts into the box better than anyone. But is he particularly good at dribbling? No. Is he particularly good at passing? No. In fact his passing is so suspect that he actually can't be trusted in midfield. So what is his actualy position then? For Liverpool he generally plays off Torres in what you could consider to be the Bergkamp role. However, he plays the game almost nothing like the way Bergkamp played it. In fact, he plays the game almost nothing like the way any classic second striker plays it. Generally the second striker is the one who controls the attacks, but this can't be said about Gerrard. Gerrard is the guy who gets on the end of attacks. He won't really be involved much in a tight game, but he may (or may not) pop up with a goal. Is this kind of player valuable to a team? Yes, but I would much rather someone like Iniesta or Rooney on my team - a player who gets on the ball and brings other people into the game. A player who doesn't show up in moments, but has an impact on the game from 0-90 minutes.
Gerrard is an enigma, and enigma's can never be considered the best in the world. The best player in the world has to be somebody who makes perfect sense. You're supposed to look at him and think, 'Now I realise what football is all about'. They are the kinds of players who bring meaning and order to the game. Zidane was this kind of player. You watched him play and paradoxically you tought "I can do what he's doing" while at the same time thinking "What an absolute genius". Something similar is true about Messi, though his speed obviously sets him apart. You look at him and he makes footballing sense. You're not left scratching your head wondering where you can play Messi to get the most out of him. You simply know that he is great at football, and as long as he is on the field then everything will be okay.
With great players the simple becomes the sublime, and the sublime becomes the simple. With Gerrard, it's all about the wonderous, unrepeatable moments. The 30 yard drive, the splendid freekick, the dash into the box and the ripping volley. Game-changing moments, but all unreliable.
Jonathan Wilson (hands down the most insightful, intelligent football journalist I've yet to come across) says that you don't win matches by scoring goals; you score goals by winning matches. I couldn't agree more with this statement, and it is for this reason that Gerrard will never be the best player in the world - he doesn't help you win enough matches.
His recent performances have been pretty decent, but honestly, he's not even been the best Liverpool player in either of the last two games, not to mention his credentials for best in the world. Torres was better against United, and Reira was better against Villa. Is Gerrard a good player? Of course, but let's not get carried away here people. He has a good shot, and he bursts into the box better than anyone. But is he particularly good at dribbling? No. Is he particularly good at passing? No. In fact his passing is so suspect that he actually can't be trusted in midfield. So what is his actualy position then? For Liverpool he generally plays off Torres in what you could consider to be the Bergkamp role. However, he plays the game almost nothing like the way Bergkamp played it. In fact, he plays the game almost nothing like the way any classic second striker plays it. Generally the second striker is the one who controls the attacks, but this can't be said about Gerrard. Gerrard is the guy who gets on the end of attacks. He won't really be involved much in a tight game, but he may (or may not) pop up with a goal. Is this kind of player valuable to a team? Yes, but I would much rather someone like Iniesta or Rooney on my team - a player who gets on the ball and brings other people into the game. A player who doesn't show up in moments, but has an impact on the game from 0-90 minutes.
Gerrard is an enigma, and enigma's can never be considered the best in the world. The best player in the world has to be somebody who makes perfect sense. You're supposed to look at him and think, 'Now I realise what football is all about'. They are the kinds of players who bring meaning and order to the game. Zidane was this kind of player. You watched him play and paradoxically you tought "I can do what he's doing" while at the same time thinking "What an absolute genius". Something similar is true about Messi, though his speed obviously sets him apart. You look at him and he makes footballing sense. You're not left scratching your head wondering where you can play Messi to get the most out of him. You simply know that he is great at football, and as long as he is on the field then everything will be okay.
With great players the simple becomes the sublime, and the sublime becomes the simple. With Gerrard, it's all about the wonderous, unrepeatable moments. The 30 yard drive, the splendid freekick, the dash into the box and the ripping volley. Game-changing moments, but all unreliable.
Jonathan Wilson (hands down the most insightful, intelligent football journalist I've yet to come across) says that you don't win matches by scoring goals; you score goals by winning matches. I couldn't agree more with this statement, and it is for this reason that Gerrard will never be the best player in the world - he doesn't help you win enough matches.
No comments:
Post a Comment