, i have to say that I was quite overwhelmed by the response that Djibril Cisse got when he was ready to come on as a substitute. Ok, he's rightfully already a crowd favourite, mainly due to his will power to come back from what was a near career threatening injury at Blackburn last season (are you watching Harry Kewell?). Add this to his fantastic attitude and zest for life off the pitch, and his rather eccentric haircuts, and you've got a great character who could be a legend at this club for years to come. I'll never forget the way he danced around the Champions League trophy in Istanbul. The way he celebrated his penalty in the shootout, or the way he was literally at the forefront of the trophy tour around Liverpool conducting the crowd almost.However this made me think. The past is gone and it's time to look forward. This season is an absolutely massive one for Djibril Cisse's career, both at club and international level. With the World Cup next summer (providing France qualify), he'll know that he needs to be playing regularly over the next 8-9 months to force his way into the French starting lineup in Germany. If this happens, it will be a remarkable recovery for a guy who was told that his leg might have to be amputated last year. The site of him even playing again last season was a miracle, let alone scoring twice on the last day against Aston Villa and then scoring a vital penalty in the shootout in Istanbul.
To be honest it was never going to be easy for him anyway. When you arrive at a club with a £14m price tag hanging over your head, things can never be easy. For that sort of money, fans expect extraordinary things from a striker. To this day, I still think that the price tag was too high for a player who was untested in one of the top European League's at the time. But when you consider that it was Houllier, not Rafa who brought him to the club, I suppose you just have to be grateful. I personally don't think that Rafa would have signed Djibril in a million years but of course he had no choice.
At the time, everyone (myself included) were relishing the thought of Owen and Cisse playing together upfront. I thought that would have been a devastating partnership but of course we all know what happened next. Djibril's debut Premiership goal against Spurs was a good way to start but over the next few months he never really convinced, and fans today are still asking questions about whether he can do it consistently in this League.
Personally, this doesn't just apply to Djibril. I think this question applies to all our strikers. Morientes is still adapting to the English game, Baros continually flatters to deceive, and Cisse himself is still finding his feet again. With the right service I think Cisse could be devastating but I'm still not convinced if Rafa rates him or not. It's obvious that Morientes is Rafa's favourite and will probably end up playing just off a lone striker this season. Who that is I don't really know but if it was up to me, Cisse would get the nod over Baros every time. Hell there has even been talk of using Cisse as a right winger due to his blistering pace. No thanks. Despite his pace, he's wasted out there. We don't want another Diouf situation now do we? We've already seen enough square pegs in round holes to last a lifetime
So all in all, I'm looking forward to seeing Cisse play on a more regular basis this season. He seems like a player who will excite the Anfield crowds week in week out. He blatantly loves the club so I just hope he gets his chance, sooner rather than later. Atr this moment in time, blowing all our remaining budget on a striker, when we blatantly need a new centre back, would be a bit daft.
) on what i was saying in another post.
attitude) which is worrying
by 