Liverpool FC Forum

by **A.B.** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 9:54 pm

Stevie has picked up a minor knee injury and will be rested in the next 3-4 days, he will not play tomorrow and he may not play on Saturday against Wigan. Benitez wants us to prove that we can play without him, and the rest need to step up tomorrow.

Sources: Liverpool Echo, LFC.tv

by **drummerphil** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 9:56 pm

yeah read that on teletext this afternoon,but with it being teletext took it with a pinch of salt...
To be honest we should have enough in midfield without him for these two games,my main concern is the strikers and will he give Robbie a run out in these two games or not.

by **weringo** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 10:19 pm

Not that having Gerrard out is a good thing but it will gives garcia a 4 match run in the team

by **mark the red** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 10:21 pm

we have a strong enough midfield to cope with his absence for a few games, and it might make garcia pull his socks up

by **A.B.** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 10:21 pm

Not that having Gerrard out is a good thing but it will gives garcia a 4 match run in the team

My mistake, HE WILL BE RESTED FOR 3-4 DAYS! Not games, which is what I initialy posted.

by **mark the red** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 10:30 pm

i think it will be good, becuase he has practically played a season already becuase of our cl games, he deserves a break and we have the team to beat wigan, i think didi will play becuase he needs to outthink wigan and not play them at there game

by **inglis5** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 10:30 pm

I'd be surprised if he plays Garcia at RM tomorrow. I think he's more likely to pick Cisse there, if Garcia plays it will be as a second striker...

(mental note - edit post tomorrow when getting back from the game if Garcia plays right mid

)

by **115-1073096938** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 10:38 pm

inglis5 wrote:I'd be surprised if he plays Garcia at RM tomorrow. I think he's more likely to pick Cisse there, if Garcia plays it will be as a second striker...

(mental note - edit post tomorrow when getting back from the game if Garcia plays right mid )

by **jonnymac1979** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 11:52 pm

Missed him for about eight games last season didn't we when he done his toe at Old Trafford? Seem to remember him being fresher towards the end of the season.....

He was playing slightly more as an individual last season (hence the tabloid nickname Stevie ME), commenting on how he would wait until the end of the season before he made his next move regarding the contract he has now signed. Horrible times and it all seems so long ago now, but this probably made the team stronger in a surreal way last season while he wasn't on the pitch. Less pressure on the rest of the players who also must not have known whether he was staying or leaving to impress the mighty, selfish Stevie Gerrard.

It wouldn't have surprised me if the rest of the squad collectively thought "Fuck him, we'll show him!" and depending on the way you want to twist statistics, we supposedly performed better without him during those games than when he played.

Of course now, this season, you have seen the difference from the very first games against Wrexham and TNS with the smiles on his face, when all he ever seemed to do beforehand was angrily frown. His obvious new-found trust in his team mates like Alonso and Crouch to name but two. The positive body language bred from the confidence clearly running through the squad in the last few months since we lost at Fulham and Palace; that he's now finally content and is a team player moulded by Benitez - and the promise is there is still more to come. The pictures of his face at full time against Sao Paolo in the World Club Championship final said more than a thousand words could. For such a reputed 'worthless' competition (a fact I don't personally subscribe to but that's not for this thread....), he was devastated, sitting deflated on the turf, and by God does he care.

Plus the form he's been in this season; you would be justified saying that we have the best player in the country playing for us. There's not many better in the world.

I'm sure we'll miss him over the next couple of games, but it's not to say the rest of the squad can't sit up and give any other teams a game, certainly Charlton and Wigan should hold no fear.

Don't listen to what the media tell you. We've all got eyes, we're in no way a one man team. We proved it often enough last season, but it's still nice to have Stevie to fall back on when you need that winning aggregate goal against Olympiakos or to completely dominate a Brazilian left wing substitute with lightning pace in the Champions League final latter stages, playing out of position at right-back.

He'll come back fresher for the Arsenal, Manchester United and Benfica games. Show your support to the rest of the squad and let Stevie have his rest and get back to fitness.

by **115-1073096938** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 12:04 am

Can't add to that at all, only emphasize what you said about not being a one man team.

Kewell, Alonso, Fowler, Crouch, Hyypia, Carragher, Finnan and Riise... theres more than enough quality there to win most matches we'll play.

Good post.

by **Woollyback** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 12:11 am

hamann's fit isn't he? stick him in the side and perhaps give alonso free-er reign to play a bit further forward?

by **ulswater** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 1:17 am

Stevie G's played his socks off this season so far, and has looked a little tired the last few games,though still in good form. I think a few days rest will do him no ends of good, hell, he's deserved it.

Plus it might give Rafa a chance to give God a bit of a run out.

by **matrix** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 4:30 am

Gerrard is out for two games with knee injury

Dominic Fifield
Wednesday February 8, 2006
The Guardian

Steven Gerrard has been ruled out of the next two Premiership games, starting at Charlton Athletic tonight, because of a knee injury and his absence adds to Liverpool's concerns as they try to recover from the damaging defeat by Chelsea.
The England midfielder sustained the injury on Sunday and had a scan yesterday. Rafael Benítez says that it is a minor knock which will keep him out at Charlton and at Wigan Athletic on Saturday and that he should be fit for Tuesday's match with Arsenal. But, with Gerrard having played 41 times for club and country this season, any injury absence over the next few months will prompt England anxiety before the World Cup.

Article continues

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Gerrard remained behind for treatment last night as the squad travelled to London for the Charlton game. "It's not a serious injury and we're just going to give him a rest for three or four days," said Benítez, whose captain has scored 18 times from midfield this season. "We have a lot of big games coming up in a row, so we have to be careful with him. We have relied on him, certainly for his goals, but maybe this is a situation to bring the best out of the others. It is an opportunity."
Benítez's side are suffering their first blip since their sluggish opening to the season, having recently lost at Manchester United and Chelsea with a home draw against Birmingham City in between. Inability to defeat sides around them at the top grates, particularly with Arsenal and United the next to visit Anfield in league and FA Cup, though the Spaniard remains optimistic his squad can recover.

"It was worse last season," he said. "We're in a better position now, with better players and a bigger squad. I think we can manage. We've lost against good teams but that comes down to small details. If you play against the top sides you need to do everything almost perfectly because any mistake will hurt you. The next few games will be a test but we know we can come through. We have enough quality even without Steven."

Tonight Benítez goes head to head with Alan Curbishley, an England candidate, with the Spaniard warning that speculation about Sven-Goran Eriksson's successor shows a "lack of respect" and might undermine hopes in Germany. "I was surprised to read people's names being linked with the job," he added. "What do you want? To have a new manager now or to win the World Cup with the manager you have? If you support the current coach, you might win the tournament."

by **azriahmad** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 6:15 am

Liverpool FC are not a one man team. We have other quality players. We just need our goal shy strikers to be more clinical and do what they are supposed to do - score goals.

Have a good rest Stevie, and come back full of energy.

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