by FrankM » Thu Jan 27, 2005 2:21 pm
STEVEN GERRARD believes Liverpool's latest signing could be the missing link in their quest for glory.
The Anfield skipper has been hugely impressed with £6.5million signing Fernando Morientes, and he believes the Spanish striker will have a massive impact on the club.
Gerrard has been struck by how unselfish and professional the former Real Madrid man is.
Liverpool have slumped recently with three defeats last week sending shockwaves around the club. But victory at Watford on Tuesday secured a place in the Carling Cup final and gave the club a much-needed boost.
Gerrard is confident the arrival of Morientes will add a new dimension that can only help boss Rafael Benitez in his long-term aim to take Liverpool back to the top.
"What has impressed me is that he has won all these medals, but he doesn't play for himself.
"He is brave and works hard for the team.
You saw him chasing back in the final minutes against Watford trying to win back the ball," said the England midfielder. "When you consider his goals record it is only a matter of time before he clicks.
"I have been impressed so far, he is quality and he is not even fit yet. I hope he can make a big difference for us over the coming months.
"I think he can help me in terms of goals with his link-up play, but more importantly he will really help the team. If you could name the players you would have wanted the club to buy then Fernando's would have been up there.
"You can see just by some of the little things he does how good he is. It might just be a pass or the run he makes. I think the fans will really love him." Morientes has been an instant hit with the Anfield fans and Gerrard, too, has struck up a rapport with the Spanish international.
He said: "I roomed with him at Watford so I am getting to know him. He is quite quiet really, no airs or graces about him.
"We have got him involved in the card schools and the lads will be going out for a meal with him and Mauricio Pellegrino and Scott Carson. The lads are brilliant for that, he'll have no trouble settling in here.
"No disrespect to Neil Mellor and Florent Sinama-Pongolle, but as soon as we lost Djibril Cisse we needed someone proven at this level.
"I think he can help me with goals too, because he is such a fine link player. I have been playing in a bit more of an advanced role at times so I am aiming for more than the usual 10 or so goals a midfielder normally sets himself."
Gerrard has talked at length about his future at Anfield, insisting he will wait until the end of the season before deciding what he does next.
But he wants to put the constant speculation aside and get on with the job of dragging his beloved club back to the top of the pile.
"I am just focused on lifting the Carling Cup now and getting into the top four. It would mean so much to me lifting a trophy in my first full season as captain,'' said Gerrard.
"It had been a bad week, our confidence was down, and some of the criticism we got was justified.
"We are a big club, we get paid very well and three defeats in a week isn't good enough for Liverpool Football Club.
"But we sat down and had a chat after the Southampton game with the staff. We changed a few things against Watford and looked a bit more solid.
"It has helped our confidence and we have a final to look forward to now."
Sounds promising
