Gerrard & Carragher: On Hodgson, Kenny & Torres

Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher were the featured guests on Sky Sports' "Goals On Sunday" this weekend, joining hosts Chris Kamara and Ben Shephard to talk, often candidly, about Liverpool's season thus far. Among other things, the duo discussed why Roy Hodgson's time as manager was so tumultuous, how the appointment of Kenny Dalglish has reinvigorated the team, and their thoughts on the departure of Fernando Torres.

These guys are two of my own personal heroes, and as born and bred Liverpool boys, Gerrard and Carragher represent the heart and soul of the current squad (and have so for a while as captain and vice-captain, respectively). As such, they're also arguably the two most important players in the team, and probably have a better idea than most about the goings-on at Liverpool FC. And since most players tend to avoid these kinds of informal yet informative sit-down talks with the media, it was fascinating to hear Stevie and Carra (in their customarily thick Scouse accents) cover a wide array of topics with Kamara and Shephard, and with a good deal of candor.

I've posted here YouTube clips of the interview (thanks to ElPistoleroYNWA for putting them up), and transcripts of Gerrard and Carragher's comments can be found on the Sky Sports website, as well as the official LFC site. While the pair cover a lot of interesting topics, including the 2005 Champions League Final in Istanbul and new signing Luis Suarez, there was one bit in particular about the Fernando Torres affair this January which caught my attention:

"We wanted him to stay but he made his decision and we have to respect that. Only he knows whether he downed tools and only he can explain why his form wasn't as good in his last few months. But knowing Fernando, I don't think that was the case. I think he just wanted a change. It's sad the terms in which he left because he was idolised by the fans, the people around the club and by us as players." - Steven Gerrard

This prompted me to look up what "downed tools" meant in Scouse, or at least colloquial British English, and I wasn't surprised to find that it essentially means to "stop working." Now, the notion of Fernando Torres having mailed in the first half of this season's campaign is not one that should be foreign to spectators; anyone who saw him play over the course of his first three years in Liverpool and then again this season will tell you it's undeniable that Torres was either still recovering from the knee injury he played with through the 2010 World Cup, or he simply had already decided he had no future at the club and didn't want to risk a re-occurrence of injury by exerting himself on the pitch. It's the only explanation for why a player who always had one of the higher work rates among the elite strikers in the world was often found this season pulling out of challenges and not running down balls to the best of his ability. Of course, with his form for Chelsea since he made the switch to London, it could very well be both.

But Gerrard's comments make a few things apparent. One, whether he actually thinks Torres quit on the team or not, his mere suggestion of Torres having "downed tools" and packed it in suggests that it was certainly something those at the club had noticed. This is only reinforced by comments from Liverpool's new Director of Football, Damien Comolli, earlier this week stating that Torres' departure was a great relief as Liverpool had rid itself of a player who did not want to play for the club. The striker's body language on the field had been the subject of much scrutiny over the course of the season, and while I personally thought that kind of psychoanalysis was a load of rubbish that read too deeply into things, in retrospect it has become obvious that the player we once loved and idolized had lost the plot and simply did not want to be at Liverpool.

But another thing Gerrard's comments make clear is the fact that the team is now unified and together in the post-Torres era, ready to continue onward behind electric new boys Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll. Gerrard even went as far as to say he still does not regret repeatedly turning down the offers of other clubs wanting his services, opting to stay in Liverpool instead, which I have to admit I thought had to be the case by now. Never in the interview with Stevie and Carra do you get the impression that these are two footballers who, in their advancing age, are discouraged by the prospect of an ever-shrinking window of opportunity for success in football. Gerrard in particular looked more cheerful than he has in months, and pretty fit and healthy for a guy who only had surgery on his groin 2 1/2 weeks ago and hasn't fully trained since (I winced every time he crossed his legs, but he looked to have no problems at all). Carragher is always an upbeat guy, always boasting about how lucky he is to play for Liverpool and the sense of pride it gives him.

One thing is certain; Torres is gone, Suarez and Carroll are here, and Gerrard and Carragher will always be here. Hopefully, Stevie's recovery goes quicker than planned and he can take the pitch next week against West Brom. It was unfortunate to see him so hobbled and his abilities obviously hampered by the groin injury, as his statistics this year can attest to. Getting him back on the pitch, and back to his best at that, makes Liverpool a completely different side when they have one of the greatest players of his generation in the team.

FC Barcelona and the Case of the Swollen Collective Ego

I sincerely hope I’m not the only one who’s gotten tired of Barcelona’s Mes que un club shtick. What had always been, for me and many others who aren’t Real Madrid fans, one of the more admirable clubs in the world has now turned into an entire organization of stuck-up, elitist snobs who think it’s the destiny of every world-class Spanish player in the world to play for them, claiming that their team is the only one which plays the game the proper way. They’ve made Madrid look humble and even likable in comparison, something that was previously unfathomable.

Arsenal fans surely would have something to say about the way Barcelona have handled their courtship of Gunners captain Cesc Fabregas, with Xavi, Gerard Pique, and co. all having made clear they believed it would only be a matter of time until Cesc made the journey home to his native Catalonia to play for his beloved Barca. But besides the Fabregas affair, Barcelona hasn’t spared other clubs from this sort of treatment either. I was furious when Xavi came out this summer and said Fernando Torres deserved to play for a better, more prestigious team than Liverpool (seeming to forget our convincing defeat of Barca in the Champions League four years ago, only one year after they won the competition). It pissed me off even more when they poached Javier Mascherano from us at the end of the summer transfer window, in the process turning the most dominant defensive midfielder in the game into a mere bench warmer (but hey, if that’s what Masch wanted, good for him).

Regardless, the Barcelona set-up is perhaps the definitive reason why Spain has dominated international competition over the past couple of years, winning the World Cup this summer for the first time. And indeed, Barca do play the most attractive football in the world, have the best player in the world in Lionel Messi, and generally are the best team in the world at the moment. But we know this, and we really don’t need a whole team of well-groomed, wealthy young Spaniards to remind us every few weeks.

Which is why it really grinded my gears when Xavi, the architect, quarterback, conductor, pass-master, etc., of the Barcelona attack came out after their 3-1 defeat of Arsenal at the Camp Nou on Tuesday and accused Arsenal of not playing football. Yes, the Gunners didn’t have a shot on goal. Yes, Barca dominated the proceedings. But Xavi should keep in mind that at the time of the Robin Van Persie’s unbelievable, unwarranted red card, Arsenal were leading the tie on aggregate and were in a position to advance. Arsenal manager and all-around genius Arsene Wenger had said all week that his team was not going to pull a Mourinho and park the bus in front of their goal, after their 2-1 win in the first leg in London gave them a valuable advantage. But any possible effort to put up a defensive fight against the oncoming Barca siege was left futile after Arsenal were reduced to 10 men. They had no chance, as we saw with Barca’s dominance over the last half-hour.

I think the Van Persie’s red card was an injustice of the highest order in soccer (without saying anything implicitly, I think the referee’s motives should be questioned). Add that to the fact Arsenal had no Fabregas after he came off with a hamstring injury at half-time, and Arsenal was doomed to a second successive year of Champions League elimination at the hands of the sport’s favorite holier-than-thou narcissists. Someone should knock this team off their perch and remind them that, less than a decade ago, they were in the shit financially, had difficulty consistently qualifying for European competition, and couldn’t convince David Beckham to join them instead of Madrid (before ultimately lucking out with the greatest consolation prize in history, Ronaldinho).

Like Liverpool now, the Barcelona of the early 00s was a historically prestigious institution facing serious problems both on and off the pitch; they built themselves back up to the top by making some good hires, developing their youth academy, and reorganizing themselves financially. But also like Liverpool, not even mighty Barca was spared from the financial and footballing pitfalls facing other clubs. They would do well to remember this before opening their mouths again and misleadingly declaring some sort of divine superiority over the rest of Europe.

Liverpool 3-1 Man Utd: Suarez Stars, Carroll Debut

Now while this blog will focus on all sorts of goings-on in the soccer world, I have to admit that I'm a Liverpool fan, so how better to ring things off with a review of the biggest game in England this weekend, against our hated rivals and league leaders Manchester United.

Basically, United looked tired, beaten, and uninspired. Backline anchors Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic were both absent through injury, and it showed as new January signing Luis Suarez ripped and tore through the United defense. Suarez is looking more and more like a brilliant recruit and a genius signing, and the way he plays with the ball at his feet and the opportunities he creates make you wonder how Fernando Torres could ever have passed up on the opportunity to play with the Uruguayan. He was directly responsible for two of Dirk Kuyt's three goals for Liverpool, and surely Manager Kenny Dalglish and Director of Football Strategy Damien Comolli's vision of pairing the skilled Suarez right off of budding colossus Andy Carroll should prove devastating in the future.

Speaking of Caroll, the 22-year old Geordie made his long-awaited debut after becoming the most expensive British player of all-time this January after his move from Newcastle to Liverpool. He barely had enough time to really leave his mark on the game, and as the score was 3-0 when he came on and it was his first game since December, circumstances weren't the best for Caroll to show exactly why he's worth all that money. Reports emerged this week that Newcastle valued him at 1 million a year ago, and the boy just went for 35 million in January; him and Suarez combined cost around 58 million pounds, so their success is imperative to the long term prospects of Liverpool. Take into account that most of that money came from the 50 million that Chelsea gave us for Torres, and you could say that whether you think Andy Carroll is worth 35 million or not, Liverpool fans have to hope that the player becomes at least 20 goal a year scorer who can adequately replace the offensive production that was lost with Torres' departure.

That lack of production is why Liverpool have struggled so mightily this year, especially since Torres decided to abruptly leave. The team can't rely on the likes of Kuyt for performances like this every week, as we all know the Dutchman is better suited supporting from the wing, with his lung-busting runs down the flank from which he cuts into the box and often finds himself at the exact right place at the exact right time. Luckily for Liverpool, though, he filled his striking role admirably today, and gave another committed, memorable performance for the Liverpool cause, hurting United's title chances on the way. Suarez is slowly but surely making his way into the hearts of the Liverpool faithful, and his price, which was so debated between Liverpool and Ajax during the discussions which led to his transfer, is now looking very reasonable.

So the biggest question mark for Liverpool now remains Andy Carroll: will the imposing young striker find his form soon and carve out a spot for himself in the Liverpool starting 11, week in and week out? Can he ever justify a 35 million pound price tag, and even if he can't will he prove a successful, potentially world class player? The remaining weeks of the season will give us an opportunity to see exactly how this team comes together as a unit before the summer, and hopefully they give fans a chance to see what the future holds for Liverpool FC. If Carroll doesn't come through as advertised, however, and his detractors are proven right about his inexperience, unspectacular pace and skill on the ball, and "one-dimensional" aerial style of attack, Liverpool may yet find they have paid 35 million pound for little more than Carroll's trademark ponytail.