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.