Gerrard8
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- 28/1/13
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Algunas cosas de la nueva autobiografia de Gerrard, es mucho pero es interesante.
I don't think Rafa Benitez liked me as a person. I'm not sure why, but that's the feeling I got from him. It probably started even before he spoke to me, when he met my mum.
Rafa was appointed as Liverpool's manager in June 2004 — and I was playing for England in the Euros in Portugal that summer.
Even though he was being replaced by Rafa, Gerard Houllier still loved Liverpool and he remained very close to me. He and my mum flew out to Portugal to watch me play for England against Croatia — and they bumped into Rafa.
Gerard introduced Rafa to my mum. Rafa shook her hand, said hello and then immediately asked her a very blunt question: 'Does Steven like money?'
Apart from a standard 'Hello... good to meet you' introduction, those were the first words Rafa said to my mum. I thought: 'What kind of question is that?'
I can pick up the phone and speak to all of my previous Liverpool managers. Except for Rafa.
It's a shame because we probably shared the biggest night of both our careers — the 2005 Champions League victory in Istanbul — and yet there is no bond between us.
I used to think he favoured our Spanish-speakers. He was an especially big fan of South American players, which is fine. It caused no problem between us.
At press conferences he might call other players by their first name but I was always 'Gerrard'. It was the same in the dressing room. He would read out the team and use nicknames. But, for me, it would just be 'Gerrard'.
It wouldn't have made me play any better if he'd suddenly started calling me 'Stevie'. I just wanted to win the next game and I knew Rafa could, usually, help us achieve another victory. He was the best tactical coach I worked with at Liverpool and England so I didn't care what he called me.
If we were to bump into each other tomorrow there would be no unpleasantness but maybe a day will come when we can actually have a deeper and friendlier conversation and reflect on everything we experienced at Liverpool.
Our working relationship was ultra-professional and his frostiness drove me to become a better player. I had a hunger to earn a compliment from him — but also a hunger to let him know he really needed me as a player. We were like fire and ice. Passion surged inside me, while Rafa was the strategic thinker.
One time he did suffer a meltdown involving Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson. I went home from training that Friday lunchtime and switched on the TV. Rafa sat down with his usual half-smile. It looked likely to be a normal press conference, but then he reached into his pocket for a piece of paper.
He spread it out on the table and began to read out one 'fact' after another. Rafa kept saying 'fact... fact... fact...' and I could not believe what I was hearing. I was grabbing the couch, digging my fingers into the arms, feeling embarrassed for him.
Rafa started by saying that maybe Manchester United 'are nervous because we are at the top of the table'. I thought: 'Uh oh, what's happening here?'
It seemed so unlike Rafa to talk in such an emotional way. You could see the anger in him. 'I want to talk about facts,' Rafa said. 'I want to be clear, I do not want to play mind games too early, although they seem to want to start. But I have seen some facts.'
Rafa went off on a ramble about how Manchester United and 'Mr Ferguson' had not been properly punished for various misdemeanours. He listed dates and incidents and concluded that 'Mr Ferguson is the only manager in the league that cannot be punished for these things'.
He then railed against the fixture list and the timing of matches being skewed in United's favour. Rafa was sounding muddled and bitter and paranoid. He was humiliating himself. It was a disaster. I couldn't understand Rafa's thinking in wanting to take on Ferguson, a master of mind games, when we were sitting so calmly on top of the table early into a new year.
When I met up with England all the Manchester United players told me Fergie was just laughing at Rafa, saying: 'I've got him. I've got him.'
Rafa made a lot of decisions with himself in mind. He wanted power and control. I didn't like it. Fighting with the board, other managers and the press wasn't the Liverpool way.
Rafa had fallen out with the owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett. We were all starting to doubt them but Rafa talked to the press about problems with his new contract.
Rafa broke the focus of the team. We got asked about it all the time in the media: 'What's all that about? Why has he done that?' We never found out because Rafa didn't say a word to us. I think he felt awkward because he knew it backfired.
That weekend Manchester United hammered Chelsea 3–0. We drew 0–0 at Stoke. My managers over the years have been diverse personalities, with their own style of working.
On a basic human level I prefer a likeable manager, such as Gerard Houllier or Brendan Rodgers, but in terms of football I really don't mind working with a colder man. An emotionless and distant relationship with the likes of Rafa Benítez and Fabio Capello can sometimes produce more success.
It would not be my style if I were to ever become a manager — I'd try to fuse the best of Rafa's tactical thinking with Brendan's skill as a man-manager.
Jose Mourinho understood my reasons; but each time he came in for me he was very persuasive. I liked the way he spoke to me and I could see how most of his players were ready to die for him. I remembered him winning the Champions League with Inter Milan and the devastation of his players when he left. You could see it in their faces. I understood how they felt because they had shared such a big moment in their careers together.
I never had that with Rafa Benitez. I would have had it with Jose Mourinho.
It was clear that, tactically, he could set up his team to win any football match. He could spoil, he could fight, he could do whatever you needed because he was a pure winner. But, more than that, he created a special bond with each squad he managed.
You heard it in the way his players spoke about him. You saw it in the way they played for him.
For me, the ideal situation would obviously have been for Mourinho to have managed Liverpool.
He was linked with a move to Anfield a couple of times but it never materialised. I know I'm biased, but I think it would have been a perfect match. The Liverpool fans would have loved him and he would have known exactly how to turn that love into adoration. He always told me about his deep respect for our supporters. Jose would have had a fantastic time bringing huge success to Liverpool.
When I was playing my best football, probably in 2006 and even in 2009, there were some big chances to leave: Chelsea again; Real Madrid twice — and the second time was more tempting because, once more, Mourinho wanted me. Playing for Jose in the white shirt of Real Madrid, at the Bernabeu? Only Liverpool could have made me say 'no' again.
Even after Euro 2012, when I had my most consistent tournament for England and was included in the team of the championship in Poland and Ukraine, Bayern Munich were in touch with my agent.
I understood how it felt to be flattered and chased. Mourinho had also spoken about trying to sign me for Inter Milan in the season they won the Champions League. Barcelona apparently sniffed and skirted around me but I'm not sure they were ever especially interested.
I had come so close to leaving Liverpool for Chelsea in 2005. The reason I stayed was that Liverpool meant so much to me both as a club and as a city. Chelsea and London didn't mean anything.
During those distressing days when I felt so torn about whether or not I should stay or go I never once thought to myself, 'I want to play for Chelsea instead of Liverpool'. My head was almost turned because I was thinking, 'I'd love to play for Jose Mourinho'. I was certain that, under Jose, I would win all the trophies I craved.
Between July 2005 and May 2015 Chelsea won the Champions League, two Premier League titles, four FA Cups, the Europa League and two League Cups. That's 10 big trophies.
In that same period at Liverpool, I have won an FA Cup and a League Cup. Chelsea 10, Liverpool 2.
If Jose Mourinho had managed England in 2004 and 2006 I'm convinced we could have reached at least one major final. I think Rafa Benitez could also have steered us to a final in the Euros or the World Cup. But the only problem with Rafa is that a lot of the players would not have enjoyed playing for him and, over a long tournament, there would be pressures and tensions. That's why Jose stands out as the manager I wish England had appointed during my time as a player.
Imagine what he could have got out of a group that included Beckham, Scholes, Owen, Terry, Neville, Rooney, Campbell, Ferdinand, Lampard, Cole, Gerrard and a few others.
On March 29 this year, after a charity game at Anfield, John Terry handed me a handwritten letter, on Chelsea notepaper, from Mourinho to me.
Dear Steve,
I know this isn't yet over but first of all I want to congratulate you for the fantastic career at your heart club. Secondly, I want to let you know my feeling of how sorry I am, for never seeing your work. Thirdly, enjoy the day with your friends and family and your stadium, your fans, your memories. Fourthly, the most important thing, 'Be happy every day of your life with the smile of your kids!'
Respect,
Jose Mourinho
Three players stand out in my time at Liverpool. They all speak Spanish. Each of them unleashes a wave of emotion in me and in every Liverpool supporter: Fernando Torres. Xabi Alonso. Luis Suarez.
It was clear Alonso was royalty after our first training session together in August 2004, and Rafa Benitez, who had been so clever to buy him in the first place, was equally stupid to sell him to Real Madrid five years later. He was, by some distance, the best central midfielder I ever played alongside.
It was a disastrous decision to sell Alonso, and especially for just £30million — which looks a snip now when you reflect on all he has achieved subsequently, both at Real Madrid and Bayern Munich and with Spain, winning the Euros and the World Cup. I blame Rafa entirely for the loss of Alonso. He could still have been playing for Liverpool six or seven years after he left in 2009.
I think more about the special players we lost — Alonso, Torres and Suarez — than the terrible signings with which we got lumbered.
Suarez, who ran and pressed and fought for the ball and ran again — while producing extraordinary moves and sublime goals. There was a sustained period when playing with Luis was like being under a magical spell. He blew me away with his talent.
Fernando came the closest to matching Luis. I had two years with Fernando when he made me feel invincible. I always knew where he was, where he was going to move next. I’m not a natural No 10 but, for a couple of years, Fernando helped me become one. I had my best season then, as a No 10, and that was down to Fernando in 2007-08.
But, ultimately, Luis stands out. I would have loved to have played with Luis when I was a lot younger, and peaking, as we could have been phenomenal together for years. That’s my only tinge of regret with Suarez.
Here’s an example of what he did for me. On March 13, 2012 I scored a hat-trick at Anfield against Everton. It was the first hat-trick in 30 years of Merseyside derbies, since Ian Rush scored three at Goodison Park in 1982. It was made even better by the selfless magic Suarez sprinkled over me that night. Luis is no saint — and I’m not sure he would have done the same for Daniel Sturridge. There was always a little bit of needling rivalry between Sturridge and Suarez.
But when it came to me, especially against Everton, Luis went out of his way. He helped Liverpool - and me - play like kings.
All the people who revile Suarez, never having met him, might be surprised if they had the chance to benefit from his unselfish willingness to sacrifice himself for his team. He will run himself into the ground. He scores goals. He creates goals. He’s hard and horrible to play against. He’s right up for it. You’ve got a chance of beating anyone in the world with Luis Suarez in your team.
Not every Liverpool signing worked out like that.
Of the bad ones, I don’t really want to waste time thinking about El Hadji Diouf but it’s worth highlighting his wasted seasons at Liverpool as an example of how it can all go wrong.
Gerard Houllier, a very good manager and a usually wise judge of character, signed Diouf in the summer of 2002. Gerard bought Diouf for £10m from Lens - solely on the recommendation of his former assistant, Patrice Bergues, who had coached Diouf there.
I understood why Gerard rushed through the signing, but he did not really know Diouf as a person. He was one of three new signings which were meant to turn Liverpool into Premier League champions.
We had finished as runners-up to Manchester United the season before and a combination of Diouf, Salif Diao and Bruno Cheyrou was supposed to drive us to the title. It was probably the biggest waste of £18m in Liverpool’s history.
We finished the season in fifth place and Diouf had sealed his place at the top of the list of Liverpool signings I liked least.
It seemed to me that Diouf had no real interest in football and that he cared nothing about Liverpool. For example, the way he spat a huge globule of gunky phlegm at a Celtic fan in a UEFA Cup match at Parkhead in March 2003 summed up his contemptuous and spiteful demeanour.
A few people have since asked me if I saw any comparison between Diouf and Mario Balotelli - and I’ve always said no. I’ve got respect for Balotelli; I’ve got none for Diouf.
Balotelli can be endearing sometimes — and that’s never a trait that you would associate with Diouf. The only positive aspect of the otherwise ugly signing of Diouf is that he worked hard on the pitch. He always wanted the ball, and he never hid.
But after a while I decided Diouf simply wasn’t your usual footballer. It seemed to me as if football got in the way of his social life.
At least Balotelli could still make me smile sometimes, I have a small hope that, one day, his career might work out and he can prove his potential on a regular basis.
In my last season, Brendan Rodgers came to me at Melwood one day in mid-August. We had a chat on the training pitch. He said, ‘You know we’ve missed out on a couple of signings. I’m basically left with no option but to have a bit of a gamble.’
Brendan paused before he spoke again: ‘The gamble is Mario Balotelli.’ My instant reaction was, ‘Uh-oh.’
I’d never met Balotelli but I’d heard all the stories about the indoor fireworks and Jose Mourinho describing him as an ‘unmanageable’ player. I could see that, in the right mood, he was a quality footballer but the rest of his career seemed like a spectacular waste of talent. That was my opinion of Balotelli.
But I also had to admit that, when he played for Italy, he seemed able to switch on his gift like he was snapping on a bright light. When he scored the winner against England in the 2014 World Cup a month earlier he showed all the movement which made him so difficult to mark at his best. I told Brendan that, up close to him on the pitch, you could see that he was a big, powerful guy. Brendan must have sensed my underlying reservations because he spoke a little more about why he thought it could be worth the risk. Brendan implied that Balotelli didn’t have anywhere else to go — and it seemed as if Liverpool would be Balotelli’s last chance to shine at a major club.
He would be offered a strict contract. Any bad behaviour would be punished.
I reminded myself that I had always allowed every new player to come into the club with a clean slate. Balotelli’s reputation tested that resolve but I tried my best to be open-minded. He made an immediate impression when we were doing work on our defensive set pieces and Balotelli said to Brendan: ‘I don’t mark on corners. I can’t.’
I nearly fell into the goalpost. I was thinking, ‘What are you? Six foot three, and one of the strongest men I’ve ever seen on a football pitch? And you can’t mark on a corner?’
Brendan was very firm. He said to Balotelli: ‘Well, you can now – and if you can’t then you’re going to learn.’
That was the first conflict between Brendan and Balotelli, on day one, but the manager stood up to Mario really well. From that point, Balotelli started marking on corners.
He made his Liverpool debut on August 31, 2014 away to Tottenham, and he did well. We won 3-0. He wasn’t outstanding but he worked hard and even looked like a team player. It would not last.
Daniel Sturridge was injured 10 days later, while training with England. He would be out for many weeks.
Suddenly the Mario gamble was in jeopardy - because I knew that Balotelli would simply not put in the work we needed from a lone striker.
Everything became more tangled and more difficult. Away to Basle in the Champions League, Balotelli started the game and he was hopeless.
After his promising debut against Tottenham he had lapsed in training and the subsequent games. His demeanour was very poor. I made up my mind pretty quickly after that about Balotelli.
There was no friction between us. We got on fine. I still tried to help him and I kept looking for chances to praise him.
But I could see Mourinho had been right when he said Balotelli is unmanageable.
He is very talented with the potential to be world class, but he’ll never get there because of his mentality and the people around him.
Balotelli’s always late, he always wants attention, he says the wrong things on social media.
For me, he doesn’t work hard enough on a daily basis. You’re always fighting a losing battle with Balotelli.
He does too many things wrong.
I had an unofficial role at the club, trying to persuade some great players to join Liverpool.
It was the same ritual every summer. The club would let me know which long-shot target they had in mind and then ask me to contact him. They thought that a request to consider moving to Liverpool would have more impact coming from me.
Our target in 2014 was ridiculously optimistic, Brendan asked me to take a crack at trying to talk Toni Kroos into signing for Liverpool. He smiled when I said we’d be p*****g into the wind with this one. We both admired Kroos immensely.
I knew Real Madrid were gearing up to make Bayern Munich an offer and so I felt a bit awkward when I texted Kroos. The German was on his way to winning the World Cup with his country and Real were the champions of Europe. But God loves a trier, and so I gave it a whirl.
Some of the best footballers in the world can also be the most respectful. Kroos didn’t make me feel like I was a total idiot. But, of course, he would soon sign for Real Madrid. We had a nice little exchange of texts and I said well done and good luck.
In 2013, the latest player in our sights was Willian, the Brazilian midfielder. I followed the usual routine when approaching a star player we wanted to sign. Instead of calling him directly I always sent a text. It seemed more respectful and allowed the player to read my message at a time when it suited him best. A cold call felt wrong.
I slipped into the groove with Willian. I said hello and hoped he didn’t mind me contacting him directly. I stressed how much I admired him as a player and then, having mentioned that I knew Liverpool were speaking to his agent, I used the standard line: ‘If you need to chat or ask any questions I’m available at any time.
It was the opening move in a familiar game. The reply came in and the same old conversation started. Willian thanked me and he said the usual, along the lines of, ‘I’d love to play with you, Steven, blah-blah-blah, but there are other clubs who play in the Champions League I need to talk to as well.’ I knew Spurs and Chelsea were also very keen on Willian. So I answered him and said, of course, I understood. But I then went in with my sales pitch. ‘I think Liverpool would be a great move for you. The fans are amazing, the history is there and we’re building a good team. You could do something great here - and we’d love to have you.
I meant it, too, because the club only asked for my help if it was with a player I rated. But I always tried to persuade with honesty and respect and never mentioned anything about the player’s financial situation or the contract he could expect from Liverpool. The next text from Willian was so obvious I could have written it for him even before I read it. He again said that it would be great to play in the same team as me but ‘I’m not sure Liverpool can give me the Champions League.
It was a game of texting ping-pong that had only small differences each time. Occasionally a player would say his wife or girlfriend preferred the idea of living in London, Madrid or Paris. The clear message was that there were fancier shops and swankier restaurants in bigger cities than Liverpool. I knew then that the deal was dead.
That told me how much Suarez rated Coutinho as a player. I knew they were close, because all the South Americans and Spaniards loved Luis.
But it struck a chord with me when Luis singled out Philippe as our most special young talent. It echoed my own view.
Philippe is wonderfully gifted and I expect him to become Liverpool’s leading player.
Many Liverpool fans already regard him as our main man.
He has just signed a new deal and he and his wife — who are a lovely couple — seem settled here.
But I also know that the Spanish giants, Barcelona and Real Madrid, will come looking for Philippe in a few more seasons, just like they did with Luis.
And that’s when it will get tricky for Liverpool because the lure to go to one of those two clubs is so strong for any South American or Spanish player.
Until that happens, Liverpool should really treasure Philippe.
Fuentes
DailyMail
Liverpool Echo

Rafa Benitez
I don't think Rafa Benitez liked me as a person. I'm not sure why, but that's the feeling I got from him. It probably started even before he spoke to me, when he met my mum.
Rafa was appointed as Liverpool's manager in June 2004 — and I was playing for England in the Euros in Portugal that summer.
Even though he was being replaced by Rafa, Gerard Houllier still loved Liverpool and he remained very close to me. He and my mum flew out to Portugal to watch me play for England against Croatia — and they bumped into Rafa.
Gerard introduced Rafa to my mum. Rafa shook her hand, said hello and then immediately asked her a very blunt question: 'Does Steven like money?'
Apart from a standard 'Hello... good to meet you' introduction, those were the first words Rafa said to my mum. I thought: 'What kind of question is that?'
I can pick up the phone and speak to all of my previous Liverpool managers. Except for Rafa.
It's a shame because we probably shared the biggest night of both our careers — the 2005 Champions League victory in Istanbul — and yet there is no bond between us.
I used to think he favoured our Spanish-speakers. He was an especially big fan of South American players, which is fine. It caused no problem between us.
At press conferences he might call other players by their first name but I was always 'Gerrard'. It was the same in the dressing room. He would read out the team and use nicknames. But, for me, it would just be 'Gerrard'.
It wouldn't have made me play any better if he'd suddenly started calling me 'Stevie'. I just wanted to win the next game and I knew Rafa could, usually, help us achieve another victory. He was the best tactical coach I worked with at Liverpool and England so I didn't care what he called me.
If we were to bump into each other tomorrow there would be no unpleasantness but maybe a day will come when we can actually have a deeper and friendlier conversation and reflect on everything we experienced at Liverpool.
Our working relationship was ultra-professional and his frostiness drove me to become a better player. I had a hunger to earn a compliment from him — but also a hunger to let him know he really needed me as a player. We were like fire and ice. Passion surged inside me, while Rafa was the strategic thinker.
One time he did suffer a meltdown involving Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson. I went home from training that Friday lunchtime and switched on the TV. Rafa sat down with his usual half-smile. It looked likely to be a normal press conference, but then he reached into his pocket for a piece of paper.
He spread it out on the table and began to read out one 'fact' after another. Rafa kept saying 'fact... fact... fact...' and I could not believe what I was hearing. I was grabbing the couch, digging my fingers into the arms, feeling embarrassed for him.
Rafa started by saying that maybe Manchester United 'are nervous because we are at the top of the table'. I thought: 'Uh oh, what's happening here?'
It seemed so unlike Rafa to talk in such an emotional way. You could see the anger in him. 'I want to talk about facts,' Rafa said. 'I want to be clear, I do not want to play mind games too early, although they seem to want to start. But I have seen some facts.'
Rafa went off on a ramble about how Manchester United and 'Mr Ferguson' had not been properly punished for various misdemeanours. He listed dates and incidents and concluded that 'Mr Ferguson is the only manager in the league that cannot be punished for these things'.
He then railed against the fixture list and the timing of matches being skewed in United's favour. Rafa was sounding muddled and bitter and paranoid. He was humiliating himself. It was a disaster. I couldn't understand Rafa's thinking in wanting to take on Ferguson, a master of mind games, when we were sitting so calmly on top of the table early into a new year.
When I met up with England all the Manchester United players told me Fergie was just laughing at Rafa, saying: 'I've got him. I've got him.'
Rafa made a lot of decisions with himself in mind. He wanted power and control. I didn't like it. Fighting with the board, other managers and the press wasn't the Liverpool way.
Rafa had fallen out with the owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett. We were all starting to doubt them but Rafa talked to the press about problems with his new contract.
Rafa broke the focus of the team. We got asked about it all the time in the media: 'What's all that about? Why has he done that?' We never found out because Rafa didn't say a word to us. I think he felt awkward because he knew it backfired.
That weekend Manchester United hammered Chelsea 3–0. We drew 0–0 at Stoke. My managers over the years have been diverse personalities, with their own style of working.
On a basic human level I prefer a likeable manager, such as Gerard Houllier or Brendan Rodgers, but in terms of football I really don't mind working with a colder man. An emotionless and distant relationship with the likes of Rafa Benítez and Fabio Capello can sometimes produce more success.
It would not be my style if I were to ever become a manager — I'd try to fuse the best of Rafa's tactical thinking with Brendan's skill as a man-manager.
Jose Mourinho
Chelsea fans are not my people. We've all worked that out over the years. I belong to Liverpool.
Jose Mourinho understood my reasons; but each time he came in for me he was very persuasive. I liked the way he spoke to me and I could see how most of his players were ready to die for him. I remembered him winning the Champions League with Inter Milan and the devastation of his players when he left. You could see it in their faces. I understood how they felt because they had shared such a big moment in their careers together.
I never had that with Rafa Benitez. I would have had it with Jose Mourinho.
It was clear that, tactically, he could set up his team to win any football match. He could spoil, he could fight, he could do whatever you needed because he was a pure winner. But, more than that, he created a special bond with each squad he managed.
You heard it in the way his players spoke about him. You saw it in the way they played for him.
For me, the ideal situation would obviously have been for Mourinho to have managed Liverpool.
He was linked with a move to Anfield a couple of times but it never materialised. I know I'm biased, but I think it would have been a perfect match. The Liverpool fans would have loved him and he would have known exactly how to turn that love into adoration. He always told me about his deep respect for our supporters. Jose would have had a fantastic time bringing huge success to Liverpool.
When I was playing my best football, probably in 2006 and even in 2009, there were some big chances to leave: Chelsea again; Real Madrid twice — and the second time was more tempting because, once more, Mourinho wanted me. Playing for Jose in the white shirt of Real Madrid, at the Bernabeu? Only Liverpool could have made me say 'no' again.
Even after Euro 2012, when I had my most consistent tournament for England and was included in the team of the championship in Poland and Ukraine, Bayern Munich were in touch with my agent.
I understood how it felt to be flattered and chased. Mourinho had also spoken about trying to sign me for Inter Milan in the season they won the Champions League. Barcelona apparently sniffed and skirted around me but I'm not sure they were ever especially interested.
I had come so close to leaving Liverpool for Chelsea in 2005. The reason I stayed was that Liverpool meant so much to me both as a club and as a city. Chelsea and London didn't mean anything.
During those distressing days when I felt so torn about whether or not I should stay or go I never once thought to myself, 'I want to play for Chelsea instead of Liverpool'. My head was almost turned because I was thinking, 'I'd love to play for Jose Mourinho'. I was certain that, under Jose, I would win all the trophies I craved.
Between July 2005 and May 2015 Chelsea won the Champions League, two Premier League titles, four FA Cups, the Europa League and two League Cups. That's 10 big trophies.
In that same period at Liverpool, I have won an FA Cup and a League Cup. Chelsea 10, Liverpool 2.
If Jose Mourinho had managed England in 2004 and 2006 I'm convinced we could have reached at least one major final. I think Rafa Benitez could also have steered us to a final in the Euros or the World Cup. But the only problem with Rafa is that a lot of the players would not have enjoyed playing for him and, over a long tournament, there would be pressures and tensions. That's why Jose stands out as the manager I wish England had appointed during my time as a player.
Imagine what he could have got out of a group that included Beckham, Scholes, Owen, Terry, Neville, Rooney, Campbell, Ferdinand, Lampard, Cole, Gerrard and a few others.
On March 29 this year, after a charity game at Anfield, John Terry handed me a handwritten letter, on Chelsea notepaper, from Mourinho to me.
Dear Steve,
I know this isn't yet over but first of all I want to congratulate you for the fantastic career at your heart club. Secondly, I want to let you know my feeling of how sorry I am, for never seeing your work. Thirdly, enjoy the day with your friends and family and your stadium, your fans, your memories. Fourthly, the most important thing, 'Be happy every day of your life with the smile of your kids!'
Respect,
Jose Mourinho
Transferencias, Suarez, Diouf, Balotelli
I had seen a staggering number of new signings walk into the Liverpool training ground. I watched every single one of their first training sessions with close attention, wondering whether we’d bought a star or another dud, a king or a prat, a Xabi Alonso or an El Hadji Diouf, a Luis Suarez or a Mario Balotelli.
Three players stand out in my time at Liverpool. They all speak Spanish. Each of them unleashes a wave of emotion in me and in every Liverpool supporter: Fernando Torres. Xabi Alonso. Luis Suarez.
It was clear Alonso was royalty after our first training session together in August 2004, and Rafa Benitez, who had been so clever to buy him in the first place, was equally stupid to sell him to Real Madrid five years later. He was, by some distance, the best central midfielder I ever played alongside.
It was a disastrous decision to sell Alonso, and especially for just £30million — which looks a snip now when you reflect on all he has achieved subsequently, both at Real Madrid and Bayern Munich and with Spain, winning the Euros and the World Cup. I blame Rafa entirely for the loss of Alonso. He could still have been playing for Liverpool six or seven years after he left in 2009.
I think more about the special players we lost — Alonso, Torres and Suarez — than the terrible signings with which we got lumbered.
Suarez, who ran and pressed and fought for the ball and ran again — while producing extraordinary moves and sublime goals. There was a sustained period when playing with Luis was like being under a magical spell. He blew me away with his talent.
Fernando came the closest to matching Luis. I had two years with Fernando when he made me feel invincible. I always knew where he was, where he was going to move next. I’m not a natural No 10 but, for a couple of years, Fernando helped me become one. I had my best season then, as a No 10, and that was down to Fernando in 2007-08.
But, ultimately, Luis stands out. I would have loved to have played with Luis when I was a lot younger, and peaking, as we could have been phenomenal together for years. That’s my only tinge of regret with Suarez.
Here’s an example of what he did for me. On March 13, 2012 I scored a hat-trick at Anfield against Everton. It was the first hat-trick in 30 years of Merseyside derbies, since Ian Rush scored three at Goodison Park in 1982. It was made even better by the selfless magic Suarez sprinkled over me that night. Luis is no saint — and I’m not sure he would have done the same for Daniel Sturridge. There was always a little bit of needling rivalry between Sturridge and Suarez.
But when it came to me, especially against Everton, Luis went out of his way. He helped Liverpool - and me - play like kings.
All the people who revile Suarez, never having met him, might be surprised if they had the chance to benefit from his unselfish willingness to sacrifice himself for his team. He will run himself into the ground. He scores goals. He creates goals. He’s hard and horrible to play against. He’s right up for it. You’ve got a chance of beating anyone in the world with Luis Suarez in your team.
Not every Liverpool signing worked out like that.
Of the bad ones, I don’t really want to waste time thinking about El Hadji Diouf but it’s worth highlighting his wasted seasons at Liverpool as an example of how it can all go wrong.
Gerard Houllier, a very good manager and a usually wise judge of character, signed Diouf in the summer of 2002. Gerard bought Diouf for £10m from Lens - solely on the recommendation of his former assistant, Patrice Bergues, who had coached Diouf there.
I understood why Gerard rushed through the signing, but he did not really know Diouf as a person. He was one of three new signings which were meant to turn Liverpool into Premier League champions.
We had finished as runners-up to Manchester United the season before and a combination of Diouf, Salif Diao and Bruno Cheyrou was supposed to drive us to the title. It was probably the biggest waste of £18m in Liverpool’s history.
We finished the season in fifth place and Diouf had sealed his place at the top of the list of Liverpool signings I liked least.
It seemed to me that Diouf had no real interest in football and that he cared nothing about Liverpool. For example, the way he spat a huge globule of gunky phlegm at a Celtic fan in a UEFA Cup match at Parkhead in March 2003 summed up his contemptuous and spiteful demeanour.
A few people have since asked me if I saw any comparison between Diouf and Mario Balotelli - and I’ve always said no. I’ve got respect for Balotelli; I’ve got none for Diouf.
Balotelli can be endearing sometimes — and that’s never a trait that you would associate with Diouf. The only positive aspect of the otherwise ugly signing of Diouf is that he worked hard on the pitch. He always wanted the ball, and he never hid.
But after a while I decided Diouf simply wasn’t your usual footballer. It seemed to me as if football got in the way of his social life.
At least Balotelli could still make me smile sometimes, I have a small hope that, one day, his career might work out and he can prove his potential on a regular basis.
In my last season, Brendan Rodgers came to me at Melwood one day in mid-August. We had a chat on the training pitch. He said, ‘You know we’ve missed out on a couple of signings. I’m basically left with no option but to have a bit of a gamble.’
Brendan paused before he spoke again: ‘The gamble is Mario Balotelli.’ My instant reaction was, ‘Uh-oh.’
I’d never met Balotelli but I’d heard all the stories about the indoor fireworks and Jose Mourinho describing him as an ‘unmanageable’ player. I could see that, in the right mood, he was a quality footballer but the rest of his career seemed like a spectacular waste of talent. That was my opinion of Balotelli.
But I also had to admit that, when he played for Italy, he seemed able to switch on his gift like he was snapping on a bright light. When he scored the winner against England in the 2014 World Cup a month earlier he showed all the movement which made him so difficult to mark at his best. I told Brendan that, up close to him on the pitch, you could see that he was a big, powerful guy. Brendan must have sensed my underlying reservations because he spoke a little more about why he thought it could be worth the risk. Brendan implied that Balotelli didn’t have anywhere else to go — and it seemed as if Liverpool would be Balotelli’s last chance to shine at a major club.
He would be offered a strict contract. Any bad behaviour would be punished.
I reminded myself that I had always allowed every new player to come into the club with a clean slate. Balotelli’s reputation tested that resolve but I tried my best to be open-minded. He made an immediate impression when we were doing work on our defensive set pieces and Balotelli said to Brendan: ‘I don’t mark on corners. I can’t.’
I nearly fell into the goalpost. I was thinking, ‘What are you? Six foot three, and one of the strongest men I’ve ever seen on a football pitch? And you can’t mark on a corner?’
Brendan was very firm. He said to Balotelli: ‘Well, you can now – and if you can’t then you’re going to learn.’
That was the first conflict between Brendan and Balotelli, on day one, but the manager stood up to Mario really well. From that point, Balotelli started marking on corners.
He made his Liverpool debut on August 31, 2014 away to Tottenham, and he did well. We won 3-0. He wasn’t outstanding but he worked hard and even looked like a team player. It would not last.
Daniel Sturridge was injured 10 days later, while training with England. He would be out for many weeks.
Suddenly the Mario gamble was in jeopardy - because I knew that Balotelli would simply not put in the work we needed from a lone striker.
Everything became more tangled and more difficult. Away to Basle in the Champions League, Balotelli started the game and he was hopeless.
After his promising debut against Tottenham he had lapsed in training and the subsequent games. His demeanour was very poor. I made up my mind pretty quickly after that about Balotelli.
There was no friction between us. We got on fine. I still tried to help him and I kept looking for chances to praise him.
But I could see Mourinho had been right when he said Balotelli is unmanageable.
He is very talented with the potential to be world class, but he’ll never get there because of his mentality and the people around him.
Balotelli’s always late, he always wants attention, he says the wrong things on social media.
For me, he doesn’t work hard enough on a daily basis. You’re always fighting a losing battle with Balotelli.
He does too many things wrong.
El club le pedía hablar con posibles fichajes
I had an unofficial role at the club, trying to persuade some great players to join Liverpool.
It was the same ritual every summer. The club would let me know which long-shot target they had in mind and then ask me to contact him. They thought that a request to consider moving to Liverpool would have more impact coming from me.
Our target in 2014 was ridiculously optimistic, Brendan asked me to take a crack at trying to talk Toni Kroos into signing for Liverpool. He smiled when I said we’d be p*****g into the wind with this one. We both admired Kroos immensely.
I knew Real Madrid were gearing up to make Bayern Munich an offer and so I felt a bit awkward when I texted Kroos. The German was on his way to winning the World Cup with his country and Real were the champions of Europe. But God loves a trier, and so I gave it a whirl.
Some of the best footballers in the world can also be the most respectful. Kroos didn’t make me feel like I was a total idiot. But, of course, he would soon sign for Real Madrid. We had a nice little exchange of texts and I said well done and good luck.
In 2013, the latest player in our sights was Willian, the Brazilian midfielder. I followed the usual routine when approaching a star player we wanted to sign. Instead of calling him directly I always sent a text. It seemed more respectful and allowed the player to read my message at a time when it suited him best. A cold call felt wrong.
I slipped into the groove with Willian. I said hello and hoped he didn’t mind me contacting him directly. I stressed how much I admired him as a player and then, having mentioned that I knew Liverpool were speaking to his agent, I used the standard line: ‘If you need to chat or ask any questions I’m available at any time.
It was the opening move in a familiar game. The reply came in and the same old conversation started. Willian thanked me and he said the usual, along the lines of, ‘I’d love to play with you, Steven, blah-blah-blah, but there are other clubs who play in the Champions League I need to talk to as well.’ I knew Spurs and Chelsea were also very keen on Willian. So I answered him and said, of course, I understood. But I then went in with my sales pitch. ‘I think Liverpool would be a great move for you. The fans are amazing, the history is there and we’re building a good team. You could do something great here - and we’d love to have you.
I meant it, too, because the club only asked for my help if it was with a player I rated. But I always tried to persuade with honesty and respect and never mentioned anything about the player’s financial situation or the contract he could expect from Liverpool. The next text from Willian was so obvious I could have written it for him even before I read it. He again said that it would be great to play in the same team as me but ‘I’m not sure Liverpool can give me the Champions League.
It was a game of texting ping-pong that had only small differences each time. Occasionally a player would say his wife or girlfriend preferred the idea of living in London, Madrid or Paris. The clear message was that there were fancier shops and swankier restaurants in bigger cities than Liverpool. I knew then that the deal was dead.
Coutinho
Before Luis Suarez left Liverpool’s training ground for the last time he spoke to me about Philippe Coutinho, ‘Make sure you look after him,’ Luis said of Philippe.
That told me how much Suarez rated Coutinho as a player. I knew they were close, because all the South Americans and Spaniards loved Luis.
But it struck a chord with me when Luis singled out Philippe as our most special young talent. It echoed my own view.
Philippe is wonderfully gifted and I expect him to become Liverpool’s leading player.
Many Liverpool fans already regard him as our main man.
He has just signed a new deal and he and his wife — who are a lovely couple — seem settled here.
But I also know that the Spanish giants, Barcelona and Real Madrid, will come looking for Philippe in a few more seasons, just like they did with Luis.
And that’s when it will get tricky for Liverpool because the lure to go to one of those two clubs is so strong for any South American or Spanish player.
Until that happens, Liverpool should really treasure Philippe.
Fuentes
DailyMail
Liverpool Echo