[lfc-news] Gerrard interview - Echo

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Liverpool Echo, 12 Aug 2004
Stevie says: I must do better!
By David Prentice, Liverpool Echo

STEVEN GERRARD showed once again on Tuesday night he is the inspirational
driving force behind Liverpool's trophy ambitions.

The Reds' skipper kicked off the new season exactly where he left off the
last with a stirring, match-winning performance.

But while the skipper's two-goal performance in Austria reminded supporters
of just how he carried the side throughout last season, he has set an
ambitious target for the new campaign.

He wants to play even better.

And he believes new boss Rafael Benitez can help him achieve that.

The Spaniard says he can improve aspects of Gerrard's game, but rather than
take offence, the player described by Sir Alex Ferguson as the best in his
position in Europe simply agreed.

"I spoke to the manager about my game and also about the team and he has
expressed to me that he would like me to improve my game in certain areas,"
said Gerrard.

"But that's expected from the manager. I think he has sat down with every
player and spoken to them individually.

"For a manager to come in and say my game is perfect and I have nothing to
learn would be totally wrong.

"I'm still 24 years of age, I have a lot of things to learn and I'm
confident I can still get better and have a better season than last year.

"I'm sure getting forward more will be part of that, but he has also told
me he wants me to be more tactically aware and to burst forward at the
right opportunities - not all the time.

"I think he just wants me to do my best for the team and I can guarantee
him that will happen.

"My main aim is to have a better season than last. Whether I'm a different
person after what went on in the summer, I don't know. We'll have to wait
and see!

"What I can assure is that I'm one hundred per cent focused on doing my job
for the team."

Benitez is still bedding in at Anfield, but the changes he has introduced
have already been noticeable.

Gerrard explained: "He wants to win football matches and he wants to be
successful very quickly. He hasn't put a timescale on things but he's
ambitious.

"He wants the players to have the right mentality and that's the one thing
I noticed straight away about him. He doesn't want individuals.

"He wants a bunch of boys who are all fighting for the same thing and that
means eating together and mixing together well off the pitch.

"I'm sure that will show on the pitch that we do have a good team spirit."

That spirit was fostered during a gruelling 10-day tour to the United States.

The Reds faced European champions Porto, Scottish champions Celtic and
Italian giants AS Roma in a three-centre trek which took in Connecticut,
Toronto and New York.

But Gerrard believes the travelling and the time away worked as a positive
force.

"It was a long tour to the States so it was a good chance for the new
manager and his coaches to get to know the players - and vice versa," he said..

"The training's gone really well. It's been tough, but the new staff have
settled in and we're really looking forward to the start of the season.

"It's not a hundred per cent different, but the manager has different ideas
from the staff who were here before and we're looking forward to putting
some of his tactics into use.

"We had 10 days to impress the manager in the States, there's a few more
days to go before the first game and I'm sure he's starting to get a few
ideas about what his strongest XI is going to be."

There is no doubt Gerrard will be the first name on that team-sheet, but
that might not have been the case but for a mid-summer change of heart.

Gerrard admits he was swayed by overtures from Chelsea during the summer -
and only a heart-to-heart with his closest family convinced him to stay.
"I'm more settled in my mind now," he explained.

"Obviously I was very confused in the summer and I seriously considered
moving on. But I'm glad with the decision I've made.

"Obviously time will tell whether that is the right decision. I want to win
trophies and hopefully I can do it here with Liverpool Football Club.

"The last three years haven't been very good so we need to put things right
straight away.

"This football club is about winning trophies and the sooner we win some
more, the better for me, but we don't really want to set targets for this
season.

"The manager has asked us to concentrate on the next game and not to set
targets."

Gerrard certainly hasn't set any personal targets, but he already finds
himself in the unusual position of leading the club's scoring charts ahead
of Saturday's Premiership opener at Spurs.

Even if traditional top scorer Michael Owen quits the club, though, the
presence of Euro 2004's Golden Boot winner, joined by £14m Djibril Cisse,
means that is likely to be short-lived.

Gerrard agrees: "The manager said recently that we had the best
strike-force in the Premiership and I'd go along with that.

"We have Michael Owen, Milan Baros, Djibril Cisse and Florent Sinama
Pongolle, who is a youngster who is looking very sharp in training and has
a very bright future.

"We have four very exciting forwards, all very quick who can all score
goals so I think we do have one of the best strike partnerships around in
the Premiership.

"Hopefully that will be proved this season.

"I've never kicked off a new season at quarter-to-one before. It will be
unusual but the boys are just steaming to get the season underway.

"Luckily enough we've had a competitive game before then so hopefully we'll
be a little bit sharper than Tottenham.

"We all have to improve on last season's performance individually and as a
team. Our position in the table will improve if we do that.

"The boys have a lot of digging to do to try and find that extra five or 10
per cent on last season and hopefully that will do the job.

"The fans always have expectations at Liverpool Football Club and so have
the players.

"We expect, at the start of every new season, for the fans to be up for it
and to look forward to good things hopefully we can deliver for them."


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