[lfc-news] Carragher tipped to be future Anfield leader - Post

------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
Give the gift of life to a sick child.
Support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital's 'Thanks & Giving.'
http://us.click.yahoo.com/5iY7fA/6WnJAA/Y3ZIAA/2_TolB/TM
--------------------------------------------------------------------~->

Liverpool Daily Post, 22 Mar 2005
Carragher tipped to be future Anfield leader
By Andy Hunter, Daily Post

DIETMAR HAMANN last night tipped Jamie Carragher as a future Anfield
captain as he admitted Liverpool must sustain their derby heroics to
claim a Champions League prize.

Carragher produced another fine performance in the heart of the
Liverpool defence on Sunday as Rafael Benitez's team closed the gap on
fourth-placed Everton to just four points.

The Liverpool manager has praised the 27-year-old as the "best
centre-half in England" this season. And midfielder Hamann believes the
Bootle-born defender, set to sign a new long-term deal at Anfield this
summer, has all the attributes to assume the captain's armband should
Steven Gerrard ever relinquish the honour.

"Carra is the sort of player who always leads by example, and he turned
in another top performance against Everton. No-one should be surprised
by that," said Hamann. "He does it all the time. He may be a bit of an
unsung hero to some, but no-one in the dressing room underestimates his
value to the team.

"He is the sort of player you need, because you always know what you are
going to get from him. You know you can depend on him in any situation.
If the captaincy comes up at any stage, then why not Carra? He has all
the qualities, and that shone through again in the Everton match."

Carragher was not alone in producing a convincing performance against
Liverpool's Merseyside rivals. And Hamann admits the victory will only
count if Liverpool raise their game to similar levels over the final
eight league games of the season.

"I always thought we would rise to the occasion against Everton," said
the Liverpool midfielder. "There was so much on it, we were bound to be
up for it, and it really was a fantastic performance.

"The big question now, though, is can we produce the same level of
performance when there isn't the same sense of occasion? That is where
we have fallen down this season, against the so-called lesser teams.
That is when our standards have dropped a bit.

"I can't explain it, but it is essential now that the Everton
performance becomes the benchmark for the rest of the campaign.

"There's no point dwelling on problems from earlier in the season. We
have got to take encouragement from our recent form against Bayer
Levekusen and Everton and look forward with confidence and self-belief.
Those are the levels we have got to maintain in every game now,
regardless of the opposition.

"We haven't always done it before, but the good thing is, we're so close
to that last Champions' League place now. The Everton win has given us
all a huge lift, and I think that will drive us on now. Everyone is
heading into the two-week break on a high note, so we should return for
the Bolton game in the same spirit.

"You could see from the manager's reaction at the end that it meant a
lot to him as well. He doesn't normally come on to the pitch and join in
celebrations like that, but he knows how much it means to the
supporters. Clearly it does to him, too."

Hamann was one of four Liverpool players injured during the Anfield
triumph and has now reported for international duty in Germany for
treatment on a medial knee ligament strain.

And he admits the fortnight's break before Bolton visit Anfield on April
2 has arrived at an ideal time for Liverpool's walking wounded.

Hamann added: "If we had lost, it would probably have been all over for
us in the race for fourth place. Even a draw would have made it very
difficult, so it was huge for us to play so well and win. We have given
ourselves a real chance now.

"We could have done without all the injuries, but at least we've got a
couple of weeks to assess the damage. There is a danger we could go into
the Bolton game without a recognised striker, but we'll just have to
hope some of the injuries clear up in time."

Unsubscribe: lfc-news-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
http://www.lfc-list.org.uk/

Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lfc-news/

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
lfc-news-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/