At risk of sounding like I'm defending everything Gerrard does, I'd have thought it was pretty clear why commentators get excited when he's shooting from outside the box. Almost always drills it into a defender, though, really? Come on. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hm0q6P_lljc
He's proven he's more than capable than almost anyone else at shooting from outside the box. What're you expecting, every shot to go in? Commentators get excited when anyone who's got a history of outstanding long-range goals gets the ball in a bit of space around the edge of the area. See: Bale recently.
Yeah exactly. I'm not arguing Gerrard is better ffs, but when he seems to think it's odd commentators getting excited about the likes of Gerrard/Lampard/Scholes getting the ball in a bit of space on the edge of the box, there's something wrong.
Oh yeah, for sure. It's just you seemed to be advancing the argument they do it for Gerrard because he's known to rifle them into the top bin, without noting that it applies to the others too.
I always thought Scholes made a choice not to tackle properly, no one has a career like his and doesn't try work on it.
02/03. United's second half of the season revival was on the back of Scholes. Carrying a team to a Champions League isn't as impressive as a league title either.
It's not really. 200 goals in 12 years from midfield, helped his team to much more silverware than Gerrard has and is far more consistent. Gerrard's highs are higher, his best performances are better than Lampard's, but that's precisely the reason that Gerrard hasn't got a league winner's medal. Lampard consistently does it against everyone.
Also, stating that Gerrard carried Liverpool to a Champions League does a massive disservice to Jerzy Dudek and that linesman in the semi final.
So many United players say that Paul Scholes was the best player they ever played with. That says it all for me when you consider the players we've had
Yeah it's harsh on Benitez too, and Luis Garcia's screamers seem written out of history altogether. Their most convincing performance was arguably Juve away, when Gerrard didn't play. I've always hated the "single-handed" myth about Gerrard in '05, but it's sort of how people see the game in England. I definitely think Lampard belongs in the debate but I can't really split the three. Gerrard always seemed at his best as the stand-out player in an underdog side, which what Liverpool needed, but personally I do sort of respect it less than being part of a title-winning side. Scholes was a bit more low-key, especially late in his career. He would open up space for team-mates in a way that made them look like the star players, a bit like Alonso did at Liverpool. Lampard's insane levels of fitness and consistency don't really get enough respect and in the role Mourinho found for him he was a title-winning machine.