All posts by h79snht.top

Before pushing up to the Premier League, Leeds United’s transfer business has now been thankfully exposed to be full of many hits, rather than misses.

While Daniel Farke has reminded the Elland Road faithful that there is a “long road” ahead for survival, it cannot be understated how much of an influence the likes of Anton Stach have had on proceedings, with the summer signing from Hoffenheim’s delightful free-kick sealing a big 4-1 win over Crystal Palace last time out.

Additionally, Jaka Bijol has also finally arrived at the party in recent contests, after an initially wobbly start, winning a commanding 25 duels across December to date.

Still, it goes without saying at this point that Dominic Calvert-Lewin is the pick of the bunch when it comes to the influential recruits, with the free transfer of the ex-Everton marksman going down as an unbelievable steal.

The stats behind Calvert-Lewin's start at Leeds

Staggeringly, Calvert-Lewin is now the only player in Leeds’ history to score in each of his team’s five final league matches before Christmas, as the festive period has proven to be a fruitful time for the revitalised goalscorer.

Indeed, the often injury-prone 28-year-old has looked a man reborn in West Yorkshire, with seven Premier League goals now next to his name from just 15 appearances.

DCL’s PL form – 24/25 vs 25/26

Stat

24/25

25/26

Games played

26

15

Goals scored

3

7

Assists

1

0

Scoring frequency

543 mins

147 mins

Goal conversion %

6%

21%

Stats by Sofascore

It has been a very sharp turnaround in fortunes for Farke’s leading man, with the overjoyed German hailing him as an “unbelievable” player to work with, after his late equalising header against Brentford.

On the contrary, towards the end of his long-standing Everton spell, he was simply written off as a wasteful attacker well accustomed to the treatment room, with only three league strikes coming his way last season.

Now, however, he’s a number nine in a rich vein of form, with a goal coming his way in league action every 147 minutes. Moreover, he has been unbelievably effective in front of goal, with Calvert-Lewin only needing three shots in total to pick up a whirlwind double against the Eagles.

Therefore, it’s an argument that is hard to pick holes in when you state that Calvert-Lewin is Leeds’ best signing of the season. Yet, there is one figure who could be considered an even better signing than the Sheffield-born talisman.

Leeds star is a better signing than Calvert-Lewin

Leeds fans might well err on the side of caution when it comes to waxing too lyrical about their new favourite target-man, with Calvert-Lewin prone to barren patches of form, but also many recurring injury troubles.

The proof will soon be in the pudding if he can keep this up for a full Premier League season, with Ethan Ampadu, on the contrary, now three seasons down when it comes to delivering some top-drawer performances at Elland Road.

Farke’s top five most-used Leeds players

Player

Games

Goals + Assists

1. Joe Rodon

115

3 + 0

2. Joel Piroe

107

33 + 10

3. Ethan Ampadu

101

3 + 2

4. Wilfried Gnonto

100

18 + 12

5. Daniel James

94

25 + 17

Sourced by Transfermarkt

The table above reinforces how crucial Ampadu has been as one of Farke’s main heartbeats in West Yorkshire, with the Welshman now up to 101 games and counting under the German’s long-standing Whites tenure.

While he doesn’t boast anywhere near the same levels of output as Calvert-Lewin, Ampadu has still more than played his part in Leeds’ recent successes, with the £7m once splashed out on his services immediately justified last season, as his 16 clean sheets as a rock-solid midfield anchor helped Leeds return to the Premier League as emphatic champions.

He has also worn the captain’s armband with heaps of passion and bravery since pushing Leeds up to the top-flight, with the goal instinctively fired home by the ex-Chelsea youngster against Palace, capping off a tremendous all-round display, with a mighty 11 tackles and duels also won. Without this steel week in week out, Calvert-Lewin’s goals might ultimately count for nothing.

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Farke has rightly recognised how crucial of a glue Ampadu has been for his side over recent seasons, by noting in the build-up to the Sunderland contest to come that he is “one of the best midfielders in the league”, for how well-rounded and lively he is, with the ex-Norwich City boss also lauding him as a “cornerstone” centrally.

Of course, Calvert-Lewin’s contributions in recent matches have been more obvious, as goals are what catch the eye.

But, Ampadu has also been sensational to watch across Leeds’ December upturn in results, with the 25-year-old keen to secure survival for his beloved side, to not only strengthen his label as a favourite amongst supporters, but also in his manager’s good books.

Related 18 months after leaving Leeds, £22m star is a bigger talent than Archie Gray

This former Leeds United prodigy has turned into an even more exciting talent than Archie Gray since exiting Elland Road.

Posts 1 ByKelan Sarson

The Carlos Tevez saga is still droning on, as he is currently serving a two week suspension for Tevez-gate (are we calling it that yet?), while Manchester City investigate the matter. This week his agent/lackey/minion Kia Joorabchian has come out and stated that Tevez didn’t refuse to play and that his post-match comments were simply mistranslated by the club interpreter. The fact that he has been in England for five years and still needs a translator says just about all you need to know about his attitude.

We wouldn’t even we debating the issue if Tevez could converse in English, as nothing could be claimed to be misunderstood. However, this excuse of miscommunication between himself and the manager is ridiculous. Even if he isn’t fluent, after five years here he can surely understand an order to get up and play. Obviously players are played to do their talking on the pitch, but you would like to think that Tevez had at least picked up some basic English along the way. It makes you wonder how he actually conversed with his teammates and manager, and how on earth he managed as the club captain. Pablo Zabaleta has been at City for half the time Tevez has, yet he speaks almost fluent English. Although he doesn’t appear to be the sharpest knife in the drawer, surely Tevez could have made more of an effort.

I don’t want to come over all Daily Mail here, but clearly his lack of any attempt to learn even basic English despite his vast wealth and time, characterises his laziness, and the fact that he is a very self-centred individual, reliant on those around him to speak on his behalf. He has clearly been manipulated by these agents and third parties who have made a load of cash out of him, and it has had a very negative effect on him.

He has continually rocked the boat at every club he has been at, and he was obviously not interested in being at Manchester City from the off this season. The only reason he went back there was to collect his ridiculous pay check, which he has proved he is totally undeserving of. His actions speak louder than any words, and what he did that night in Munich proved what he truly thought of the club and the fans.

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Unfortunately, he is surrounded by people, like his agent, who have him believing his own hype, and it is frankly pathetic that he still needs his minions to talk for him. He is a complete prima donna and sadly a true example of what fame and money can do to a person. He suddenly encapsulates everything abhorrent about the modern footballer, and his refusal to play in front of loyal supporters who have spent their hard earned cash to watch the game, shows how truly self-centred he is. He is in a bubble completely separated from reality.

The fact that he was even welcomed back to the club after his comments during the summer regarding the club and the city was enough, but this is just a further insult. He probably wouldn’t have had such a rough time in the country and found more than two decent restaurants in Manchester, had he actually bothered to learn the language. It clearly would have helped him to settle into this country better, but he is obviously too spoiled to make any effort. He hasn’t tried anywhere near hard enough, and his poor attitude has been noticeable throughout his time in the country, so this latest scandal is simply not surprising at all.

Do you think we should really be surprised by Tevez’s actions? Let me know your thoughts by commenting below, or following me on Twitter @LaurenRutter for more comment and debate.

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Chelsea are set to make offers for Luka Modric AND Juan Mata, according to the Daily Mail, with Roman Abramovich set to sanction a £60 million double deal.

Blues boss Andre Villas-Boas has told the clubs billionaire owner that his side is in urgent need of some creativity in midfield and has added Mata to his shopping list.

The Russian is now set to back his young manager after watching both Manchester clubs splash out more than £50 million on new players.

Mata has emerged as a new target for Villas-Boas and had a £22 million bid for the Spanish international rejected last week.

Interest in Modric is well documented and the 33-year-old boss was careful with his words when pressed on the subject,

“The only thing I can say is just that it can happen. I don’t know to what extent we can go regarding his price because we are speaking about a high amount and nothing else, basically. End of story.” He said.

“It depends on a lot of things. It depends on Chelsea’s decision – if they are willing to go forward or not; up to which value and to decide whether they want to keep the interest in the player. It doesn’t depend on me. It’s not my money!

“Luka, on this particular occasion, is a young player but there would be for sure a sensible price to pay.”

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Villas-Boas has persuaded Abramovich to do whatever it takes to bring Modric to the club and a new bid is thought to be close.

He is also keen to bring Mata to Stamford Bridge and is set to make another offer of £27 million plus £2 in top-up payments despite interest from rivals Arsenal.

Watching Tottenham Hotspur last season, there were moments when you could see that accommodating Rafael Van der Vaart in the side had consequences. His desire to be on the ball and involved at all times was at odds with his advanced role in the team, sitting just off Peter Crouch. He would often, frustratingly, be seen in between the centre backs, picking the ball off their toes and playing a long ball out to the wings. This constant dropping off was unnecessary. Luka Modric and Tom Huddlestone were more than capable of starting Tottenham’s moves and Van der Vaart’s constant movement was at times more confusing than it was advantageous.

So, after a season, does Rafael Van der Vaart fit in Tottenham’s midfield? Can both Luka Modric’s and Van der Vaart’s creative styles work together? I think the answer is yes, if only Van der Vaart plays with slightly more positional discipline.

In the current starting eleven both players fit well, Modric controls possession and tempo in the centre of the pitch whilst Van der Vaart drops to link with him and flood central midfield but also pushes on to feed on Crouch’s knockdowns. The only time it doesn’t work is when Van der Vaart feels starved of the ball. Allowed a free reign by Redknapp, Van der Vaart upsets the balance when he gets impatient and starts attempting to do everything on his own. Whilst Modric plays the patient, percentage, possession game, Van der Vaart likes to move the ball forward quickly. It may be a contrast of styles but it is not a conflict, the two players compliment each other well and their respective styles are well balanced.

Had Tottenham possessed a front man who could put the ball in the net, the true quality of Modric and Van der Vaart as a creative force would have been seen. Modric created 66 goalscoring opportunities last season, one behind Van der Vaart, the fact that our leading striker scored 10 (Pavlyuchenko) shows where it all went wrong.

Both players have a confidence on the ball that makes their quality obvious to see, it would be a great shame if they could not be accommodated in the same side, fortunately I think they can and I hope they will be next season. If Van der Vaart stops dropping all the way back to get the ball, and out of somewhere we find an in form striker I’ll be a happy man.

Do you agree? Would Redknapp be better off with a traditional 4-4-2?

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http://twitter.com/#!/philipwroe

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For any football fan to come to the conclusion that Spurs have the best of any anything, no offence Tottenham, in the Premier League seems slightly more than unlikely, yet that is the prospect we are faced with. They might have qualified outside of the top four last year, but perhaps that was down to their maiden season in the Champions League rather than a poor squad. If their squad last year was good then the additions this year have taken it to the next level. In particular their midfield is arguably the best in the league. Last year I think it was Arsenal’s. Any midfield that had Nasri on his then form, Fabregas and Wilshere all playing in the centre was always going to be formidable, however this year Spurs have taken the mantle from their north London rivals.

It’s not just that Scott Parker has proved to be one of the best buys of the summer; it is that the players around him have grown as well. Parker may be the only addition to the Spurs midfield from last year but he has acted as a catalyst in the middle, liberating his team-mates, especially Luka Modric.

There weren’t many people, other than Daniel Levy, who wouldn’t have simply taken the £40m offered by Chelsea for Modric in the summer. It seemed an extortionately large sum for a player who whilst very good was never worth that much. I’m not saying that he is worth that now, but Modric’s performances this season have at least proved that Levy was right to hang on to him. Last season when Modric was playing beside Wilson Palacios or Tom Huddlestone on Sandro he was playing well but the sheer amount of work Parker does for the team means that Modric has been allowed to play with a sense of freedom that very few in Premier League midfields are allowed. As a result I don’t think that there is a team that Modric, on his current form, would not get in to.

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They also have arguably the best winger in the league in Gareth Bale. David Silva’s form this season was untouchable for the first few months but that form has cooled in recent weeks and whilst Bale has a similar level of technical ability his physical attributes greatly outweigh those of Silva. Clearly on his day there doesn’t seem to be anyone better than Silva but for consistency in quality performances there are none better than Bale. He has also improved a lot this year from last. This season he has seven assists in the league. That is already more than his last three years put together.

Then you have Aaron Lennon on the right, he clearly isn’t the best right-winger in the league, but he has improved a lot. You have to watch Lennon regularly to realise just how consistent and valuable he is for the Tottenham team. Though his recent spell on the sidelines was only for a few weeks it was clear to see how much Spurs missed him. His acceleration, first touch and driving runs are crucial for opening up space in opposition teams and when you combine his presence with that of Gareth Bale on the other wing the partnership they have is ruthless. It may not be a conventional partnership in that very few passes are played between the two but both rely on the other. With both Bale and Lennon on the pitch it not only stops opposition full backs from attacking but it stretches them defensively.

So if you consider that midfield four of Bale, Modric, Parker and Lennon, then remember that Spurs have Van der Vaart, Huddlestone, Sandro, Pienaar and Kranjcar as reserves it is hard to argue against the fact that not only do Spurs have the best starting midfield players but also the best strength in depth. Clearly Man City has some very talented individuals. Samir Nasri, David Silva and Yaya Toure are all exceptional players. However Adam Johnson, Nigel de Jong and Gareth Barry are consistently underwhelming in their performances and even Silva and Nasri have been disappointing over the Christmas period. No other teams even come close, United have excellent wingers but the fact that they need to bring a 37-year-old Paul Scholes out of retirement is testament to the quality of their other central midfielders. Then you have Liverpool who have extravagantly assembled the most mediocre midfield in the league, Chelsea who lack a defensive midfielder or any real midfield partnerships and Arsenal who are desperately trying to deal with a season in which they lost Nasri, Fabregas and Wilshere all at the same time. Believe me, as an Arsenal fan, it took me a long time to come around to this conclusion, but ultimately you can’t really argue against it. Hopefully it won’t last.

Follow me on Twitter @H_Mackay

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The FA is in no rush to appoint a New England manager and will wait until the end of the season before making an announcement. The official line coming out of Wembley is that they don’t want to unsettle the running of their target’s current football clubs therefore will be happy to wait until the end of the campaign.

Elsewhere in the news today Andre Villas-Boas has spoken about how weak his Chelsea squad is in comparison to Man City; Arsene Wenger is looking for more of the same from his Arsenal side at Anfield today, while Harry Redknapp concedes that the title is beyond Tottenham this season.

Headlines

The FA has confirmed they will wait until the end of the season before appointing a New England manager. It will give the chosen boss just four weeks to prepare before the Euro Championships – Guardian

Andre Villas-Boas claims the Chelsea squad is vastly inferior to that of Manchester City, despite the millions that have been shelled out in the last 10 years at Stamford Bridge – Guardian

Harry Redknapp has conceded that the title is beyond Tottenham this season, but is confident they can hold onto third place – Guardian

David Silva is playing through the pain barrier at Manchester City in order to drive them on to success this season – Daily Telegraph

Demba Ba’s future remains in the balance at Newcastle United as the striker’s get out clause has a lot of rival clubs on alert – Daily Telegraph

Arsene Wenger is looking for more of the same at Anfield to help close the gap on the top 3. The Frenchman would like his Arsenal side to replicate last Sunday’s showing in today’s lunchtime kick-off – Independent

Sir Alex Ferguson is looking to Brazil to find a long term replacement for Rio Ferdinand – Daily Mail

Emile Heskey is set to lead a summer clearout at Aston Villa, as Alex McLeish looks to reshape his squad – Mirror

Lucas Moura has put Chelsea on transfer alert after his brother revealed that he is taking English lessons, with a view of moving to the Premier League. The Sau Paulo ace has been on the Blues radar for some time and Abramovich certainly has the financial clout to secure a deal – Metro

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Jackson Martinez is hoping for a move to Liverpool, despite his club putting his price tag up to £10m – Daily Mail

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Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed that midfielder Tom Cleverley will miss the side’s next two games, as he will not be rushed back to action after picking up an ankle injury.

The England under-21 star had a promising start to the season at Old Trafford, starting the majority of the Premier League champions’ games until being injured against Bolton in September.

Despite recovering from that knock, he picked up a new ailment in the 1-0 win over Everton at the weekend.

His Scottish coach has indicated that the player will be given the required time to fully recover, and will not play against Otelul Galati in the Champions League on Wednesday.

“Tom won’t play,” the United manager told reporters ahead of the European fixture.

“It is not serious. He got a little tweak on Saturday but we have to take the long view.

“We need to make sure he will be available for a long period, rather than play him again and the decision comes back to haunt us, so I think he will miss the Saturday game (against Sunderland) also,” he concluded.

The United manager also called the game against the Romanian minnows a ‘must win game’, as the English side do not want to lose ground on current group leaders Benfica.

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By Gareth McKnight

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A flood of goals are expected at Craven Cottage as in-form Tottenham travel to face their former boss Martin Jol and his Fulham side who are looking to make it back-to-back wins for the first time this season.

Jol spent a successful three year spell at White Hart Lane in the mid-noughties taking the club to within a whisker of the Champions League in the 2005/06 season. After leaving North London he had spells at Hamburg and Ajax before being tempted back to the Premier League by Mohammed Al Fayed in the summer. He’s endured a difficult spell on the Thames thus far but last weeks 2-0 win over rock bottom Wigan will have given the Cottagers fans hope of pushing on after a slow start to the campaign. The Europa League has played it’s part in that with their 4-1 win over Wisla Krakow being their 23rd fixture of a season that started way back in June. It’s astonishing that the squad has yet to succumb to fatigue and Jol will have been extremely pleased with his sides performance on Thursday night with Andy Johnson scoring twice and shining throughout. His return to full fitness after an injury laden last few years has been a big plus and his pace and selfless running will be key to beating Spurs for the first time since November 2008 in a run that has seen them win just one in their last 10 league meetings. Another man who has started to find his form again is Clint Dempsey with his goal against Wigan last week putting him level with Brian McBride as the highest scoring American in the top flight on 36 goals.

Becoming the record holder might prove difficult up against a Tottenham side who are riding the crest of a wave at the moment although they will be without Harry Redknapp in the dugout after his heart surgery in midweek.  They are unbeaten in the last seven league games since losing their opening two against the two Manchester clubs and a win could send them into the top four if results go their way. Emmanuel Adebayor’s arrival on loan from Manchester City coincided with the upturn in form with the Togo striker scoring three in two games after his move. He’s failed to find the net since the 4-0 win over Liverpool at White Hart Lane on 18th September but it’s his all round performances that have been a delight. His energy and link up play with midfield has given the side an extra dimension and certainly made Spurs more fearsome i the final third. The goals are flowing for Rafael Van Der Vaart though with the Dutchman looking to find the net for the 6th successive game. Should he score he will become the seventh player in Spurs history to do so in six or more consecutive games with Garth Crooks the last player achieve such a feat back back in the 1984/85 season.

Key Players

Danny Murphy – Managed by Jol at Tottenham and now at Fulham the experienced midfielder is key to the way Fulham attack. His knowledge and guile in the centre of midfield is second to none and if he is afforded time and space he can pick out a telling pass like the best of them.

Rafael Van Der Vaart – Many thought the Dutchman would be heading out of North London in the summer but quite the contrary has happened. The former Real Madrid man has stepped up his game superbly since the opening weeks of the season providing a goalscoring threat and link between attack and midfield. Watch out for his intelligent movement in-between the lines on Sunday.

Prediction: 2-3

 

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Clint Dempsey’s three goals have come from 30 attempts at goal with 63% on target, and he has also contributed three assists Midfielder Dempsey has also been supporting in defensive play, making 20 interceptions and winning 74% of 19 tackles attempted this season Rafael van der Vaart broke the Manchester stranglehold on the top three spots on the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index by scoring his 6th goal in 5 Barclays Premier League games to go 2nd in the index Van der Vaart has scored 6 goals and contributed 2 assists this season, meaning he has had a hand in one in three of Spurs’ goals

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Liverpool and Sunderland shared the spoils at Anfield in what was the battle of the debutants.

No fewer than 7 players made their debuts for their respective new clubs, in a game that was very much a clichéd game of two halves.

Liverpool was by far the better team in the first half and created numerous chances and although Luis Suarez missed an early penalty, was able to head home from the impressive Charlie Adam.

The penalty caused friction within the Liverpool camp who felt that Phil Dowd should have sent off Kieran Richardson for the challenge on the Uruguayan. Whether Dowd felt Suarez was going away from goal remains unknown, but it is hard to argue that this was a goalscoring opportunity that was thwarted by Richardson’s challenge. Dowd issued a yellow much to the dismay of the Reds.

Sunderland impressed in the second half and looked the much better of the two teams and scored a wonderful equaliser through Sebastian Larsson. Sessegnon’s cross was met with an acrobatic effort from the Swedish international that gave Pepe Reina absolutely no chance.

Both sides huffed and puffed in the end but neither could make a breakthrough to secure the points. The spoils were shared in a result that Steve Bruce would arguably be the happier with.

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Liverpool look set to welcome the return of captain Steven Gerrard shortly after the England midfielder spent an extended period on the sidelines with a serious groin injury, but how will his return effect the shape of the side? With Suarez now unquestionably top dog, will Carroll be the one to make way in this Liverpool side’s ever-evolving line-up?

Kenny Dalglish has shown himself to be an extremely difficult manager to read when it comes to team selection since his return to the managerial seat at Anfield. While many may have questioned whether his ethos had become outdated during his time away from the game, he’s actually been rather proactive and versatile when it comes to individual selections and the formations he’s picked, with the Scot never afraid to mix it up and do the unexpected.

Liverpool, for my money at least, have performed best with Suarez as the focal point of their attack. Having a false number nine up top has brought the best out those around him.

With Andy Carroll in the side, though, Liverpool have looked, ponderous, slow in possession and lacking in ideas going forward. This is not entirely down to the Geordie front man alone, it’s just that his style of play seems to be in direct contrast to what gets the best out of the rest of the side at the moment.

Carroll still looks to be struggling for fitness on top of that and dare I say it, carrying an extra pound or two to truly trouble a defender in anything other than the air at the moment. While I may not place too much stock in the premature talk of him being a ‘flop’, he does look short of match fitness and a tad on the leggy side. Dropping him from the starting eleven may not be what’s best for him, but at the moment it may be what’s best for the rest of the side.

In his absence, Suarez took up the mantle and ran with it. The diminutive Uruguayan managed to bring the best out of Dirk Kuyt as an attacking force and the two’s link play has been simply superb at times. Although the Dutchman‘s starting place has most often been taken away at the expense of Carroll when he‘s started, he‘s both a hard-working defensive winger that offers a threat going forward and should be a regular starter.

Stewart Downing’s ability to deliver from both wings, coupled with his work ethic should ensure that his stay in the starting eleven is a prolonged one. He can frustratingly drift in and out of game at the moment, but on the whole, his form has been decent.

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The middle of midfield is where the true selection headache lies, with two of Lucas, Henderson, Adam and the returning skipper Gerrard to pick from. It well and truly depends on whether Dalglish persists with Carroll and Suarez up top for the time being. Should he choose to drop Carroll for now, an extra spot opens up and with it, a place for Gerrard.

Lucas will most certainly get the nod due to his dependability both positionally and in the tackle, with the fact that he’s the club’s only recognised holding midfielder surely not going unnoticed. He’s been an ever-present since Dalglish’s return and the Scot is thought to rate him highly.

Charlie Adam always seems to make some sort of mark on the game and his passing ability from the middle and vision to spot the darting runs of Downing and Suarez further forward add an extra dimension to Liverpool’s attacking play.

Henderson offers versatility, dynamism and vision, however, he is yet to fully lay down his marker in the side. His versatility, while his biggest strength and part of the reason why Dalglish pursued his signature with such vigour in the summer, could also turn out to be his biggest hindrance. He lacks positional discipline, partly due to his inexperience and he as such, he lacks a discernible role in the side as yet.

Gerrard has shown himself to be a more than capable second-striker, particularly during his destructive partnership with Fernando Torres. He is perhaps the best one-on-one finisher in the country and he’d be ideally suited, in the years to come, to eventually becoming a predatory striker.

During the ill-fated Hodgson reign, Gerrard tried to reinvent himself as a Xabi-Alonso styled player. A deep-lying playmaker of sorts. The result was that in order to try and drop back and instigate play, Gerrard left a Gerrard-shaped hole further forward up the pitch to finish off these moves off. The arrival and emergence of Suarez has now changed this. So too has the arrival of Charlie Adam, though, and the need for Gerrard the quarterback is no more.

The England midfielder has often seen himself as a conventional central midfielder, but his best form of his career for both club and country has come either on the right wing, in a free role or as a second striker. He’s simply not the player he wants to be. The temptation to try the ‘Hollywood’ pass at every given opportunity means his strengths don’t suit those traditionally associated with that of a quarterbacking midfielder.

Liverpool are still a side going through a transitional phase. Results such as the deeply disappointing defeat to Spurs at the weekend are not uncommon through such a period and there will be more of them over the course of a long campaign.

The temptation to thrust an unfit Gerrard into the team will be great, but so far Dalglish has sensibly erred on the side of caution. However, there will come a time in the near future when Gerrard is raring to go and a decision will need to be made.

The club has often been derided in the past as a one-man or two-man team. With the emergence of Luis Suarez as a key figure over the last few months, Liverpool’s best performances have coincided with him as the lone front man.

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Whether that makes them a one-man team again remains to be seen, but the Liverpool of old appears to have gone and in order to get the best out the talent available, Gerrard may have to adjust, albeit in a familiar role, to the new one-man team at the club, even if that means leaving £35m worth of striker on the bench for the foreseeable future.

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