I have argued repeatedly over the years that Steven Gerrard is not a world class footballer, and it seems that Italian legend Arrigo Sacchi holds the same view.
Is Sacchi right? Vote in the poll here --->>
In a recent interview with the Sunday Telegraph, he stated:
“When I was director of football at Real Madrid I had to evaluate the players coming through the youth ranks. We had some who were very good footballers. They had technique, they had athleticism, they had drive, they were hungry.
"But they lacked what I call knowing-how-to-play-football. They lacked decision making. They lacked positioning. They didn't have the subtle sensitivity of football: how a player should move within the collective. And for many, I wasn't sure they were going to learn".
“You see, strength, passion, technique, athleticism, all of these are very important. But they are a means to an end, not an end in itself. They help you reach your goal, which is putting your talent at the service of the team and, by doing this, making both of you and the team greater.
"In situations like that, I just have to say, Gerrard's a great footballer, but perhaps not a great player."
This is exactly what I have been arguing for years: Gerrard does not have, as Sacchi describes it ‘the subtle sensitivity of football’. He cannot creatively dictate the place of play, his positional indiscipline is detrimental to the team, he prefers to play at 100 mph, which affects his decision-making at times and his lack of real footballing intelligence is regularly exposed.
Gerrard may do the business against poor quality premiership teams, but on the biggest stage, he does not have a consistently world-class impact.
This explains why he has been an abject failure for England and why he never seems to turn up against the likes of Man United, Arsenal and Chelsea.
Of course, the rabidly fanatical Gerrard fan-club will not accept Sacchi views, and he will be dismissed as a nobody, and the predictable ‘but what about the CL final’ mantra will be wheeled out again.
Sacchi clearly knows what he’s talking about – he took Italy to the World Cup Final, and took the great Milan team of the late 80s - arguably club football’s most exciting ever team* – to amazing heights of breathtaking football rarely matched since.
It is so refreshing to see a high profile figure in the press telling it like it is. I have always conceded that Gerrard is great premiership player. But world class he is NOT.
World class status should be preserved for the undisputed greats of the game, the likes of Zidane, Cruyff, Beckenbauer, Maradona etc.
Gerrard is nowhere near that class.
*Behind Liverpool's 80s dream team of Barnes, Beardsley et al of course!
Is Sacchi right? Vote in the poll here --->>
In a recent interview with the Sunday Telegraph, he stated:
“When I was director of football at Real Madrid I had to evaluate the players coming through the youth ranks. We had some who were very good footballers. They had technique, they had athleticism, they had drive, they were hungry.
"But they lacked what I call knowing-how-to-play-football. They lacked decision making. They lacked positioning. They didn't have the subtle sensitivity of football: how a player should move within the collective. And for many, I wasn't sure they were going to learn".
“You see, strength, passion, technique, athleticism, all of these are very important. But they are a means to an end, not an end in itself. They help you reach your goal, which is putting your talent at the service of the team and, by doing this, making both of you and the team greater.
"In situations like that, I just have to say, Gerrard's a great footballer, but perhaps not a great player."
This is exactly what I have been arguing for years: Gerrard does not have, as Sacchi describes it ‘the subtle sensitivity of football’. He cannot creatively dictate the place of play, his positional indiscipline is detrimental to the team, he prefers to play at 100 mph, which affects his decision-making at times and his lack of real footballing intelligence is regularly exposed.
Gerrard may do the business against poor quality premiership teams, but on the biggest stage, he does not have a consistently world-class impact.
This explains why he has been an abject failure for England and why he never seems to turn up against the likes of Man United, Arsenal and Chelsea.
Of course, the rabidly fanatical Gerrard fan-club will not accept Sacchi views, and he will be dismissed as a nobody, and the predictable ‘but what about the CL final’ mantra will be wheeled out again.
Sacchi clearly knows what he’s talking about – he took Italy to the World Cup Final, and took the great Milan team of the late 80s - arguably club football’s most exciting ever team* – to amazing heights of breathtaking football rarely matched since.
It is so refreshing to see a high profile figure in the press telling it like it is. I have always conceded that Gerrard is great premiership player. But world class he is NOT.
World class status should be preserved for the undisputed greats of the game, the likes of Zidane, Cruyff, Beckenbauer, Maradona etc.
Gerrard is nowhere near that class.
*Behind Liverpool's 80s dream team of Barnes, Beardsley et al of course!
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