Steven Gerrard – superstar striker

[EwarWoo]

Attacking midfielder = Attackielder

Pronounced:
Attac-killed-yer

[DannyMan2006]

Forward/Midfield

For(ce)field

[dww]

Hmmm it is an interesting point (not the semantics but the thing about England selection involving choices of Gerrard vs Rooney) and one mentioned in the Guardian yesterday.

I tend to think that the best way to look at a 'big' team is to think of 6 players forming a defense and midfield platform and then to aim to have four attacking players who form a balanced attacking unit. In that context it is natural to think of Gerrard in terms of attacking players only.

I agree with the Guardian article in that Capello seems to feel that the best way to get goals out of England forwards is to combine Rooney and Heskey centrally. The problem then becomes how do you fit Gerrard into the team - play him as well as Rooney off Heskey or put him to one side. Either seems to me to limit the width available to teh team and given our poor short passing as a team I think we need width to give us out balls. Personally I would think that we don't have anyone good enough to demand the left sided position so one of Gerrard or Rooney has to be made to suck it up and play there. Personally I think the swapping would be better if you nominally put Gerrard in the free role but I suspect for the foreseeable future we will see Rooney there when fit.

[Guest]

Hmmm it is an interesting point (not the semantics but the thing about England selection involving choices of Gerrard vs Rooney) and one mentioned in the Guardian yesterday.

I tend to think that the best way to look at a 'big' team is to think of 6 players forming a defense and midfield platform and then to aim to have four attacking players who form a balanced attacking unit. In that context it is natural to think of Gerrard in terms of attacking players only.

I agree with the Guardian article in that Capello seems to feel that the best way to get goals out of England forwards is to combine Rooney and Heskey centrally. The problem then becomes how do you fit Gerrard into the team - play him as well as Rooney off Heskey or put him to one side. Either seems to me to limit the width available to teh team and given our poor short passing as a team I think we need width to give us out balls. Personally I would think that we don't have anyone good enough to demand the left sided position so one of Gerrard or Rooney has to be made to suck it up and play there. Personally I think the swapping would be better if you nominally put Gerrard in the free role but I suspect for the foreseeable future we will see Rooney there when fit.

Well Gerrard scores more goals than Rooney. IMO Rooney should be stuck on the left, as you say.

[BG1973]

Steven Gerrard – one-time midfielder, now one half of the world’s best strike partnership.

Thoughts?

I noticed in the latest England squad that Stevie has been picked as a midfielder, while the likes of Carlton Cole and Emile Heskey clog up the striking positions.

In my eyes it’s clear – Gerrard can no longer be viewed as a midfield player, and all the credit goes to Rafa. On a slight tangent, why doesn’t he get any credit for this? Essentially Benitez has taken the very best midfield player in the country – some might say the world – and turned him into a world class striker. Yet I’ve heard cretins like Jamie Redknapp claim Benitez ‘stumbled into it’. LMFAO!

Gerrrard is a 2nd striker. He plays in the same position as Wayne Rooney, only he’s miles better. More goals, more assists, more drive, more everything. Of course few of us give a **** about England, but Gerrard should play there for his country. Maybe off Peter Crouch or something (remember how well they linked-up together).

Anyway, enough of England. Do you share my view that Gerrard is a striker? Does his conversion free up the room for another centre-midfielder? i.e. GazBaz? We look for two players for every position, and the way I see it is we have Xabi, Mash and Lucas for CM. Obviously Gerrard can play there – in fact he remains England’s best in that position – but he’s a striker now.

Discuss

He's not a striker he's a phenomenal allrounder. He'd be the best right back we have, the best right winger and probably not a bad centre back if he practiced enough.

Played as a striker he will be awesome because he is just an awesome talent.
Has all the tools for all positions and the heart of a lion which counts for a hell of lot.

[MrMichael]

That sounds like a combination of football, tailoring and pornography.

flmao!

I just think he's the best footballer in the world.

He's a Midforward!

We have a winner

[Neil Young]

Hmmm it is an interesting point (not the semantics but...

[Joe King]

Trequartista

[red g]

Trequartista

The second striker position is a loosely-defined and often misapplied one somewhere between the out-and-out striker, whether he is a target-man or more of a poacher, and the Number 10 or Trequartista, while possibly showing some of the characteristics of both. In fact, a coined term, the "nine-and-a-half", has been an attempt to define the position. Conceivably, a Number 10 can alternate as a second-striker provided that he is also a prolific goalscorer, otherwise a striker who can both score and create opportunities for a less versatile centre forward is more suited. This has been true of a natural trequartista like Roberto Baggio who seldom played in a team formation which permitted him the creative license to play as a number 10 and so he adapted himself to the second-striker role. A second- or support-striker does not tend to get as involved in the orchestration of attacks, nor bring as many other players into play as the Number 10 since they do not have the range of vision, nor the burden of responsibility that the latter, around whom the team's game is built, possess. Accordingly, neither do they have as much responsibility for inventing the game

if trequartista is a baggio, not sure i would agree there.

I think he is just a phenom who cannot be pigeon holed.

[red g]

what about retro style 'inside forward'