Gerrard being pamperd more?

[einar]

From the official site:

Is Gerrard getting close to his best?

He said he was close, but I don't think so. I think he can improve a lot. He is playing much better and playing well, but his potential is so high that he can always improve. I hope to see him scoring goals and happy – that's the key. I really think he's an amazing player. If he's focussed, he's a player you cannot stop. He can keep the ball, he can beat players, he can score goals, win the ball in the air and be good at set-pieces. So for us, when he says he is close, I say maybe he doesn't know his true potential.

This sounds to me like maby Rafa is trying to pamper Gerrard more ala Hollier to get the best out of him. Maby he has reallised that that is the best way to boost his confidence.

[carrsim]

no pampering in the rest of the article though is there. its just another of the same thing that rafa has said in public since he arrived. ie stevie is a great player and can still get better.

stevie gets more public praise from rafa than the rest of the team imo and always has- not a bad thing but rafa always tempers it with the reminder not to rest on laurels. which is good management for me.

"He can still improve. I say to him he needs to know his team-mates and the players he has in front of him. If we play with two wingers and two strikers, he must concentrate and be careful all the time because when he goes forward into the box, that can leave gaps behind.


"But he must also think about what he does. He must concentrate and be aware all the time what is going on around him. If we do not have a holding midfield player he knows he cannot run into the box as much as he would like.

"He must be careful. I have told him he must go forward but he must also be aware of what is happening behind his runs.

Steve knows as captain he must set an example."

no pampering there at all

"He said he was close to his best, but I do not think so. He is much better but his potential is so high he can improve much more."

[einar]

you are probably right, it was mainly this part though:

So for us, when he says he is close, I say maybe he doesn't know his true potential.

mainly in light of the interview he gave where he said after a meeting with Rafa he was back into the middle. Kind of sounded like he had made Rafa change his mind.

But like you say, Im probably a bit of here.