Steven Gerrard: I’m getting back to my best

Sep 27 2007 by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post

STEVEN GERRARD has reassured Liverpool supporters he is coming back to his best after admitting to playing through the pain barrier in recent games.

The Anfield skipper has been hampered by the broken toe suffered five weeks ago during the Champions League qualifier in Toulouse.

Rafael Benitez was unhappy a not fully-fit Gerrard appeared in all but 19 minutes of England’s Euro 2008 qualifying double header against Israel and Russia earlier this month.

Gerrard continued to struggle with the problem and was a subdued presence as the Anfield side produced a poor performance in Porto before labouring to a goalless draw at Birmingham City on Saturday.

However, the 27-year-old believes he is now recovered from the injury after training without pain for the last few days.

“I’m feeling a lot better now,” said Gerrard. “The last three or four days, I’ve been totally pain-free from my toe.

“I’ve struggled during the last two or three games and have been getting a lot of pain from it.

“But I’ve been training every session and can feel my sharpness coming back, so I think my top form is only around the corner.”

Gerrard made a late substitute appearance in Tuesday’s 4-2 Carling Cup victory over Reading, creating the final goal of Fernando Torres’s hat-trick.

Torres was joined up front by Peter Crouch, the sixth different strike partnership Liverpool manager Benitez has employed this season.

It was only Crouch’s third

start of the campaign, but the striker is confident he will feature more prominently throughout the year.

“At the start of the season maybe I wasn’t getting enough starts as I would like,” he said. “But the manager has shown he chops and changes his squad around, and I don’t think anyone is safe from that.

“The biggest proof of that is Fernando Torres not starting the last two Premier League games.

“I went to see the manager at the start of the season and he reassured me that I would be involved in a big chunk of the season. When you’re challenging in four competitions, I honestly believe I’ll get enough games.

“I want to play, all footballers are the same, we are selfish and want to play.”

With Michael Owen joining Emile Heskey on the sidelines for England’s Euro 2008 qualifiers against Estonia and Russia next month, Crouch is also poised for a recall at international level.

And the Liverpool man is confident England coach Steve McClaren has the striking options available to cover Owen’s latest injury.

“I believe that we have the players to come in and will do a job,” said Crouch. “When I was suspended for the first qualifier, Emile Heskey came in and did a fantastic job. He wasn’t even in the squad before that and that shows the strength in depth we’ve got.

“Before that myself and Michael Owen both played and scored in a3-0 in Estonia so obviously that partnership worked. If Michael is out then we have Andrew Johnson, Wayne Rooney is fit now, and Jermain Defoe. We are rich in the striking department. I firmly believe that we can cope with any injuries we have got.

“I certainly believe we have got players to come in and can certainly do more than a job.”

Crouch could partner the returning Rooney, and added: “If I’m playing with Wayne Rooney, I know he likes to drop deep and receive the ball deep and create things and maybe I’ll play a bit higher that I would with Michael.”