Steven Gerrard admits to feeling unsettled by off-pitch problems

Jan 21 2008

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard admitted the ongoing problems off the pitch are affecting the team after his side scraped a 2-2 draw at home to Aston Villa.

Peter Crouch rescued a Barclays Premier League point with a late goal at Anfield tonight. Crouch hooked in right footed from 10 yards in the the 88th minute to avert a disastrous result for under-fire manager Rafael Benitez.

Yossi Benayoun gave the Reds a 19th-minute lead but Marlon Harewood (69) and a Fabio Aurelio own goal (72) threatened to win it for Villa.

Gerrard told Setanta Sports 1: “We should win all of our home games, with the squad we’ve got. We’re disappointed with the draw but credit to Villa, they maybe deserved a point.

“It’s certainly not good enough. We’ll keep going, it (the title race) is not over until it is over. But it’s certainly not good enough.”

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Asked about whether the speculation concerning the future of the club’s ownership and Benitez’s position is having an effect, Gerrard said: “It’s not just this week, it’s been going on for some time and it’s certainly not helping the players.

“I’ve got to be careful what I say about the situation but it’s certainly not helping the team.

“We know what’s going on, but as players you’ve got a job to do on the pitch and you try to put what’s going on off the pitch to the back of your mind. But sometimes it’s impossible, when it is every day.”