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'Just the start' Liverpool's Gerrard grows into key FA Cup final figure
LONDON (Reuters) -- Steven Gerrard has matured in body and mind into one of the best midfielders in the English Premier League and his battle with Arsenal counterpart Patrick Vieira could go a long way towards deciding Saturday's FA Cup final. Three years ago, as Vieira was helping France win the World Cup, Gerrard was a gangly 17-year-old who had yet to make his first team debut. Now, days before he turns 20, Gerrard has become an automatic first choice not just for Liverpool but for England. His stamina, crunching tackles, pinpoint passing and deadly long-range shooting mark him out as the perfect all-rounder. His progress was recognized last week by his fellow professionals who voted him their Young Player-of-the-Year. "This is just the start for Steven," said Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier. "How far he goes in the game depends on him. He has to keep his focus and do what he has to do. He is a very talented player and I know he can deliver even more." He could certainly have delivered more for England, having played just three times despite being named in more than a dozen squads. His absences have been the result of various back, groin and hamstring injuries which appear to be related to his burgeoning physique. "I was the same size as Michael Owen when I was 14 and now he's a midget," Gerrard said in March, talking about the latest of his growth spurts that have left his body struggling to adjust to the stresses and strains of professional soccer. "I have definitely grown over two to three inches [five to eight centimetres] in a year and put on over a stone [six kilos]." Stretching regimeThe rapid changes leave him stiff and aching after a game and often unable to play twice in a week. He is currently seeing a manipulation specialist in France and has stretching and dietary regimes. The lightweight Gerrard "Mark One" made an instant impact on the international scene at last year's European Championship, coming on as a substitute for his second cap against Germany and immediately stemming the growing German midfield threat with his tackling. The 30-minute cameo went a long way to helping a tiring England hold on for a morale-boosting 1-0 victory and included a fierce tackle on Dietmar Hamann which Gerrard later said left his Liverpool teammate "squealing like a girl." Gerrard was pencilled in as a starter in the final group game against Romania but had to withdraw through injury and watched from the stands as England's midfield was again overrun in a 3-2 defeat that sent them out of the tournament. Injury also ruled him out of the World Cup qualifiers against Germany and Finland in October and the subsequent friendlies against Italy and Spain. He finally pulled on the England shirt again in March, performing well in the 2-1 Anfield victory over Finland, but predictably was left of the trip to Albania four days later. But neither Sven-Goran Eriksson or Houllier have any major concerns about Gerrard's health and both have pledged to treat him carefully to extract maximum value from what has developed into a priceless asset. Fixture congestionIn Liverpool's case that has proved somewhat difficult as they chased success on four fronts and suffered the inevitable fixture congestion that comes from reaching three cup finals, though Houllier has done a good job of protecting him. Gerrard needs no such help on the pitch, however, as he more than holds his own in central midfield confrontations. He has emerged with colors aloft from shuddering collisions with the likes of Roy Keane, David Batty and Dennis Wise, all keen to put the young pretender in his place, and will be ready for more of the same against Vieira. It should not be surprising coming from a player who grew up idolizing former Liverpool hardman Steve McMahon from the terraces and learned the tackling trade from England international Paul Ince. "He's a good, hard lad. He certainly puts his foot in," said former Liverpool colleague Steve McManaman, now of Real Madrid. "Some of the midfielders he has come across this year have certainly experienced that." As he has flourished at home and in Europe, Gerrard's confidence has grown.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
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