Gerrard: “I could have gone to Real Madrid on two occasions"

Steven Gerrard, the Liverpool captain, spoke to the press ahead of Liverpool’s Champions League clash against Real Madrid:

After the win against QPR you said that you could not play like that against Real Madrid – how did your team-mates respond to those words?

The group accepted those words. We know Real Madrid’s quality. We have to be at our best and give 100% to secure a good result. We know that we can play better than we did on Sunday and we will try to do it.

In 2009 you scored two goals as Liverpool beat Real Madrid 4-0 at Anfield. Should there be more nights like that at Anfield?

The Champions League is very important for us. We are well aware that we played very well that night. It was a wonderful evening [in 2009] and a fabulous team performance and we are looking for a similar level. Nights like that live with you forever. When teams like that come to town and you get a result it creates fantastic memories.

What were the keys to that victory in 2009?

Looking back at the game the reason we came out on top was we were aggressive with or without the ball, pressed from the front and had a world-class talent in Fernando Torres and we forced them into mistakes. I can’t give away tactics for tomorrow but with all due respect to the team in 2009, individually Real Madrid have improved so we have huge respect for the current Real Madrid team. We must give 100% if we want to beat them.

Madrid were bullied when they came to Anfield five years ago. Do you think they will arrive without fear this year?

Real Madrid are going to come with more confidence than ever and they do not worry about their opponents. The match should be treated as a challenge. It’s another phase for the team and we have gone a while without playing matches like this one.

What do you think about Cristiano Ronaldo’s development?

There were signs when Cristiano played for Manchester United that he was world-class. The figures he produced there were very good but his game has gone to another level since then. He has improved year-on-year. I think now he is arguably the best player in the world. He is a football phenomenon. It would be disrespectful if we only focused on him, though. I prefer to focus on my job and the work of my team-mates.

You have been critical of the team on a few occasions this season. Does this criticism mean more because of the captaincy?

It’s not just for my team-mates, it is for me as well. It is important to speak honestly from time to time. We’ve been up and down this season. It's been stuttering. We can explain this by pointing to the new arrivals and the players that have left. We lost a phenomenal player in Luis Suárez and have had trouble getting Daniel Sturridge on the pitch but I have confidence we’ll get back to level of next season. It won’t be long.

You have been linked with Real Madrid on many occasions in the past. Would you have liked to have played for them?

When a club like Real Madrid are interested in you it’s flattering. I have had a couple of options through my career to go to Real Madrid but I resisted temptation because of the feeling I had for my hometown club. It might be something I regret down the line for not challenging myself and experiencing another country but I would have had an even bigger regret leaving Liverpool. I had a great admiration for Madrid but for me Liverpool is my No 1 club.

from Últimas noticias | Diario AS http://as.com/diarioas/2014/10/21/english/1413911055_652155.html

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