Gerrard is off the hook, but Liverpool are sinking in pre-season and their midfielders are biting at Spanish bait. Goal.com's Greg Ptolomey looks at the complicated degrees of loyalty at Liverpool.
EPL: Xabi Alonso, Blackburn Rovers - Liverpool (PA)
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Loyalty and Liverpool are supposed to be like two peas in a pod. ‘You'll Never Walk Alone’, that famous anthem, sums up the grandiose emotional value the Reds faithful place on wearing the Liverbird – an all encompassing give-and-take between the Kop and the field.
At the moment, though, Rafa Benitez's troops are somewhat adrift on their summer tour, without their skipper Steven Gerrard and without a win in three after games against St. Gallen, Rapid Vienna and Thailand.
Gerrard has been in court, defending himself against charges brought upon him after a winter bar brawl, which left Lounge Inn DJ Marcus McGee battered after a row over music.
"He has the support of the club and, for sure, the fans," Benitez said earlier this week – taking the same stance he took when the news broke of the skipper's arrest.
A statement from Kenny Dalglish, read out in the court, added, "Stevie receives a lot of grief for simply trying to be normal. Despite the fame and obvious wealth that comes with his level of success, he has not forgotten his roots. He is a humble man."
And he's a free man, for the Liverpool Crown Court has found that, as shown by CCTV footage, a friend of Gerrard threw the first elbow, with the player thereafter acting in self-defence, albeit with the "style and speed of a professional boxer" - at least according to the (failed) prosecution.
Whatever the outcome, whatever happened, there was little doubt that Liverpool would stand by their man. "I'd like to say thank you to everyone at Liverpool Football Club for supporting me," Gerrard said after hearing the verdict. "I'm really looking forward to the season ahead and concentrating on football."
Back in the equally surreal world of an elite club's pre-season, the far-reach of the Liverpool message has been evident, despite the false start this summer – which is unusual in recent years as 'Pool generally impress in pre-season. There were hysteric scenes on Friday morning in Singapore as Fernando Torres and Jamie Carragher greeted one branch of their ever multiplying global fan-base. Days earlier, Benitez had spoken of his pride after similar scenes in Thailand.
That leads to the next test of loyalty – the lure of the suddenly red-hot Spanish Primera Division vs. another gruelling, inevitably drama-filled tilt at the Premier League and Champions League with Liverpool – and two players in a very different kind of boat than 'Carra' and 'El Nino'. This is the dilemma which has been facing key midfielders Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano in recent weeks.
Judging from the various sound-bytes floating around Alonso – who was of course on the verge of moving to Juventus last summer – he's taking a 'please don't make me say it' approach to interest from Spain. Like Cristiano Ronaldo, he's lit the fire and seemingly hopes that Los Blancos have read the smoke signals.
'Pool's defences are limited to placing an extortionate price on their man's head and hoping for the best. Whether they'd be able to replace him at this short notice remains to be seen, but more worrying could be Xabi's attitude hereafter if Madrid don't pick up the tab and give him one of those OTT Bernabeu presentations before the season begins.
Mascherano appears to be even more cynical. Interest from Barcelona is not quite the same thing – this isn't a once (well, twice) in a generation mega-money rebuilding project like Madrid's. The Argentine simply seems to be unsettled in England, and has yet to instruct his agent to do anything but keep alive the prospect of a Camp Nou transfer – a move to what he allegedly views as a more appealing lifestyle on and off the park with the European champions.
If these two were loyal, we wouldn't still be talking about it. The main pity for Liverpool is that they're crucial positionally, or one senses that the club may have been able to bring the matters to a close one way or the other by now.
Meanwhile, Rafa has gone into loyalty overload where his squad and the Reds' extended family are concerned. He's expressed his belief in the returning Andriy Voronin, and continues to back Ryan Babel, despite his lacklustre recent history. David N'Gog and Lucas Leiva also continue to enjoy copious amounts of verbal faith. He's expressed grief after sending injured pair Martin Skrtel and Nabil El Zhar back to Merseyside.
Rafa has also admitted that he pondered a move for Anfield legend Michael Owen. Heck, Peter Crouch has even been linked with a shock return in the tabloids. Most bizarre of all, though, was when Benitez questioned the loyalty of a player he never even put in a bid for, Gareth Barry, who took the bait and called the Spaniard "disrespectful" after signing for Manchester City.
It's only pre-season, and no-one is going to claim just yet that any of this turbulence will cost Liverpool the title. In fact, the sheer relief on the face of Gerrard should give everyone a lift, even if he is many miles away from his team-mates, reportedly ready to take on Tranmere as part of a 'Pool XI on Friday.
Still, the midfielders are itchy, the infamous 'Yanks' remain in the boardroom, and Rafa is so loyal at the moment he probably wouldn't rule out re-signing Robbie Keane. Someone's going to have to walk alone at some point!
Greg Ptolomey, Goal.com
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