KopTalk.com Forums Football Liverpool FC Forum We can win it

Not during a season. In the summer. A side needs to have someone to look up to, to inspire them and to show "how it's done", scoring invaluable goals, surging forward, making angles, winning that second challenge, creating moves, especially when backs are against the wall.

Are we not all getting a little hung up on this captain thing? After all, all they do is go up for the coin toss.

For me, Gerrard being captain held a few players back in a way. He was our best player and as he was captain, I think some players would always look for him for fear of getting a bollocking if they didn't give him the ball. No one seemed to step up to the plate when Gerrard was captain for me.

What we need is good players first and foremost who can do the things that Chester has said, which we do have some of.

Agree on the first part. Regarding holding players back,can't remember who that could have been, in any case those who were good just showed it, Torres, Alonso, Mascherano, more recently, Suarez, Coutinho etc.

Suarez could never have been captain but always showed how it was done.

I just felt that they always looked for Gerrard instead of an easy pass just because of who he was and that he was captain. I remember Hendo seemed to do better in his early days when he was playing without Gerrard.

I did think sometimes the players would just give it Gerrard rather than taking responsibility themselves, when Gerrard was out injured, we often looked a better all round team, as players had to step up and couldn't look for the easy option of Gerrard, but that wasn't Gerrard's fault.

Suarez turned out to be a great player for us, but when we signed him I wondered what we were getting into after the incidents he had been in, seemed a bit gamble at the time with a large fee, like the World Cup cheating (handball), when we signed him he was banned for biting a player in Holland and had been stripped of the captaincy for it. Then when he played the first few games, he was abit all over the place, losing control of the ball etc, but that was just his style with the nutmegs etc.

A good captain is worth his weight in gold.

He can inspire, motivate and lead by example on the pitch.

Maradona lifted those around him when he played for club and country as did Adams at Arsenal, Baresi at Milan, Souness with us and Beckenbaur with Germany.

Roy Keane's performance for united away to Juventus where they recovered from being 2-0 down to win 3-2 is one of the most inspirational captains performances of all time.

Gerrard's performance in the second half and during extra time in Istanbul was also a perfect example of how a captain can lead, inspire and motivate those around them.

What the hell are you taking about, when did I say Gerrard was not Captain material? You look to be getting confused on posters. Take your time when you are reading. And re Matip, I asked why would he be better than Henderson, and you come up with the crap above.

I agree, a good captain is a great asset, but you have just named 6 of the greatest plyers of all time in their position and leaders, these players are few and far between now.

Football has changed now, look at the latest rumours with Sanchez & Ozil wanting to know that Wenger is staying before they sign a new deal, 20 years ago that would never have happened, it was sign or we sell ya, players have the power now, the like's of Tony Adams/Ian Wright would not have tolerated that.

We used to have teams with 3 or 4 captains in them, like Whelan/Wright/McMahon/Barnes etc, but all the team is responsible, it should not be down to 1 player to grab them by the scruff of the neck, unfortunately players do not have that same attitude now.