Liverpool fans usually discuss the same names when talking about great forwards who have played at Anfield. From Robbie Fowler to Ian Rush, Fernando Torres to Luis Suarez — it’s a long list of legends.
But when Gerrard was asked about strikers he loved playing with, he went in a different direction than most would expect. He gave credit to a player he thinks doesn’t get enough credit for his years in a red shirt.
That player is Emile Heskey, the burly centre-forward who played a major role in the many trophies Liverpool won at the turn of the century.
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Steven Gerrard explains why Emile Heskey at Liverpool was underrated
Heskey was never the flashy one at Liverpool, but that was the point. He gave Gerard Houllier’s side weight up top, pinned defenders, made the pitch bigger for Michael Owen and created the kind of space that midfield runners dream about.
That mattered in a side that actually won things. Liverpool’s run in the early noughties was built on more than star names, and Heskey played his part in Liverpool’s 2001 treble, the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup, before adding more silverware as Houllier’s team kept finding ways to compete.
Gerrard went on The Boot Room, where he explained his admiration for a former teammate.
Emile Heskey
11 Mar 2000: Emile Heskey shoots on his debut for Liverpool during the FA Carling Premiership match against Sunderland at Anfield in Liverpool, England. The game was drawn 1-1. Mandatory Credit: Shaun Botterill /Allsport
He said: “He (Heskey) was great to play with and certainly underrated in terms of the media and the attention he used to get. I think he was the perfect partner for a Robbie Fowler, a Michael Owen, those type of strikers who like to run in behind because he gave you the power.
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“He gave you the focal point and hold up play. As a midfielder, you always want to play around corners or if someone’s missing you out, you want to jump on.
“And a lot of my best goals, if you think of the FA Cup final we spoke about earlier, came off Peter Crouch for example, setting it for midfielders to run onto. So I always used to like playing with two forwards. One that could run in behind so you could serve them, but also someone that you could play off or bounce a ball off or play around the corner.”
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Plenty of his best work did not make a montage, which is exactly why Heskey ended up so underrated outside Anfield. Gerrard’s point was simple enough. He gave Liverpool that focal point every side needs, and with 22 goals in his best season, was a danger in and around the box.
He was a proper team striker, and they do not always get the credit until years later. Heskey regrets leaving Liverpool when he did, and perhaps would have got the recognition he deserved if he had stayed on Merseyside a while longer.
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