Gerrard gets central return

Gerrard: Middle man

The manager knows central midfield is where I want to play.

Steven Gerrard
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Steven Gerrard has admitted he cannot wait to return as Liverpool's middle man.

The Reds manager Rafa Benitez has revealed that Gerrard, who spent most of the last campaign on the right wing in an attempt to compensate for voids in the Liverpool squad, is set for a renewed central midfield role this season.

Benitez has recruited Yossi Benayoun and Ryan Babel to add to the wide men Jermaine Pennant and Harry Kewell, who were already at the club, and it is hoped Gerrard's services will no longer be required on the flanks.

Gerrard, who has already scored three pre-season goals after starting in a central role, has described how much he is looking forward to a return to the middle of the action.

"I've played a lot of pre-season in the centre of midfield and I've really enjoyed it," he told the Daily Star.

"The manager knows that's where I want to play. We've got a big squad with a lot of good players and a lot of competition for places.

Aggressive

"There's a lot of football and I know I'll get my chance in the middle, but that's where I enjoy playing the most and where I believe I have the most to offer the team"

Meanwhile, Gerrard has refused to comment on the fracas which marred the end of Liverpool's pre-season meeting with Feyenoord, where he was lucky to escape a red card after raising an arm at the Dutch side's Theo Lucius.

However, Gerrard's midfield colleague Xabi Alonso believes it is an indication that the Reds, who topped the Premier League Fair Play charts last season after failing to collect a single red card, will not be pushovers in the coming campaign.

"We must try to be aggressive and not let other sides create chances against us, not by kicking, but by being strong as a group," the Spaniard told the Daily Star.

"It is important that we avoid silly yellow cards and try to play the same football we have done in the last few years.

"But we are a team and we face a lot of things from the opposition and whatever might happen we have to try and deal with it all together.

"I don't think it's a case of being the cavalry when a team-mate gets involved in something. It just means we should not pull out of something when it arises."