Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard is a man whose predictions do not have a good track record. Mystic Meg, he certainly is not.
We may be ranked third in the world according the joke which is the FIFA rankings, but to go to Brazil and win the trophy is in all likelihood beyond us.
It doesn't stop the players from being ambitious, and there shouldn't be anything wrong with that, except you would think 32-year-old Steven Gerrard would have learned from his past experiences by now. And he has. He is playing it very cautiously.
On the back of today's Times newspaper, the backpage headline reads: 'Gerrard: We can win World Cup...Captain backs ageing squad to go all the way in Rio de Janeiro.'
To be fair to the captain, this time he hasn't gone out all guns blazing as in the past, and has been far more pragmatic than the headline suggests, and if asked a question he is going to respond.
He actually has this time made more of a sensible response, admitting it will take a miracle for England to win the tournament, playing down our chances, so The Times are being a bit cheeky with their heading.
"When I speak I’m realistic and honest. At the moment, we’re not one of the favorites to win the World Cup. That doesn’t mean you stop believing, working hard to improve, try and learn from the mistakes you’ve made at previous tournaments. This team has every chance to improve and get better in the next few years, with players coming through and those players with the experience. We have to have that faith and keep believing. In football, miracles do happen."
So by downplaying England's chances a bit, the midfielder may have finally got close to being right. We say that because of Gerrard's previous track record. Here's a look.
2006 on Liverpool: "It is exciting times for Liverpool. We are coming back to Liverpool on the back of the FA Cup win and hopefully we can deliver the Premiership title."
2008 on Liverpool: "We can’t keep talking about next season all the time. There is only so many times you can say it and believe it. Sooner or later we have to make one season the season where we make it happen and do the talking on the pitch. We need to make people believe it. I’m 27 now, I don’t want to be talking about next season or Liverpool when I’m 32."
2010 on Joe Cole: "[Lionel] Messi can do some amazing things, but anything he can do Joe can do as well, if not better. He used to shock us in training by doing footy tricks with a golf ball that most players can't even do with a football. I really fancy Joe for the [player of the year] award this season."
2011 on Dalglish: "I think he's the perfect person to get everyone moving in the right direction again. He's the talisman at this club. His nickname, the King, says it all really. He's the perfect manager and also person to bring it all together."
2012 on Rooney: "If you look back through the years... if you take Pele for example, he was capable of producing his very best football when it really mattered to help Brazil win World Cups. Let’s hope that Wayne can start to do that for us on Tuesday and then, if we win, who knows?"
Gerrard is learning, he's been careful not to big up England's chances too much despite what the Times' headline suggested. And if England do win the World Cup, it will take close to a miracle, just what Gerrard alluded to.
What say you about Steven Gerrard?
Source: HITC SPORTS
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