Liverpool goalscoring legend Ian Rush tells us why he believes
Peter Crouch will prove the doubters wrong and offers some words of
advice to the striker who's seeking his first goal for the
Reds.
For the sake of his confidence
there's no doubt that Peter Crouch needs a goal as soon as possible
but, for me, his failure to yet hit the back of the net in a red
shirt should not detract from what I believe has been an
encouraging start to his Liverpool career.
Like every Liverpudlian I was willing him to get off the mark
against Anderlecht at Anfield on Wednesday night. The fact that he
didn't will have had his critics rubbing their hands with glee but
there is no way I am going to give up on him after just 13
games.
Like Rafa, I have the utmost faith in him in succeeding here. I
know there are many out there who questioned the wisdom of his
signing in the summer but I believed then, and still do, that
Liverpool got themselves a very good player when they paid
Southampton £7 million for his services.
A lot has been made about his height and because of this I think
his performances have come under even greater scrutiny, which is a
touch unfair.
At six foot seven inches tall everyone is expecting him to pose a
major threat in the air. Of course, aerial presence is one of the
key components of his game but without a winger to feed him the big
man has frustratingly found himself starved of service.
My advice to him would be to keep believing in himself. Scoring
goals is, of course, what being a striker is all about but if he
starts to worry about it too much then there's a danger he may
start feeling sorry for himself and that could affect his overall
game.
It's no secret that Rafa is on the lookout for a wide-man and if,
as expected, one arrives in January then I'm sure we'll see the
best of Peter Crouch.
That's not to say he doesn't have anything else to offer. Far from
it. Like probably many Liverpool fans I have been surprised by just
how good he has been with the ball at his feet and his link-up play
has been particularly pleasing.
Unfortunately, a striker is judged on the goals he scores and that
is why he'll be feeling the pressure a bit at the moment.
He's probably feeling a bit down right now at not yet registering a
goal in Liverpool colours. Who wouldn't? It's only natural. He'll
be desperate to break his duck but he must not dwell on it too
much.
If he keeps working hard, maintains his concentration and continues
to play as well as he has been then the goals will come. I'm sure
of that. He just needs to keep his head up and stay positive.
Rafael Benitez is a shrewd judge and he wouldn't have splashed out
£7 million on him if he didn't think he could cut it at Anfield. As
Peter proved last season, he can score goals in the
Premiership.
On a number of occasions this
season he's found himself in an isolated role up front and this has
not made life any easier. It is hard playing as a lone attacker and
even the best strikers in the world would struggle with no
support.
I'm not trying to make excuses but we must also remember that he's
still new to the club and not every player settles in straight
away.
Everything at Liverpool is will be different - the lifestyle, the
training, the tactics and the atmosphere. With respect to
Southampton and his other former clubs, they are not as big as
Liverpool and adapting to life at a club of this size is not always
easy.
I remember when I first joined Liverpool from Chester in 1980.
Making that step up was massive and I struggled at first. I went
seven games without scoring and even contemplated putting in a
transfer request.
I was perhaps too anxious to impress and one day in training Bob
Paisley pulled me to one side and explained that I must be more
selfish in front of goal. My strike partner at the time Kenny
Dalglish was also quick to offer me words of encouragement and
knowing they were fully behind me helped lift a huge weight off my
shoulders.
In later years I encouraged Robbie Fowler in the same way and I've
no doubt that Rafa and the Liverpool players are doing the same
with Peter right now. You could see on Wednesday that the likes of
Steven Gerrard and co were doing his best to help set him up.
Going back to my early days at the club, even though I was slow to
get off the mark the fact that the team was winning eased the
pressure slightly and I'm hoping it'll be the same now. With the
current team getting back to winning ways and scoring goals again
this past week maybe the weight of expectation on Peter will not be
as intense.
The good thing for Peter is that the Liverpool fans are faithful
and they will give him time. So long as he continues to give 100
per cent they will stick with him and having their support behind
you is very important in a situation like this
Like Bob said to me though, I think he has to show a bit more greed
in front of goal. If he can start showing this on Saturday against
Aston Villa then I'd back him to end his much-publicised barren
run.
The good thing for Peter is that the Liverpool the fans are
faithful and they will give him time. So long as he continues to
give 100 per cent they will stick with him and having their support
behind you is very important in a situation like this
The Liverpudlians will be at Villa Park in their thousands on
Saturday and I'm sure he can count on them for their backing if
selected. Should he be given the nod then I'd love to see him given
a full 90 minutes to show what he can do.
Aston Villa are not having the best of times and Liverpool will go
there high on confidence after recent wins in the Premiership and
Champions League.
Villa Park was always a happy hunting ground for me and I hope it
proves the same for Peter. I once scored a famous hat-trick there
in front of the live TV cameras on an icy Friday night. It's a game
people still talk about but hopefully after Saturday they'll have a
new game and new name to remember whenever Liverpool prepare for a
trip to Villa Park in the future.
Having played briefly for Villa earlier in his career, it's a
ground that Peter will be well familiar with and wouldn't it be
great if it's the venue where he finally scores his first Liverpool
goal?
Good luck Peter and the best of luck. We're all right behind
you.
