Confident: Anderson is not afraid
to stand up to Gerrard
Steven Gerrard is unlikely to have heard of a young
Brazilian named Anderson before this season, but the Liverpool
captain will tomorrow come face to face once more with a player who
Sir Alex Ferguson believes was crucial to Manchester United's win
at Anfield last December.
Ferguson was overwhelmed by the manner in which Anderson stood
toe to toe with the Liverpool captain as United won 1-0 and is
expected to name the 19-year-old in his team for tomorrow's clash
at Old Trafford.
Anderson said: 'To me, Gerrard is a big footballer, but I went
out that day determined to play with force and not to be
preoccupied with him.
'Names don't matter to me. I am finding that I can raise my
level and offer more when I am playing against the big stars and
this is how it was when I played against Gerrard.
'He is one of the best midfielders in Europe and it is hard to
stop him. It will be again. 'It was a tough battle with him when we
played last time. He was hurting at the end but he was gracious and
I respect him for that.'
Anderson was bought by Ferguson last summer as a player for the
future but such has been his impact in his debut season that he is
likely to partner Paul Scholes tomorrow and consign Owen Hargreaves
and Michael Carrick to the bench.
The former FC Porto player has made 20 League starts this
season, three more than the disappointing Hargreaves.
Ferguson said: 'Anderson can handle anything. He's got a
terrific belief in himself. Like a lot of Brazilian players, he was
just born to play.'
He added: 'I believe we have a better squad than Liverpool. In
defence and midfield we are superior and perhaps the only place
they can match us is in attack.'
