Gerrard: had a near-telepathic
understanding with Alonso
Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard
has revealed that he was
"devastated" when Xabi Alonso left the club to ply his trade with
Spanish heavyweights Real Madrid.
The Basque midfielder moved to the Bernabeu during the summer after
five seasons at Anfield, and not a few have attributed the Reds'
recent nosedive to his absence.
When asked how he felt about Alonso's departure, Gerrard told
FourFourTwo magazine: "Devastated.
But there was nothing I could
do about it.
"Xabi said a long
time ago that he wanted another chapter in his career and finally
he got it and his team-mates and the coaches couldn't stand in his
way. "We just
have to say thanks and move forward without him."
The Merseysiders sold Alonso for fee of around £30 million, and
splurged most of the proceeds on bringing in Alberto Aquilani from
Roma.
The new arrival has only recently recovered from injury, and
Gerrard - who had a near-telepathic understanding with Alonso -
believes that it will take some time for the Reds to move on
without the midfield maestro.
"It's always
going to be different when you lose one of the best players in the
world - and people are finally realising that's what he is, on the
back of his form for Real Madrid and the difference in us from last
year," he said.
"We've got other midfielders here doing a good job but
it will take a while before Alonso's out of our system because he
was such a top player."
