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Raul Meireles puts Steven Gerrard alongside Michael Essien and Andres Iniesta as his toughest ever opponents.
The Portuguese star played against the Liverpool skipper during his time at Porto before teaming up with him at Anfield.
"For a long time, I have said that Gerrard is one of the top three midfielders in the European game," Meireles told LFC Weekly in an exclusive interview this week.
"Along with Michael Essien of Chelsea and Andres Iniesta of Barcelona, he has been the most difficult opponent I have faced over the years. Now I am his teammate. I think we can combine well together."
Meireles played against Gerrard in the Champions League for his hometown club, and he knows the extra pressure it can bring when you are a local player representing a footballing institution.
"I can sympathise with people like Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher because, like me, they are players who have played for the major club in their city.
"That brings pressures that are difficult to deal with because when things go wrong, the local players sometimes feel the frustrations of the supporters a lot more."
The full Meireles interview, plus a catch-up with former full-back Vegard Heggem who tells us about fly fishing, joint managers and the fastest men at Melwood, are in this week's LFC Weekly.
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Personally I can't wait to read about Heggem's flies.
Raul Meireles puts Steven Gerrard alongside Michael Essien and Andres Iniesta as his toughest ever opponents.
The Portuguese star played against the Liverpool skipper during his time at Porto before teaming up with him at Anfield.
"For a long time, I have said that Gerrard is one of the top three midfielders in the European game," Meireles told LFC Weekly in an exclusive interview this week.
"Along with Michael Essien of Chelsea and Andres Iniesta of Barcelona, he has been the most difficult opponent I have faced over the years. Now I am his teammate. I think we can combine well together."
Meireles played against Gerrard in the Champions League for his hometown club, and he knows the extra pressure it can bring when you are a local player representing a footballing institution.
"I can sympathise with people like Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher because, like me, they are players who have played for the major club in their city.
"That brings pressures that are difficult to deal with because when things go wrong, the local players sometimes feel the frustrations of the supporters a lot more."
The full Meireles interview, plus a catch-up with former full-back Vegard Heggem who tells us about fly fishing, joint managers and the fastest men at Melwood, are in this week's LFC Weekly.
___________________________________
Personally I can't wait to read about Heggem's flies.
