Liverpool rage over 'amateurish' FA's role in Steven Gerrard's injury
• Gerrard injured in 85th minute as England lose to France
• Liverpool thought captain would play no more than an hour
Dominic Fifield at Wembley The Guardian, Thursday 18 November 2010 Article history
Fabio Capello and the England set-up were accused of being "completely amateurish" and incompetent last night after Liverpool reacted furiously when Steven Gerrard suffered a hamstring injury late on in the 2-1 defeat by France.
Gerrard hobbled off five minutes from time after stretching to dispossess Alou Diarra, the midfielder clutching the back of his thigh and in clear discomfort as he was treated on the pitch. He departed the stadium with a brief "it's not good" to reporters and will undergo a scan today that will reveal the extent of the damage sustained. Liverpool and their beleaguered manager, Roy Hodgson, will be fearing the worst.
It emerged last night that the Merseysiders had been expecting the 30-year-old to play no more than an hour of England's friendly, with their head of fitness and conditioning, Darren Burgess, provoked into expressing his disgust on Twitter, the social networking site.
"Unbelievable from all associated with England and English FA with regards to SG's injury," he wrote. "Completely ignored agreement and past history. Completely amateurish and now we pay for their incompetence. Absolutely disgraceful." Burgess deleted the two tweets just after 11pm last night.
Capello, who witnessed his first home defeat as England's manager, claimed his hand had been forced by minor injuries sustained during the first half by Gareth Barry and Rio Ferdinand which forced them from the pitch at the interval. "We spoke with Steve [before the game] and said he would play one hour, but after Barry's injury we had some problems," he said. "That was the reason he stayed on the pitch.
"If it's possible, the players will play the time we agree with their clubs. But Barry was really injured so we needed someone senior on the pitch because it was a really young team. He said he was good so, for that reason, he stayed on. Every player was fit to start the game or play in it. Steve was OK. So we're upset about what happened to Steve, of course."
Asked again whether the agreement had been for Gerrard to play no more than an hour, Capello added: "Liverpool asked that he can play one hour if it's possible. They can't decide how long a player plays with the national team. If it's possible, he'd have played an hour. I understand why they're upset, and I'm also upset. The problem is that, when you play this game on Wednesday after a lot of Premier League, Europa League or Champions League games, it's possible there might be an injury for a player. The Premier League, every time, is a tough league for the players."
A hamstring injury could rule out Gerrard for anything up to a month at a time when Liverpool, who languish 11th in the Premier League after defeat by Stoke City last Saturday, are in dire need of his inspiration. The Italian implied the injuries sustained by Ferdinand – a tightness in a leg muscle – and Barry – to his ankle – were not so serious.
The potential fracture in relations with Liverpool provided an unwelcome finale to a depressing evening with England's young and experimental side largely outclassed by France. "We could have done better," said Ferdinand. "We didn't really pass the ball and didn't get going until the last 20 minutes. We could have passed it better, so we're disappointed. We didn't play to our strengths, retaining the ball, so there is room for improvement there."
Capello saw promise in the performance of Andy Carroll, who played despite Newcastle requesting that he be withdrawn after he suffered a minor groin injury against Fulham last Saturday. "Franco [Baldini, Capello's assistant] spoke with Newcastle before the game and we checked Andy before the game," said Capello. "I spoke with him at the hotel, personally, and after the warm-up here. After the first half, too. He told me he was fit to play every time. No player has ever played with me who was not fit. Our doctor said he was fit, so the player was ready to play.
"I'm really happy for the performance of Andy because he played very well. He understood that he'll be a player who'll be important for the future of England. When he received the ball he played quickly and his movement every time was dangerous. The other young players will be better next time they play. They need experience. Without that, it's impossible to put them on the pitch and expect them to play well."