Im a great believer in the Alan Hansen, Rio Ferdinand school of defending in that if you have to make last ditch tackles in the penalty area you arent a great defender.
There was an interview the Guardian (I think) did with Michael Robinson a few years back when he contrasted Lawrensen with Hansen, and he said Lawro was always on his arse, but Hansen never needed to be.
Here it is - from 2004:
http://www.theguardian.com/football/2004/jan/30/newsstory.sport16
Hansen or Lawrensen? As footballers, that is.
Mark used to fly into slide tackles, everyone would applaud and he'd be a hero. But Hansen would have seen it long before. Lawrensen was never on his feet; Hansen never needed to be on his bum. Lawrensen was brilliant but Hansen was a genius.
Rush or Raúl?
Rush. One of the greatest. He made me look good. I'd jump up, head it anywhere and Rushie would make it the perfect flick-on. [Robinson springs to his feet grinning and demonstrates]. Rush never knew which bloody knife or fork to use but on the pitch he was a genius. Raúl is perhaps a bit over-rated compared to the other galacticos. He's
más talante que talento [Small Talk's helpful translation: more personality than ability]. He is a predator, an animal, a dark mysterious man who'll score two when Madrid are losing against Kiev, two degrees below freezing. He's got character and used to carry Madrid on his own before those other great players turned up. He doesn't have one particularly outstanding skill - his left foot's only a seven out of 10, his right's a four, he's not great in the air or quick. I admire him, but I wouldn't cross the road on a rainy night and buy tickets to see him.
Rush over Raúl, then. But what about Owen?
Michael Owen is one of the reasons Liverpool are crap, because the aim is just to get him one on one. Owen has only got one medium - come short and go long. I'd have loved to have been as good as him - the trouble is, Houllier has built a whole team around him and every other team in England knows about it. Houllier is so stereotyped in his thoughts. It's not fair on Michael, it's not fair on the team and it's not fair on the victims like me who watch it. At Real Madrid, Owen would be a substitute.
