Liverpool Player of the Month: July

There can't have been too many seasons in the past when there were enough competitive games in July to warrant a Player of the Month award. Between the 9th and the 26th, Liverpool played six games, three of which were in the Champions League qualifiers. Two further games were against Champions League regulars.

In making my decision each month, I'm going to try to avoid the obvious call. But in this case, I'm not sure that's possible. You can't ignore the obvious if clearly the most deserving, and the obvious and deserving, in this case, is clearly Steven Gerrard.

I don't believe in this hooey about Liverpool being a one-man team. I cringe when I hear it mentioned –– which is after every good contribution Gerrard makes, and never, of course, after he goes missing, has a stinker, or when someone else makes a telling contribution. Of course, pundits have again been calling Liverpool a one-man team again, after recent results.

It remains the case that Gerrard is hugely effective at raising the tempo of a game. No one in English football can up the pace of proceedings from the centre of the park like he can –– Vieira was the only other player to come close. As such, Gerrard can be devastating, especially as, unlike Vieira, his long-range shooting is so deadly, and, under Benítez, he's free to get ahead of play and into the area on regular occasions.

He can raise the tempo when the team is in trouble, and change the course of the game. It can often be low-key games where this is most prominent –– the kind of games that just need a crunching tackle from someone –– anyone –– to breathe life into proceedings. Gerrard can also burst forward with the ball, and inspire the crowd and his teammates with his proactive play.

Do Liverpool rely too much on Gerrard? Maybe. Just as Arsenal rely too much on Thierry Henry. When you have fabulous players, you tend to rely on them. After all, why have them otherwise? The better the player, the more you need him. It's a nice problem to face: having irreplaceable players.

Of course, the one-man team tag suggests that the others aren't fit to lace the captain's boots, and that's the irritating part. Liverpool have many other good players, but perhaps none who are as noticeable in their brilliance. Gerrard is just so conspicuous in everything he does, whereas Xabi Alonso, for example, goes about his business with less fuss. Both excel in their own way.

It's worth pointing out that Gerrard, unlike some other Liverpool players, is a natural athlete. So he's always going to impress earlier into pre-season than others, such as Morientes, who have to work a lot harder at their fitness.

But all the same, the seven goals Gerrard scored in less than three games marks him out as a player on a mission, and that mission has been to win back the love and affection –– or maybe just the respect –– of the Kop. So far he's going about it the right way. Many –– like my co-author, Jonathan Swain –– are struggling to rediscover the bond that once existed. While I share this feeling to a degree, I also feel Gerrard's commitment to the cause can no longer be questioned.

I won't forget that he nearly left; but I'm damn-well glad he stayed.

Runner-up as my Player of the Month is Djibril Cissé. Like everyone else in pre-season (i.e. it's the norm) he's blown a little hot and cold, but when he's been hot we've seen just how easily he can destroy defences. He's missed a few chances, too, but that's always an encouraging sign –– good strikers get into the right positions to miss. And it's not like he's totally fluffed the opportunities, but has instead forced excellent stops from the 'keeper or missed by a matter of inches. When you're coming close, you know you only have to readjust your sights by a fraction.

I love his directness, and his willingness to shoot at the first asking. His pace is truly frightening, and he's now scoring regularly: two against Villa in May, a penalty in the Champions League final, a goal for France, then two in the friendly against Leverkusen, and now a goal in each of the last three competitive fixtures. As his sharpness increases in the coming weeks, he'll get better still.

Cissé is also someone whose pace (and hairstyles) making him noticeable. If he continues to impress, he can join Gerrard, Carragher, Alonso, Garcia, Reina, Morientes, Hyypia, Riise, Crouch, Finnan and the rest in a one-man team.