http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Steven-Gerrard-c34196, has retracted the remarks he made about Everton’s style of play.
The English International labelled the Toffees style as being too direct, comparing it to that of Stoke City, following the Reds 2-2 draw at Goodison Park in an absorbing Merseyside derby game on Sunday.
His comments were met with severe criticism by http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Everton-c13019’s manager and the players, who claimed that the midfielder’s observation was based on just one game and was at odds with the reality.
Consequently, Gerrard backtracked from his earlier position, instead claiming that his statement had been misconstrued.
He said that he was thoroughly disappointed after his side were denied a deserving win by a poor call from the linesman and a hint of his frustration reflected in his comments.
The match, which ended in a 2-2 draw, was marred by a late controversial moment as a goal from Luis Suarez was disallowed by the match official, who adjudicated the attacker to be in an off-side position.
However, the replays suggested that the assistant referee got the decision horribly wrong, as the Uruguayan International was well behind the defensive line.
Gerrard told the reporters in an interview, “What I said in relation to their style of play went too far. I was frustrated by the disallowed goal from Luis when I spoke.”
“It wasn’t my intention to disrespect Everton, or Stoke for that matter, and I didn’t intend any disrespect.”
Before the match on Sunday, the Toffees chief, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/David-c10409 Moyes, lashed out at Suarez for simulating dives, terming him as a cheat.
The striker was then berated again after the game for his rash challenge on http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Sylvain-Distin-c34430, with Moyes insisting that Suarez was lucky not to get sent off for the challenge.
The 32-year old feels that the forward has been subjected to hostile treatment from different players and managers. However, he vowed to stand by his side at all times and called upon the media to adopt a more reasonable stance on him.
“As captain, I have a duty to stand up for our players when I feel they are unfairly singled out,” he added.
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