Player Profile - Christian Poulsen
The start of the Premier League season is just 3 days away, and the first contest for Liverpool is a home game against Arsenal.
Since the arrival of Roy Hodgson at the club, the Liverpool squad has seen the likes of Joe Cole and Milan Jovanovic added to their ranks but with the eminent departure of Javier Mascherano to Inter Milan, they still need a replacement for the Argentinean captain. However, Roy Hodgson has indentified Juventus’s Christian Poulsen, a possible replacement for the man, and although a deal is likely to be signed soon but it surely will not be in time for their first home game.
Javier Mascherano has been serving Liverpool FC remarkably, and has mainly played the role of a midfield anchor, acting as a link between the defence and the attack, and although it is touted that this season Liverpool might not employ the defensive midfielder for their home games with Gerrard and Aquilani playing as their central midfielders. But Roy Hodgson is aware of the fact that if he fails to replace Masch in his midfield, his team may struggle to control the tempo of the game.
Juventus has slapped a 6 million price tag on Poulsen and is willing to sell if Liverpool offers the cash it is asking for. Christian Poulsen is a no nonsense midfielder, who commands the midfield and is not afraid to go into any tackle with full force.
The remarkable player has progressed steadily over the years to stand where he is currently. Let’s have a look at his early life.
Poulsen was born in Asnaes, Denmark on the 28th of February 1980 and started his football career at Holbaek B & I only at the age of 17, and his performances for the amateur club earned him 17 caps for the Danish Under-19 side.
At the age of 20, he was offered a trail with the Danish Superliga side FC Copenhagen, which he passed with flying colours, and then signed his first professional contract. Poulsen helped Roy Hodgson’s side win the Danish title in the very first season and earned himself the young player of the year award that season.
Poulsen was called up for the national duty the following year, when he made his debut in a 1-1 draw with the Netherlands in November 2001.
Pouslen was part of the Danish national side that took part in 2002 World Cup in ‘Japorea,’ and played all the three group games that his side played, making an appearance from the bench in all three, but he was suspended for their game against England in the quarter finals, when his side was knocked out of the competition.
So far he has 77 international caps and has scored 6 goals for his country.
In 2002 Poulsen signed for the Bundesliga side FC Schalke, and went on to make 45 appearances for the side scoring 10 goals. He also helped Schalke win the 2005 German League Cup, and was name the Danish Player of the year, the following year he became the first-ever Danish player to retain the award.
In 2006 he signed for Sevilla, and made an impressive debut for Los Palanganas, as they beat FC Barcelona in the European Super cup. That very year Sevilla went on to win the UEFA Cup, and also won the Spanish Cup.
In 2008 he moved to the Italian Serie A, when he signed a 3-million contract with the Old Lady of Turin but so far has been struggling to establish himself in the series.
The midfield maestro is no stranger to controversy after he and the Italian national Captain Francesco Totti were involved in an on pitch feud with Totti spitting on the midfielder, resulting in a 3-match ban for Totti.
In the 2006 Champions League in a game against AC Milan he was at a conflict with Genaro Guttuso, when the midfielder accused him of kicking Kaka, while the referee was looking away. Poulsen replied to Guttuso with sarcastic thumbs up. The then Milan Coach Carlo Ancelotti branded Poulsen, as a coward after the game.
At the Euro 2008 he took the controversy to a new level, when a qualifier had to abandon because of him. With the game tied at 1-1, in the dying minutes Poulsen punched the opposition striker Markus Rustenburg in the face, and saw a red for the blatant foul. Swedish were awarded a penalty kick, and a chance to win the game. The referee was then attacked by a Danish fan, who ran onto the pitch and hauled the referee to the ground and the match was abandoned. The Swedish team was later awarded a 3-0 win.
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