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Liverpool midfielder Alberto Aquilani can handle Everton derby - Steven Gerrard
Captain and Carragher will be on guard to help playmaker through derby day.
5 Feb 2010 09:31:00
By Alan Dawson
Liverpool's talismanic leader Steven Gerrard, 29, believes playmaking midfielder Alberto Aquilani, 25, bought from AS Roma last summer and now embarking on a sustained run in the first team following an ankle lay-off, will have no problems during derby day, given his experience of big games in Serie A.
Rafael Benitez's side face local rivals Everton on Saturday lunch-time, the 213th time the city's flagship sides have come together, and Gerrard believes there is no greater game in which Aquilani can score his first Liverpool goal.
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Rafael Benitez's side face local rivals Everton on Saturday lunch-time, the 213th time the city's flagship sides have come together, and Gerrard believes there is no greater game in which Aquilani can score his first Liverpool goal.
"Whether he starts or plays as a sub, Alberto knows what derbies are all about," Gerrard explained to the club's official website. "I'm sure he will handle the occasion no problem.
"He will also get help from myself and Jamie [Carragher] to let him know what this game is about in the dressing room. Merseyside derbies are very quick and frantic in the first 15-20 minutes and the tempo and intensity is very high.
"It will be a great game for him to notch his first goal, too. He is improving the more he is playing and training.
"There were always going to be high expectations because of his big price tag. It takes time to get used to the speed and pace of the English game when you come from abroad, but he certainly has the talent."
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