Manchester City manager Sven-Goran Eriksson believes Steven Gerrard is the perfect player and is unsure how to stop him at Eastlands on Sunday.
After spending so long in the England camp together, the pair find themselves in opposition for the first time on Sunday when Eriksson's side look for a home win which would lift them over Liverpool into a Champions League spot.
Despite losing their 100% home record to Blackburn on Thursday night, City have every reason to be confident, particularly as Liverpool struggled badly against bottom club Derby on Boxing Day.
It would have been no surprise to Eriksson that Gerrard should be the man to rescue the Reds with his late winner at Pride Park.
While the Swede is reluctant to single out one individual as the Premier League's best player just now, there are not many who would be afforded such lavish praise as he heaps on Gerrard.
"Steven is one of the best players you can find. He has everything," said Eriksson.
"He can defend. He can tackle incredibly well. He has vision, he is an extremely good passer. He can shoot, score goals and has the energy to get up and down the pitch.
"It is very difficult to say who is the best player in the country but Steven is certainly one of them - and has been for a long time now.
"As long as I was England manager, he was extremely important to me. He was important to England last year after I left and he will be very important in the future as well."
Eriksson admits stopping Gerrard will be no easy task for his progressive team.
With youngster Michael Johnson missing, City will probably rely on the experience of Gerrard's former Liverpool team-mate Dietmar Hamann, who was rested for the Blackburn game.
"I am not sure how to stop Steven," said Eriksson.
"We shall have to find a way but I do know if you give him space and time and the chance to run forward with or without the ball, he is incredible."
With Manchester United among their nine previous home victims this term, City have already claimed one major scalp at Eastlands.
Yet it is a measure of where the Blues have come from that Eriksson still regards it as 'a dream' to beat the club he supported as a child in Sweden.
"Of course it will be difficult, we know that. It can't be easy to beat Liverpool. We will do our best and we will fight. Who knows what will happen after that," he added.
If City are to triumph, they require big performances from their key men.
The form of Brazilian playmaker Elano has dipped in recent weeks and, like Hamann, he was left out of Eriksson's starting line-up yesterday.
However, Martin Petrov's sensational performance against Rovers has given Elano a standard to reach, as well as providing an injury-hit Liverpool side with a major defensive headache.
Courted extensively by Tottenham, Petrov's move to City from Atletico Madrid last summer is proof of Eriksson's pulling power in the transfer market.
As he looks to build a squad capable of challenging for a top six spot consistently, Eriksson will hope the attraction will bring in more players, although he is not keen to play up his reputation too much.
"I have never asked Petrov why he ended up here," said Eriksson.
"I don't think we were the first team but maybe he heard about the new owner and the big project he has. It is a big challenge, which is the same reason why I am here.
"I don't know if Martin is here because of me, although I have been lucky to work at big clubs in Italy and Portugal and, whether you want it or not, it is a fact that when you have been England manager, you do become a little bit more famous because the job is so big."
After spending so long in the England camp together, the pair find themselves in opposition for the first time on Sunday when Eriksson's side look for a home win which would lift them over Liverpool into a Champions League spot.
Despite losing their 100% home record to Blackburn on Thursday night, City have every reason to be confident, particularly as Liverpool struggled badly against bottom club Derby on Boxing Day.
It would have been no surprise to Eriksson that Gerrard should be the man to rescue the Reds with his late winner at Pride Park.
While the Swede is reluctant to single out one individual as the Premier League's best player just now, there are not many who would be afforded such lavish praise as he heaps on Gerrard.
"Steven is one of the best players you can find. He has everything," said Eriksson.
"He can defend. He can tackle incredibly well. He has vision, he is an extremely good passer. He can shoot, score goals and has the energy to get up and down the pitch.
"It is very difficult to say who is the best player in the country but Steven is certainly one of them - and has been for a long time now.
"As long as I was England manager, he was extremely important to me. He was important to England last year after I left and he will be very important in the future as well."
Eriksson admits stopping Gerrard will be no easy task for his progressive team.
With youngster Michael Johnson missing, City will probably rely on the experience of Gerrard's former Liverpool team-mate Dietmar Hamann, who was rested for the Blackburn game.
"I am not sure how to stop Steven," said Eriksson.
"We shall have to find a way but I do know if you give him space and time and the chance to run forward with or without the ball, he is incredible."
With Manchester United among their nine previous home victims this term, City have already claimed one major scalp at Eastlands.
Yet it is a measure of where the Blues have come from that Eriksson still regards it as 'a dream' to beat the club he supported as a child in Sweden.
"Of course it will be difficult, we know that. It can't be easy to beat Liverpool. We will do our best and we will fight. Who knows what will happen after that," he added.
If City are to triumph, they require big performances from their key men.
The form of Brazilian playmaker Elano has dipped in recent weeks and, like Hamann, he was left out of Eriksson's starting line-up yesterday.
However, Martin Petrov's sensational performance against Rovers has given Elano a standard to reach, as well as providing an injury-hit Liverpool side with a major defensive headache.
Courted extensively by Tottenham, Petrov's move to City from Atletico Madrid last summer is proof of Eriksson's pulling power in the transfer market.
As he looks to build a squad capable of challenging for a top six spot consistently, Eriksson will hope the attraction will bring in more players, although he is not keen to play up his reputation too much.
"I have never asked Petrov why he ended up here," said Eriksson.
"I don't think we were the first team but maybe he heard about the new owner and the big project he has. It is a big challenge, which is the same reason why I am here.
"I don't know if Martin is here because of me, although I have been lucky to work at big clubs in Italy and Portugal and, whether you want it or not, it is a fact that when you have been England manager, you do become a little bit more famous because the job is so big."
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