Glen Johnson admits he could hardly have expected a better start to his Anfield career after the England full-back put in an impressive performance during the 4-0 win over Stoke on Wednesday night.
The £18m summer signing scored a sublime finish on his home debut and helped to create two more in a devastating display of attacking full-back play down the right.
And Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez and skipper Steven Gerrard were lining up to praise Johnson, who turns 25 on Saturday.
Even in defeat at Spurs last weekend Johnson was the Liverpool star turn, winning a penalty with a battling run into the box and attacking on the flank whenever the chance came along, much to his delight.
'It has been absolutely brilliant for me so far at Liverpool,' said Johnson. 'The lads and everyone at the club have been fantastic.
'It was great to run out at Anfield, and to get the three points and keep a clean sheet made it a perfect night for me.
'To score a goal made it even better. Obviously it was brilliant to score my first for Liverpool and to do it on my home debut was amazing, but the win was more important to get us out of the starting blocks.
'It was great to be part of the home side here for a change. As an opponent the hairs stand up on the back of your neck when the fans at Anfield sing 'You'll Never Walk Alone,' so to hear them singing it for you is very special.
'At a club like Liverpool you don't want to lose any match, so to lose the first game of the season was disappointing.
'But the lads showed great character to put that behind us and hopefully we can go on a good run now.'
Captain Steven Gerrard praised his international team-mate, saying: 'We saw what Glen will offer this team with the run that won the penalty at Spurs.
'He cut inside and left people for dead. He showed similar form against Stoke and was outstanding on the right for us.'
Rafa Benitez's decision to add an attacking full-back to his squad who could make an impact in tough home games where teams defend in depth was vindicated.
'We were looking for a player with quality going forward, to produce more chances from the wide areas.' the Spaniard said.
'We knew Johnson could score goals. From set-pieces he is dangerous, we initially worked with (Javier) Mascherano in that close-in position by the keeper at corners, but decided to change because Johnson was proving to be good in that role.
'His goal was proof of that. He can give us something more on the right, he can play almost as a winger with good distribution when he goes forward.
'And that allows Kuyt to move inside also to support Torres. Last season we had too many home draws, and that cost us.
'I felt that an attacking full-back like Johnson would give us something extra, and his display underlined that view.'
The £18m summer signing scored a sublime finish on his home debut and helped to create two more in a devastating display of attacking full-back play down the right.
And Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez and skipper Steven Gerrard were lining up to praise Johnson, who turns 25 on Saturday.
Even in defeat at Spurs last weekend Johnson was the Liverpool star turn, winning a penalty with a battling run into the box and attacking on the flank whenever the chance came along, much to his delight.
'It has been absolutely brilliant for me so far at Liverpool,' said Johnson. 'The lads and everyone at the club have been fantastic.
'It was great to run out at Anfield, and to get the three points and keep a clean sheet made it a perfect night for me.
'To score a goal made it even better. Obviously it was brilliant to score my first for Liverpool and to do it on my home debut was amazing, but the win was more important to get us out of the starting blocks.
'It was great to be part of the home side here for a change. As an opponent the hairs stand up on the back of your neck when the fans at Anfield sing 'You'll Never Walk Alone,' so to hear them singing it for you is very special.
'At a club like Liverpool you don't want to lose any match, so to lose the first game of the season was disappointing.
'But the lads showed great character to put that behind us and hopefully we can go on a good run now.'
Captain Steven Gerrard praised his international team-mate, saying: 'We saw what Glen will offer this team with the run that won the penalty at Spurs.
'He cut inside and left people for dead. He showed similar form against Stoke and was outstanding on the right for us.'
Rafa Benitez's decision to add an attacking full-back to his squad who could make an impact in tough home games where teams defend in depth was vindicated.
'We were looking for a player with quality going forward, to produce more chances from the wide areas.' the Spaniard said.
'We knew Johnson could score goals. From set-pieces he is dangerous, we initially worked with (Javier) Mascherano in that close-in position by the keeper at corners, but decided to change because Johnson was proving to be good in that role.
'His goal was proof of that. He can give us something more on the right, he can play almost as a winger with good distribution when he goes forward.
'And that allows Kuyt to move inside also to support Torres. Last season we had too many home draws, and that cost us.
'I felt that an attacking full-back like Johnson would give us something extra, and his display underlined that view.'
No comments:
Post a Comment