If Peter Crouch feels like a misfit, it is probably because the forward has to prove himself again. From being released by Tottenham Hotspur, to being unfancied at Aston Villa, to recent speculation that Rafael Benítez, the Liverpool manager, has been willing to sell him, to doubts about his international credentials, Crouch has sometimes been a target in more ways than one.
The margins between success and failure are so small that he might have been England’s hero with an equalising goal against Croatia in the European Championship ten days ago. Instead, he has to ensure that preconceived ideas about his height of 6ft 7in are not adopted by the next head coach of England, as well as Liverpool if they part company with Benítez.
Crouch has faced criticism from opposition players and fans and even DJ Spoony, the BBC Radio 5 Live presenter, made fun of his lanky frame this week. “When things are bad you have to get out there and prove people wrong,” Crouch said. “When they’re going right you have to stay on top of it, not become lax or to let your standards slip. I’m stronger now and know what my role is, whereas before I was maybe trying to do too much.
“I didn’t fit in at Aston Villa under David O’Leary, so I had to move on. Hopefully my form for England [14 goals in 24 appearances] will count for something. When the new [England] manager comes in, the challenge is to impress in training. He will have his own philosophy and there will be change — new faces. But we have enough quality now, maybe we just haven’t shown it.”
Crouch has started only two Barclays Premier League and four Champions League matches this season, scoring four times, prompting speculation about a move. Benítez said yesterday that Crouch was not for sale after Thaksin Shinawatra, the Manchester City owner, said that Sven-Göran Eriksson, the club’s manager, was interested in the forward.
“At the start of the season I was frustrated that I was not in the squad,” Crouch, who was speaking at the launch of Gameloft’s Real Football 2008, said. “I wondered whether he [Benitez] fancied me. Within a few weeks I was playing. He chops and changes, never lets on what he’s thinking. It is hard to read the manager. If I knuckle down I will get a number of matches to justify my place.
“I literally have no idea whether I am playing — unlike every other manager I have worked for. He usually tells us an hour and a half before kick-off if we are playing. In training the day before he’ll sort out a team shape with two sets of players and then swap things around. We know the system, just not the players.”
Still only 26, Crouch has played for seven clubs and has accrued transfer fees of £15.5 million “I feel settled in my prime,” he said. “I do want to stay at Liverpool, but every now and then there is speculation and you realise that a big club are interested in you. Moving abroad is not something that I would be afraid to do — but we have the best league in the world.”
Had his goal ensured England qualified for Euro 2008, he might have become established. “I thought that was my defining goal and moment,” he said. “But it didn’t mean anything. That’s how fine the line is — between taking your nation to the European Championships and just scoring another goal.”
The margins between success and failure are so small that he might have been England’s hero with an equalising goal against Croatia in the European Championship ten days ago. Instead, he has to ensure that preconceived ideas about his height of 6ft 7in are not adopted by the next head coach of England, as well as Liverpool if they part company with Benítez.
Crouch has faced criticism from opposition players and fans and even DJ Spoony, the BBC Radio 5 Live presenter, made fun of his lanky frame this week. “When things are bad you have to get out there and prove people wrong,” Crouch said. “When they’re going right you have to stay on top of it, not become lax or to let your standards slip. I’m stronger now and know what my role is, whereas before I was maybe trying to do too much.
“I didn’t fit in at Aston Villa under David O’Leary, so I had to move on. Hopefully my form for England [14 goals in 24 appearances] will count for something. When the new [England] manager comes in, the challenge is to impress in training. He will have his own philosophy and there will be change — new faces. But we have enough quality now, maybe we just haven’t shown it.”
Crouch has started only two Barclays Premier League and four Champions League matches this season, scoring four times, prompting speculation about a move. Benítez said yesterday that Crouch was not for sale after Thaksin Shinawatra, the Manchester City owner, said that Sven-Göran Eriksson, the club’s manager, was interested in the forward.
“At the start of the season I was frustrated that I was not in the squad,” Crouch, who was speaking at the launch of Gameloft’s Real Football 2008, said. “I wondered whether he [Benitez] fancied me. Within a few weeks I was playing. He chops and changes, never lets on what he’s thinking. It is hard to read the manager. If I knuckle down I will get a number of matches to justify my place.
“I literally have no idea whether I am playing — unlike every other manager I have worked for. He usually tells us an hour and a half before kick-off if we are playing. In training the day before he’ll sort out a team shape with two sets of players and then swap things around. We know the system, just not the players.”
Still only 26, Crouch has played for seven clubs and has accrued transfer fees of £15.5 million “I feel settled in my prime,” he said. “I do want to stay at Liverpool, but every now and then there is speculation and you realise that a big club are interested in you. Moving abroad is not something that I would be afraid to do — but we have the best league in the world.”
Had his goal ensured England qualified for Euro 2008, he might have become established. “I thought that was my defining goal and moment,” he said. “But it didn’t mean anything. That’s how fine the line is — between taking your nation to the European Championships and just scoring another goal.”
