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The brains behind Liverpool's best title challenge for nearly 20 years is... The man Maradona calls the Monster Masch
By Joe Bernstein
Last updated at 9:22 AM on 21st December 2008
Javier Mascherano is not allowed to celebrate Liverpool goals. When Steve Gerrard and Fernando Torres are indulging in a little euphoria, the little Argentine is usually being summoned to the dug-out by Rafa Benitez to pass on instructions for his teammates.
That is because while others might be the heart and soul of Liverpool's Premier League title quest, Mascherano is the brains. No less a figure than Diego Maradona has made the 24-year-old warrior the official captain of Argentina. Unofficially, he is also Benitez's eyes and ears on the pitch.
And in a week when the workaholic Benitez has reluctantly had to stay away from the training ground to recover from an operation to remove kidney stones, his only solace will be that the man Maradona dubbed 'Monster Masch' will be there providing rock-solid stability in the build-up to today's potentially decisive game at Arsenal.
Mentor: Argentina manager Diego Maradona with Javier Mascherano during training
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Mascherano speaks like he plays: clear and unfussy, with a surprisingly loud voice for someone of a relative modest stature. Of all the South American imports into the Premier League, he speaks the best English, making a big effort to improve his vocabulary and use the right words to describe what he means.
He admits the build-up to playing Arsenal has been odd without Benitez. 'It has been a strange week, different,' said Mascherano. 'We are preparing for a big match and it's like "Where is the boss?" We are so used to having him there all the time, getting involved with everything. You find yourself looking up to see him, and there is just a space.
'We don't want to let him down against Arsenal. He loves football so much, every aspect of it, so we know it must have been something important to have kept him away.' With Benitez now on the mend, it will take quite a relapse to keep him away from the Emirates today. His team are top and can complete a hat-trick of victories against their main rivals, following earlier wins against Manchester United and Chelsea.
And it's surely no coincidence that while Liverpool have in £18million Mascherano the best holding midfield player in the league, Arsenal have suffered from not having a similar player in their ranks.
Luiz Felipe Scolari, despite his wish to produce a more entertaining Chelsea side, relies on John Obi Mikel to take on that role, while Sir Alex Ferguson spent £36million on Michael Carrick and Owen Hargreaves to help shield his back-four.
The obvious exceptions among the Big Four are Arsenal, where Wenger's stubborn reluctance to play with a defensive midfielder has already cost them games against the likes of Hull and Stoke.
Midfield general: Chelsea's Michael Ballack chases after Mascherano
Wenger had Mathieu Flamini there last season and statistics showed he covered more ground than any other Premier League player. But Mascherano believes Arsenal's decision to let Flamini go to AC Milan on a free transfer in the summer may have cost them a proper title run.
'I must say I was very surprised when Flamini left,' said the Argentinian. 'He was fantastic last season. He ran a lot for his team, as you needed to in his position, and it may have affected Arsenal because they haven't got any midfield players there with defensive characteristics.
'Denilson and Fabregas are great players but it takes time to become partners on the pitch, and they are both offensive-minded. A few years ago, everyone thought you needed two midfielders to attack and score goals but I don't think it is like that any more. In a modern team, you need balance and the world looks at defensive midfield players with more attention.
'Claude Makelele was the teacher in this position and now there are many players in England who do the same job.'
Perhaps things would have been different if Wenger had signed longterm target Xabi Alonso from Liverpool. Mascherano is relieved that he did not get his man and that today he will be lining up with Alonso rather than against him.
'I was at the Beijing Olympics with Argentina [Mascherano won a gold medal] when I read that Xabi Alonso might go to Arsenal. I was a long way away so I didn't know the exact situation but I was surprised and a bit worried, to be honest.
'I'm very glad of course that Xabi is still with us. He's a fantastic player and it would have been harder to play Arsenal if he was in their team. He came back from the European Championship with his confidence on a high from Spain's victory and has been fantastic all season.'
Mascherano's own confidence has been boosted by international developments, too, thanks to Maradona, arguably the single-most charismatic figure the game has ever produced, becoming Argentina's new manager.
The World Cup winner had Liverpool's multi-millionaires behaving like autograph hunters when he visited their Melwood training ground this season and Mascherano assures them he will be keeping a close eye on proceedings at the Emirates.
'Maradona knows everything about football. He watches games from every country and has a great knowledge about the different teams and countries. In that way, he is not so different from Rafa.
Javier Mascherano has stabilized Liverpool's midfield
'It was funny to see a great player like Steve Gerrard so happy to meet Maradona. But he is Maradona, after all. And let me tell you, Maradona is a big fan of Steve Gerrard as well. He thinks, like I do, that he is one of the best midfielders in the world.'
However, so far, Liverpool have been collecting more points than friends this season. Expectations have changed since the great Liverpool sides of the Seventies and Eighties used to pride themselves on grinding out results.
Even the Kop, desperate to win their first championship since 1990, have grown impatient with their tabletoppers after less than exciting home draws against Stoke, Fulham, West Ham and Hull.
Liverpool's captain Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres
Mascherano simply doesn't care that neutrals might appreciate Arsenal's pass-and-move style rather than Liverpool's more defensive approach. All he wants is to hold the trophy aloft in May, and points out in mitigation that when Gerrard and the currently-injured Torres are on song, Liverpool can also play some nice stuff.
'I want to get results and win titles rather than be popular,' he said. 'I actually think Liverpool often play well, but maybe people like Arsenal more because they pass the ball too much.
'Liverpool's record shows you how hard it is to beat us. We never lose many games, this season we've been defeated just once in the league [at Tottenham].
'We want to play the best way to win the title. If we end up as champions, it doesn't matter how we did it. And nobody will remember your football if you don't win the league.'
In any case, Mascherano does not think Arsenal are the ultimate team for purists.
'I like to watch Barcelona the best,' he says. 'They play the best - and they get results as well. At Liverpool, all we need to care about is the best way to get results.'
By Joe Bernstein
Last updated at 9:22 AM on 21st December 2008
Javier Mascherano is not allowed to celebrate Liverpool goals. When Steve Gerrard and Fernando Torres are indulging in a little euphoria, the little Argentine is usually being summoned to the dug-out by Rafa Benitez to pass on instructions for his teammates.
That is because while others might be the heart and soul of Liverpool's Premier League title quest, Mascherano is the brains. No less a figure than Diego Maradona has made the 24-year-old warrior the official captain of Argentina. Unofficially, he is also Benitez's eyes and ears on the pitch.
And in a week when the workaholic Benitez has reluctantly had to stay away from the training ground to recover from an operation to remove kidney stones, his only solace will be that the man Maradona dubbed 'Monster Masch' will be there providing rock-solid stability in the build-up to today's potentially decisive game at Arsenal.
Mentor: Argentina manager Diego Maradona with Javier Mascherano during training
More...
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Mascherano speaks like he plays: clear and unfussy, with a surprisingly loud voice for someone of a relative modest stature. Of all the South American imports into the Premier League, he speaks the best English, making a big effort to improve his vocabulary and use the right words to describe what he means.
He admits the build-up to playing Arsenal has been odd without Benitez. 'It has been a strange week, different,' said Mascherano. 'We are preparing for a big match and it's like "Where is the boss?" We are so used to having him there all the time, getting involved with everything. You find yourself looking up to see him, and there is just a space.
'We don't want to let him down against Arsenal. He loves football so much, every aspect of it, so we know it must have been something important to have kept him away.' With Benitez now on the mend, it will take quite a relapse to keep him away from the Emirates today. His team are top and can complete a hat-trick of victories against their main rivals, following earlier wins against Manchester United and Chelsea.
And it's surely no coincidence that while Liverpool have in £18million Mascherano the best holding midfield player in the league, Arsenal have suffered from not having a similar player in their ranks.
Luiz Felipe Scolari, despite his wish to produce a more entertaining Chelsea side, relies on John Obi Mikel to take on that role, while Sir Alex Ferguson spent £36million on Michael Carrick and Owen Hargreaves to help shield his back-four.
The obvious exceptions among the Big Four are Arsenal, where Wenger's stubborn reluctance to play with a defensive midfielder has already cost them games against the likes of Hull and Stoke.
Midfield general: Chelsea's Michael Ballack chases after Mascherano
Wenger had Mathieu Flamini there last season and statistics showed he covered more ground than any other Premier League player. But Mascherano believes Arsenal's decision to let Flamini go to AC Milan on a free transfer in the summer may have cost them a proper title run.
'I must say I was very surprised when Flamini left,' said the Argentinian. 'He was fantastic last season. He ran a lot for his team, as you needed to in his position, and it may have affected Arsenal because they haven't got any midfield players there with defensive characteristics.
'Denilson and Fabregas are great players but it takes time to become partners on the pitch, and they are both offensive-minded. A few years ago, everyone thought you needed two midfielders to attack and score goals but I don't think it is like that any more. In a modern team, you need balance and the world looks at defensive midfield players with more attention.
'Claude Makelele was the teacher in this position and now there are many players in England who do the same job.'
Perhaps things would have been different if Wenger had signed longterm target Xabi Alonso from Liverpool. Mascherano is relieved that he did not get his man and that today he will be lining up with Alonso rather than against him.
'I was at the Beijing Olympics with Argentina [Mascherano won a gold medal] when I read that Xabi Alonso might go to Arsenal. I was a long way away so I didn't know the exact situation but I was surprised and a bit worried, to be honest.
'I'm very glad of course that Xabi is still with us. He's a fantastic player and it would have been harder to play Arsenal if he was in their team. He came back from the European Championship with his confidence on a high from Spain's victory and has been fantastic all season.'
Mascherano's own confidence has been boosted by international developments, too, thanks to Maradona, arguably the single-most charismatic figure the game has ever produced, becoming Argentina's new manager.
The World Cup winner had Liverpool's multi-millionaires behaving like autograph hunters when he visited their Melwood training ground this season and Mascherano assures them he will be keeping a close eye on proceedings at the Emirates.
'Maradona knows everything about football. He watches games from every country and has a great knowledge about the different teams and countries. In that way, he is not so different from Rafa.
Javier Mascherano has stabilized Liverpool's midfield
'It was funny to see a great player like Steve Gerrard so happy to meet Maradona. But he is Maradona, after all. And let me tell you, Maradona is a big fan of Steve Gerrard as well. He thinks, like I do, that he is one of the best midfielders in the world.'
However, so far, Liverpool have been collecting more points than friends this season. Expectations have changed since the great Liverpool sides of the Seventies and Eighties used to pride themselves on grinding out results.
Even the Kop, desperate to win their first championship since 1990, have grown impatient with their tabletoppers after less than exciting home draws against Stoke, Fulham, West Ham and Hull.
Liverpool's captain Steven Gerrard and Fernando TorresMascherano simply doesn't care that neutrals might appreciate Arsenal's pass-and-move style rather than Liverpool's more defensive approach. All he wants is to hold the trophy aloft in May, and points out in mitigation that when Gerrard and the currently-injured Torres are on song, Liverpool can also play some nice stuff.
'I want to get results and win titles rather than be popular,' he said. 'I actually think Liverpool often play well, but maybe people like Arsenal more because they pass the ball too much.
'Liverpool's record shows you how hard it is to beat us. We never lose many games, this season we've been defeated just once in the league [at Tottenham].
'We want to play the best way to win the title. If we end up as champions, it doesn't matter how we did it. And nobody will remember your football if you don't win the league.'
In any case, Mascherano does not think Arsenal are the ultimate team for purists.
'I like to watch Barcelona the best,' he says. 'They play the best - and they get results as well. At Liverpool, all we need to care about is the best way to get results.'
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