Crouch proving worth every penny
Peter Crouch believes he is starting to prove himself good value for money at £7m (€10m) as he nears the end of his first season at Liverpool.
The England striker suffered constant criticism when he failed to score in his first 18 games after joining from Southampton.
But Crouch, who scored two in the 7-0 thrashing of Birmingham in the FA Cup quarter-final, has now managed 12 goals from his last 24 games for the club, plus his strike for England against Uruguay.
He is now preparing to face former Southampton strike partner James Beattie - very much on form at Everton – in Saturday’s Merseyside derby at Anfield.
Crouch said: “I always felt my move was justified, even before the goals started going in, but maybe the recent record proves that.
“The manager and the people at the club always believed in me, and I’ve always had the confidence I’d do well. Now the goals are going in, it just tops everything.”
Comparisons between Crouch and Beattie are bound to be made on Saturday, with both fighting for a place in Sven-Goran Eriksson’s World Cup squad.
Crouch told the Liverpool Echo: “I speak to James quite a bit and I’m really pleased for him, he’s doing so well at Everton.
“I think the battle for striking places for the World Cup is probably bringing out the best in everyone at the moment. It’s a healthy competition because we all know we need to keep playing well.
“For me, it’s a pleasure to be playing in a side like Liverpool who are playing great football and creating chances.
“James is enjoying himself, too, but we both know our friendship is put to one side this weekend. We’ll be going out there to perform the same way as we did last night.
“I just want to continue my current form. We had a good win against Everton earlier in the season and I scored. Obviously, I’d love to do so again.
“Both teams are on a good run and full of confidence, so there’s every chance of a great game, but hopefully we’ll come out on top.”
He added: “My confidence is sky high at the moment. Once one goes in, you always feel another is going to follow.
“Against Birmingham everything just fell into place. Sometimes you get into positions and the ball never comes, or you can have a game like the cup tie where it seems everything goes right.
“I’ve scored 12 in my last 24 games now, and it seems I’ve repeated my run of last year. I had a slow start for Southampton and then managed 16 goals in the second half of the season.
“I’m in the middle of a good run and hopefully that’s going to contribute to the right results for my club and country.”
It has been confirmed that Liverpool are in negotiations with Valencia defender Fabio Aurelio, revealed as a target for Rafael Benitez earlier this month.
The Brazilian’s agent Juan Figger said: “Contacts are open with Liverpool and things are going well, but still the operation is not closed.”
The 26-year-old is out of contract in the summer and can leave on a free transfer. Valencia sporting director Javier Subirats claims they have made the player a new offer but have had no response.
