Steven Gerrard gave us all a timely reminder of his quality with a stunning hat-trick to help Liverpool overcome a stubborn Napoli side. Will this performance mark the general return to form of midfielder and could he be the inspiration for another England star to return to form?

We all know the ability that Gerrard has, and there is no need to harp on about the number of times he has come to Liverpool’s rescue. However even Liverpool’s inspirational captain has struggled to produce displays resembling his usual self this season.

In many ways I think Gerrard has suffered with the same World Cup hangover that has seen Wayne Rooney desperately lacking in form during the opening stages of the Premier League campaign. Excluding the Napoli game, there hasn’t been any standout displays from the Liverpool skipper and generally there has just not been the same intensity in his performances.

Intensity is what makes Gerrard and Rooney so important to Liverpool and Manchester United respectively, and with the pair obviously short of confidence after the World Cup, it is only understandable that they looked to almost play in their comfort zone when they returned to domestic football.

But it was inevitable that Gerrard would show us that form really is temporary as his confidence grew. In many ways though you feel he struggled so much because of the general feeling of disappointment around the club during the opening weeks of the season.

In the last few weeks though things have gradually picked up for Liverpool both on and off the field, and it was only a matter of time before Gerrard joined the party.  With United also beginning to reach their top form, Rooney should also find it easier to perform at his best when he returns from injury.

Gerrard’s return to form should give Rooney confidence because it demonstrates that it can be done. As an England fan, and more importantly a football fan it is crucial that we see the both of the England stars firing on all cylinders in the not so distant future, because the Premier League is definitely a better place as a result.

Liverpool produced an improved display to gain a well earned 0-0 draw against Napoli. Reds boss Roy Hodgson opted to make a whole host of changes for the game, but his fringe players certainly impressed with notable performances from Jay Spearing and Jonjo Shelvey.

While I don’t want to take anything away from the Liverpool display you have to question the Liverpool side that Hodgson put out. He opted to leave star men and Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard at home, claiming it was important they got rest before the ‘crucial’ game against Blackburn on Sunday.  While Torres and Gerrard have both had problems with injuries in recent times, surely a win in any competition would be a just what the club need.

Yes Liverpool are in the bottom three of the Premier League, but in reality we know that it would take a miracle for them to still be there come the end of the season. They are already out of the Carling Cup, and Premier League success does look a million miles away. So surely the Europa League is of quite high importance for Hodgson.

Well apparently not. Despite his success in the tournament with Fulham last season, it looks as if Hodgson isn’t particularly fussed about another challenge for the trophy this term. But given their dreadful start to the season, I don’t think he is in a position where he can pick and chose what trophies he goes for.

At Fulham he could have probably got away with a lack of competitiveness in a European tournament, but at Anfield expectations are much higher and the Liverpool fans who travelled over to Naples will surely have been left bemused at the sub-standard side that Hodgson fielded.

I think in many ways Hodgson is still adjusting to life on Merseyside and coming to terms with the expectations of the fans, and while they may have been forgiving during the turbulent times where a takeover of the club was in the balance they will be expecting to see results improve very soon.

Hodgson can still succeed at Liverpool, I have no doubt about that. But he needs to start turning things around quickly. The new owners will be looking to make a statement of intent, and if the Reds are still languishing around the foot of the Premier League, or out of Europe in December, it would certainly demonstrate their expectations and ambition if Hodgson was shown the door.

I don’t want to see Hodgson used in this way, because he doesn’t deserve it. But unfortunately football is a cruel world, and results talk. Wins on all fronts for Liverpool in the next few weeks will be crucial for Hodgson and in my opinion vital to his tenure.

As Diego Maradona prepares to return to the forefront of international football it is quite fitting that he will make his managerial debut of the Argentine national squad in the cauldron of all English hatred, Hampden Park.  Anyone that can somehow contribute to the demise of the England national football team is embraced with great affection north of the border, and it is no surprise that Maradona has been afforded cult hero status once again as he prepares his side to face Scotland in a friendly on Wednesday.

Before we get going let me preclude this by stating that in his prime Maradona was one of the best players to have ever played the game.  His talents and skills driving the midfield of a powerful Argentina team made them a fearsome force in the sport.  In terms of technical skills, he was one of the best.  Note, I say one of the best.  Many, consider him to be the greatest player to have ever played, and if you consider his own self-proclamations of footballing genius, maybe that is not surprising.

However, let us get something straight up front.  Pele is bar none, the best player to have graced the world’s most popular sport.  Pele, not only led his team to an unprecedented three World Cup championships in four tournaments, but off the field, he is a class act, a diplomat for the game, for his country, a true legend.  To even try to put the subject of this article on a par with Pele is beyond laughable.  Unless that is, you are able to make a case for Pele being an arrogant, cheating, drug-addicted egomaniac oblivious to anything outside of his own pathetic life.  I seriously doubt that you can.  Wait, did I say that out loud?  Guess I’m not caught up in the latest edition of Maradona mania.

Argentina are a perennial world power of football that boast a wealth of talent in the likes of Lionel Messi, Carlos Tevez, Javier Mascherano, Sergio Aguero, Lucho Gonzalez, and Maxi Rodriguez to name but a few.  The rivalry, bordering on hatred between England and Argentina is well documented but in terms of footballing talent I give credit where it’s due.  Don’t get me wrong; when our nations match up, I am as fanatical as any red-blooded Englishman vying for the Lions to bury the despised men in blue and white stripes.  I still have the shirt depicting Beckham’s glory after scoring the penalty to beat the enemy at the 2002 World Cup finals – dubbed by some as the “Foot of God.”

The notorious, “Hand of God” incident in the 1986 World Cup quarterfinal match between England and Argentina ignited the fuel of hatred towards Maradona and left a foul taste after an otherwise enthralling battle between two very good teams.  Before that incident, I felt he was a dangerous player that could derail our dreams of a world title.  His second goal in that infamous match was truly an amazing feat as he dribbled over half the length of the field leaving five English players in his tracks, confirmed that fear.  Sickening but amazing, and later described by England manager Bobby Robson as “a miracle.”

 Being defeated on the field is acceptable, it’s hard to take, but when the game is over, if you come out on the losing end, even the most fervent and bias fan has to accept that their team ultimately lost to a better opponent.  What true fans cannot accept is getting so close only to have their dreams shattered by such blatant cheating and then having that same player declare his act as the work of God.  So God’s a football fan and he (or she) apparently has it in for England.  Come to think of it though with the amount of tournaments that we’ve lost on penalty shoot-outs, maybe the little twit was onto something.

Back to Diego and he returned to the World Cup 4 years later as Argentina won through a series of penalty shoot-outs to advance to the final before losing to West Germany 1-0, on a penalty, in one of the dullest World Cup finals in history.  USA ’94 ended Maradona’s international career when he was kicked out of the tournament for failing a drug test.

Maradona enjoyed incredible success at the club level reaching the peak of his playing career with Italian Serie A side Napoli.  He played a major role in the team winning 2 Italian Championships and the UEFA Cup, amongst others during his time in Naples, and was the Italian Serie A top scorer in 1987.  His drug addiction and a host of other personal problems ultimately led to his demise and he left Napoli in disgrace after serving a 15 month ban for testing positive for cocaine.

But, now after being through several rehabilitation programs, gastric surgery, a close brush with death, and spending some quality time with a few of his mates and idols in Cuba and Venezuela, he is ready to be born again and lead his beloved Argentina back to world glory on the football field.  This latest venture begins Wednesday at the site where he scored his first international goal in 1979, and Hampden Park is the perfect venue to host the return of one of Scotland’s modern day patron saints.  Trust me Mel Gibson has nothing on Diego and his hand puppets.

Ironically, Scotland’s assistant coach, Terry Butcher was on the field at the Azteca in 1986.  I doubt that big-Tel will greet Maradona in the way that he really thinks befits this “legend” but, like any other England fan that remembers Mexico in ‘86, I also don’t think he will get carried away by the politically correct swath of adoration that has taken over the British media in the build up to the match.

If nothing else, it will be interesting to see how this latest chapter develops.  In terms of justice, there will probably be none for the English fan unless, of course, our respective teams make it all the way to the 2010 final in South Africa, and God chooses to give England a hand, if he or she is really watching.