With a career spanning spells at Liverpool, Manchester City and Leeds, Robbie Fowler amassed a colossal 163 Premier League goals - the eighth highest individual tally of all time.
Over two particularly successful stints at Anfield, Fowler made 369 appearances appearances for Liverpool, winning European titles, the F.A Cup and League cup.
Fowler finished his playing career in Thailand, at Muangthong United - where he simultaneously began his managerial career – and since then, he has had recent spells in charge of Brisbane Roar and East Bengal.
In this exclusive interview, he goes into particular depth regarding The Reds' current season and discusses Steven Gerrard, Declan Rice, Cristiano Ronaldo, Erling Haaland and his preferred England XI for the upcoming 2022 World Cup.
The energy is gone and there is a lot of anxiety in the Liverpool team:
Last weekend, for Liverpool, a mini-revival was abruptly halted, following their defeat to bottom-placed Nottingham Forest.
Home wins against Manchester City and West Ham were overshadowed by the shock result at the City Ground. Going into this weekend, Liverpool occupy eighth place in the Premier League.
Fowler discusses some of the reasons for his former club's slow start to their domestic campaign:
"Sadio Mane has been a big loss to Liverpool, but you could argue that Luis Diaz has been arguably Liverpool's best player - in Mane's position.
"The fact is that Liverpool haven't had the momentum they've had in years gone by. Liverpool are a team that can pull out performances when they have a lot of momentum.
"I think there could be a lot of anxiety in the team. At times their energy, drive and will have been superb, but other than the Man City game, I can't remember a time where Liverpool have kept that dominating momentum against teams.
"Obviously, they've had a few injuries, but you can't always use that as an excuse. It's a combination of a lot of things for their losses. Their energy is gone. That's not to say it won't return, because Jurgen [Klopp] is a fantastic manager.
"We have to remember, Liverpool were two or three games away from being arguably one of the greatest club sides ever. Three or four months later, they're having a tough time, but clubs have tough times and I think Liverpool will be okay."
Alexander-Arnold has been a scapegoat for poor results:
Trent Alexander-Arnold has been a major discussion point amongst followers of the Premier League, amidst Liverpool's slow start. Fowler has his say on some of the, what he believes to be, unwarranted criticism addressed the full-back's way:
"Joe Gomez and Trent Alexander-Arnold are good players who are having a tough time.
"But, with good players, form can change at any moment. It could be down to a tweak in formation, maybe have a bit of patience instead of rushing decisions.
"I have gone through a little bit of a confidence crisis in my career, I learned to just go back to the basics - don't be running forwards for no reason, play your way back into the game, get your passes right and then start building up to the player you can be.
"There's no doubt that both Joe and Trent haven't been great this year. Trent is an absolute world-class player and Gomez might be feeling the effects of his injuries, still. But, I have seen performances from Joe that are very good - like against Man City and Ajax - he was one of Liverpool's better players.
"They haven't been all that bad, they're easy pickings because of the way Liverpool's results have been recently. Someone always seems to have to be the scapegoat and that has been Trent more so than Joe, but they can help each other.
"Joe should tell Trent when to not run forward. I know Jurgen [Klopp] has a way of playing, but Liverpool need to be tight and compact - get the centre-backs talking to the full-backs and say 'don't be running forward, let's work our way into the game, then when we have a foothold that's when you can run forward more'.
"I have no doubt that Liverpool will get through this - Trent Alexander-Arnold especially, because he is an absolute world-class player."
Liverpool should sign Declan Rice:
Fowler is encouraged by Liverpool being linked with a move for young Borussia Dortmund midfielder, Jude Bellingham. However, he also has an eye on another England international:
"The [Jude] Bellingham link is brilliant, because he's a very good player.
"Another player who I really like is Declan Rice - he fits into a Liverpool mould. Whether Liverpool are looking at players to come in, they have to have a certain amount of pedigree, those players need to have lots of energy and I do think Rice fits that bill. He's a player who sits in the middle of the park, but he can get around the pitch with his endeavour as well.
"Rice is a player I'd like Liverpool to sign. Not to be disrespectful to West Ham, but Rice will be a name on the top of many top teams' lists, whether that's in the summer or January.
"Rice has been class for a few years now and you can see why clubs want him. For me, he fits the mould of a Liverpool player."
Gerrard should have kept his job - he'll come back stronger than ever:
Steven Gerrard and Robbie Fowler were team-mates at Liverpool, during both of the forward's spells at the club.
Following Gerrard's unsuccessful spell as Aston Villa manager, Fowler backs his former team-mate to succeed in the future and questions the recent decision to relieve him of his duties:
"Steven's attitude is quite rightly what he was like as a player. He’ll come back and show people how good he is. He had an unbelievably tough start in management in the Premier League and we are all aware of that.
"From a biased point of view, I think he should’ve kept his job. I am realistic to know that football is a business and owners and chairmen have a duty to the club and to the fans of that club. If that's what they want, then there is a need for change. Unfortunately, it happens and I think that it has got nothing to do with Steven. Sometimes, results are bad and they need a bit of a lift and a change.
"Steven has to take it on the chin, but I think he'll come back stronger. We always talk about clubs and managers leaving and being willy-nilly, but whether the CEOs or the owners who run the places like Steven, it doesn't matter - once the fans start singing ‘we want you gone’ then there's only one thing they can do.
"That's the way football is - we always know fans are massively important in getting behind a team, but we also know that fans can absolutely sway the minds of the owners, chairman, etc.
"Steven, I think, will come back and I think he’ll be even more driven, even though he was driven. He’ll want to prove to people that he is an excellent manager."
Any club in the world would take Ronaldo:
It has been a frustrating start to this season for Cristiano Ronaldo. One of the world's greatest ever players has been embroiled in multiple controversial incidents, dating back to this pre-season.
A lack of minutes in the Premier League, with the arrival of Erik ten Hag, means that rumours of a January exit may begin to swirl. Fowler argues that this would be the optimal decision for Ronaldo, as he draws parallels between the forward's current situation and his own time at Liverpool:
"I have been in this situation where I believed, without being egotistical, I was the best striker. But, for whatever reason, managers pick a team without you in it.
"As a player, it is hard to get your head around the fact that you aren't the first player being picked for the team. But, what do you do? You go out there and perform at training and do everything you need to do; but it doesn’t really matter, managers still might have certain players that they want to play and it's hard to accept that.
"That’s why I left Liverpool for Leeds. I felt for me and my game, as much as I love Liverpool, I needed to play football. I felt I was forced out of the club by not playing. I needed to go and play for my own sanity.
"I think he [Ronaldo] could pick any club in the world to go and play at. We need to remember he is not the player he used to be, but he is still a good player, we all know that. He is still a handful and the way he looks after himself is up there with the better players who have ever lived.
"The money situation is massive and any club in the world would take him. If he wants to continue to play at a good level then, unfortunately for him, he will have to take a huge pay cut. He should be aware of that.
"The simple answer I can give you: he is a great player, but if he wants to play close to 90 minutes, then he has got to go."
Tarkowski and Henderson make my England World Cup XI:
With the 2022 World Cup fast approaching, Gareth Southgate's potential lineup for England's opening match against Iran will soon develop into a major discussion point.
Fowler has his say on how he would like to see the England team set-up:
"Gareth Southgate is probably going to pick [Kieran] Trippier at right back. Harry Maguire hasn't been unbelievable this year, but will probably make it to the England team.
"At left-back, England have [Luke] Shaw and [Ben] Chilwell, I think Shaw will play.
"If England were playing tomorrow, I'd want James Tarkowski in defence, especially with the way he's playing at the moment.
"In terms of midfield, you have got Kalvin Phillips, who has been on the bench at the moment, due to injury. I think Phillips is a million miles away from being at his best, to be honest.
"England have Declan Rice and Jordan Henderson, who is a must for me as a leader. England have got Jude Bellingham, with a three across the middle, a little bit of drive and energy.
"Front three I would play Harry Kane, Phil Foden on the left and Bukayo Saka on the right. You have Jadon Sancho, who hasn't been great for Man United for a year or two.
"Mason Mount you can slot into the middle and Jack Grealish too. Ivan Toney should've got a game last time, he was that Premier League player who was scoring goals and he was unfortunate to not get a chance.
"[Jordan] Pickford is probably number one.
"Does that team win a World Cup? Who knows."
We haven't seen a player like Haaland for a number of years:
Following his arrival in England, Erling Haaland has taken the Premier League by storm.
The Norwegian has scored 17 goals from 11 league fixtures - seven more than the next-best total of Harry Kane.
Fowler believes that Haaland's signing is a demonstration of Manchester City's European ambitions:
"For me, there’s no doubt he has been brought in to win that Champions League trophy.
"Haaland is an incredible player, but I think it is tough to put him into a bracket. He has played 10/11 games in the Premier League, but if he keeps going the way he's going, which is incredible, then, of course, he’ll be the best.
"We haven't seen a player like Haaland for a number of years.
"He’s big, he’s powerful and he's got every attribute that you would say the perfect number nine is. He’ll score goals, he’ll win headers, he’s hard to knock off the ball, he’s got pace and he’s got power. The biggest accolade I could give him is I would have loved to have seen him at Liverpool.
"There are certain areas of the game where players always stand out. We could be looking at Haaland as the main man, who stands out over everyone else and he has certainly started off the right way."
Even given his remarkable start to life in the Premier League, Haaland's longevity in England's top flight will be tested to the maximum; he still has some way to go to reach and surpass the goal tallies of the league's former greats, such as Fowler.
However, Fowler's comments suggest that he has a strong belief in the talent of the 22-year-old and what he can help his Manchester City team and himself to achieve this season and in the future.
This interview is courtesy of FairBettingSites.
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