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Speaking exclusively to Eurosport, Gerrard indicated that he would never like to see a player's career end due to drugs ban, even though he believes there is no place in football for the improper use of drugs. "I'm not really to sure of the situation whether he has been caught but I have sympathy for Abel, he is a top man and a good professional and I'm sure he will come through this," Gerrard said. "There is no place in the game for drugs and the FA have got it spot on, as do FIFA. Testing needs to be done on regular occasions and we as players need to be aware of this and do the correct thing," he added. On his team's Premiership chances, Gerrard thinks that Livepool, "can push Chelsea all the way this year. And one player the inspirational midfielder believes can help the Anfield club on their way to this goal is Peter Crouch, who has found himself under a great deal of pressure since his move to Anfield. "We know the he's not everyone's cup of tea but what he's done on the pitch for us this season has been really good," he said. "All he's been short of is a goal, but if he gets the right service the goals will come. We very happy with what he's done so far and we're confident that the he can do well for us in the future. Looking ahead to Saturday's Premiership fixture against Fulham, Gerrard envisages a tough game. "Fulham away this weekend is a difficult game, but we've just come off the back of a few good results so confidence is high and we're confident we can get a result," he said. Some of those good results have been in Europe, where Liverpool continue to show some fine form, and Gerrard believes the holders of have no reason to believe that they can't retain the European Cup this year. "We don't fear anyone," said Gerrard. "We're the champions of Europe and we like to think that other teams are going fear us. We know we can beat anyone over two legs; we proved that last year when we beat Chelsea and Juventus, and AC Milan in a one-off game, so why should we fear anyone? We're confident we can go all the way again this season. "There are a lot of strong teams out there this year. There are maybe eight or ten who can go and win the Champions League this year. These teams boast top players; to name a few there's Ronaldinho of course, Chelsea have got Lampard who's flying at the moment, Kaka for AC Milan... these are players who are attacking midfielders who can win a game at any given moment. When questioned on England and their chances at next summer's Finals in Germany, Gerrard made it clear he is a fan of boss Sven-G�ran Erikkson, and that England can go all the way. "I've been surprised by the criticism of Sven. It hasn't all been champagne performances but we've still topped the group and the criticism of Sven is unfair. Think he should be judged on how he does at the World Cup, and I'm confident he can do really well next summer. "Denmark and Northern Ireland are two results I'd like to forget. It wasn't England out there and I don't know what went wrong. It wasn't the real England that we know can play well," he said. "We've got four or five friendlies now before the World Cup starts and hopefully everyone will click and come together. But the team spirit and confidence is really high and we're looking forward to doing well out there.
WHEN ALONSO SCORED THE PENALTY TO MAKE IT 3-3 IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL
