Gerrard calls for players to clean up their act

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has waded into the debate over diving by calling for players to be more honest.

The England midfielder was echoing the comments of his manager Rafael Benitez yesterday, who said coaches had a responsibility to tell their squad not to go down easily or feign injury.

“It annoys me. I don’t think there is anything worse than seeing not just a foreign player but any player who has received a knock lying down on the floor to get an opponent booked, or diving when no one’s been anywhere near him,” said Gerrard.

“If I saw a team-mate doing it I would definitely have a word. It’s happened here at Liverpool a couple of times, where players have gone down too easily, and the manager has said: ‘Get up. Get on with it. Don’t be doing that. It’s wrong.'

“I think managers and captains, leaders and experienced players have a responsibility to grab people after a training session or a game and say: ‘None of that. That doesn’t happen here.’”