DJ will come face-to-face with the Liverpool midfielder when England play Northern Ireland in the 2006 World Cup qualifier at Old Trafford on Saturday and he says he is hoping that Gerrard has another game similar to the last time the two were on opposing sides. "We got a few early tackles in and thankfully he had an off day. Hopefully that will be the case on Saturday because Gerrard is such a big player for England. "There is no point in letting him have a free run in midfield because that way he will hurt you. "I believe he is the best midfielder in the country and while it is going to be a tall order against him and Frank Lampard because they are so talented, we have to make life as uncomfortable as possible for them. "We have to be in their faces from the start. The England game is a massive challenge for us but all the boys have been looking forward to this for some time and are determined to give it a real go."
On that occasion DJ, along with Stephen Clemence, marked the Liverpool man out of the game as Blues recorded a season's double over the Merseysiders with a 2-0 success at St Andrew's last month.
"We didn't give him much time on the ball that day," Johnson has said.
DJ Rates Gerrard The Best In The League
