Source: Liverpool_Echo
DOMINIC KING: Remarkable Pepe Reina is the real deal for Liverpool FC
ANOTHER weekend, another milestone - Pepe Reina's enduring consistency will be recognised this afternoon when he makes his 100th consecutive Premier League start for Liverpool.[LNB]It is, of course, a feat achieved before in the club's illustrious history - 15 others have done it since 1892, the most recent being David James - but, in an age when reliable keepers are needed like never before, it demonstrates the level at which Reina has been operating.[LNB]And this season, it's safe to say he has never been better. During a campaign that has tested the patience of even the most understanding soul, Reina's outstanding performances have ensured he - quite rightly - has been exempt from any criticism.[LNB]Yet that will come as no solace to this fiercely competitive individual. As well as he has been playing, to suggest Reina has taken any satisfaction from a string of top drawer displays is nonsense.[LNB]When Steven Gerrard revealed after Tuesday night's draw at Wolves that 'players were hurting in the dressing room' apart from talking about himself and Jamie Carragher, his phrase could easily have been coined with Reina and Fernando Torres in mind.[LNB]Such an attitude has helped him become a hugely popular figure on the terraces and a hugely influential presence in the dressing room; he, like Torres, might hail from Madrid but, in the same way as his compatriot, Reina has immersed himself in Liverpool's ethos. He understands the way supporters are thinking.[LNB]That's why it's never a surprise after every big win to see a picture of him celebrating; it's why Reina will charge 80 yards from his goal to join in celebration huddles or, as was the case on Boxing Day against Wolves, he will hurtle the length of the pitch if he feels Liverpool have been wronged.[LNB]He is, quite simply, the complete package - if he wasn't, Rafa Benitez, a man not known for handing out lavish praise at the drop of a hat, would not have said what he did recently.[LNB]'Goalkeepers will make mistakes at some point - that is clear,' Benitez pointed out. 'But when we talk about the value of Pepe here, you really have to think only about Ray Clemence.[LNB]'He was one of the best keepers in this country for years and years and you see that if you analyse his figures. But then you look at Pepe.[LNB]'Three Golden Gloves awards in three years, fantastic records, doing well with a very good mentality.
