To begin his two years on Merseyside, Westerveld was the unimpeded No. 1 shot-stopper under Gerard Houllier, conceding the fewest goals in the 1999/2000 Premier League season. Even more impressively, he starred as the Reds stormed to a league-less treble in 2001, becoming the hero of their League Cup final against Birmingham City.
Yet, an incredibly sharp downturn in form and a costly mistake against Bolton lowered the Dutchman in Houllier’s estimations, and action was taken. The iconic Jerzy Dudek and backup Chris Kirkland were recruited, and Westerveld found himself surplus to requirements, sold to Real Sociedad in December 2001 – an act the 50-year-old still fails to grasp fully.
I know what happened, but I still don’t understand it,” Westerveld, the only goalkeeper to play for Liverpool and Everton after a loan spell at Goodison Park in 2006, told Planet Football.
“From day one, Houllier told me and the press that you need time to adapt to the English league. Obviously, I was criticised like all goalkeepers are. They’re under a lot of pressure, especially at Liverpool.
