Rush was a quick runner and a quick thinker as well. He had made his move long before the opponent had realised. He had certainly always impressed with his goalscoring talents but what made him stand apart was his defensive work. He was Liverpool's first defender when the opposition had the ball. Joe Fagan was always impressed by Rush's attention to teamwork. "He set an example to all his colleagues, not only in his scoring, but also in his willingness to tackle back. He wins the ball so often it provides a psychological boost for defenders. Rush is a lanky, very fast, strong in heading and eminently dangerous attacker. He doesn't think about it in the game, but acts instinctively. Joe Fagan, his coach at Liverpool for many years, explained his extraordinary scoring risk as follows: " Rush has a skill that you can't teach a player: the instinct to sense scoring opportunities." Physically strong, fast enough for his size, good technique and excellent header, Ian Rush in fifteen years with the Liverpool shirt (seven before the Italian parenthesis, eight more after) scored 368 goals contributing to the conquest - in one period very brilliant for the reds - two European Cups, five Championships, three FA Cups and one Super Cup, thus proving to be one of the most lucid opportunists in the history of the club. His fighting spirit, his technical ease and his skill in the face of goal made him formidable around the penalty area.