Is This The Perfect Future Role For Steven Gerrard?

STEVEN Gerrard must play wide right in a front three in order to be utilized in the most productive manner while adapting to the new philosophy of Brendan Rodgers. It may sound a bold statement, but it’s something that can benefit the team’s attacking intent.

“About ten different positions,” was Steven Gerrard’s answer when recently asked what [positions] he played, in a short video segment on LFC’s official website, with centre-midfield, he claimed, being his favourite.

Finding the position where the Liverpool skipper can have the most influence will ultimately provide us with the sturdiest possible backbone – as seen with Chelsea through Terry, Lampard, Drogba.

Of the number of positions he has seemingly played, there are a handful which can easily be assessed.

Starting with perhaps the least popular, Gerrard’s versatility has landed him in a left wing role on occasion for Liverpool as well as for the Three Lions. Being right footed of course, he will naturally tend to drift towards the middle of the pitch. While he is a threat from any position, there are many other players built naturally to thrive on the left. Thus, unless he is filling in for an injury, the left should be covered by a player whose strongest point is such in order to fulfil maximum potential.

Loyal fans have also witnessed Gerrard as a second striker. When one looks back at his career, it is impossible to ignore his habit for scoring key goals in the most strenuous situations. He has the ability to link well with any teammate given they can return the favour. However, his age is slowly going to catch up with him, and his knack for back tracking may leave the midfield exposed and weak on counters. When one remembers his brilliance in the 2006 FA Cup Final and other screamers, they will realize he was not actually a striker, but a centre-midfielder, a provider. When he is up top, unless Charlie Adam blooms, the service will be notably missing.

Perhaps the most missed Red of recent times, Xabi Alonso, has left a hole in Liverpool’s football. His partnership with Steven Gerrard helped LFC field one of the greatest midfields in their history, and, as the song went, the world at that time. While a holding mid is not a go to choice for Steven Gerrard, his tough yet precise tackling with his golden long ball could prove sufficient as a temporary replacement, though the ‘temporary’ gap is taking too long to fill. He is also capable of making the right runs, and his vision is top class for counters. However, this is still not a preferred spot for the skipper by any means.
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Without doubt, Gerrard has most naturally fit the central midfield role. It is a fair and easy argument to claim he should play there after his performances over the years. Gerrard’s partnership with Fernando Torres when playing behind him made Torres lethal, and also allowed our skipper to stack the charts himself. Assuming this in a 4-2-3-1, the holding midfielders and backfield players need to be able to feed him the ball adequately in order for him to be the playmaker he can be.

However, the central midfield role for Gerrard may begin to prove itself inefficient. Tracking full field runs, defensive positioning, and of course his ongoing fitness are all beginning to line up and point elsewhere.

Gerrard’s earliest senior appearances in a Red shirt began with him on the right wing under Gerard Houllier, and it is that position in a 4-2-3-1 that I feel would be most effective.

In a front three out on the right – a position our beloved Dirk Kuyt became familiar with – Gerrard’s superb delivery can be further benefitted from, and in the 4-2-3-1, his legs would be saved some with the help from defensive midfielders. In a 4-3-3 I remain sceptical only from the point that he can only run so much in a match. Arguably his best season came under Benitez in such a position.

Either way, in order to see the Reds back to glory, Gerrard is the one man who must remain in the starting eleven wherever on the pitch. The future is bright with Rodgers. I’m not saying we can afford to gamble, but we can afford to reason.

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