STEVEN Gerrard. Our Steven Gerrard. There are times when superlatives can not quite do justice for something, or in this instance, someone.
I’m sure I am not alone in thinking of this man as a walking symbol of Liverpool Football Club, the yardstick and personally one of my favourite ever players (Mr Barnes still ranks as number 1 though).
My daydreams still take me to Anfield, to Istanbaul, to Anfield South, and leave me drooling as the slow motion replays of Gerrard strike after Gerrard Strike fly into the back of the net. I have a friend who is a West Ham fan that still to this day blames Gerrard and his injury time thunderbolt in the 2006 FA Cup Final as the reason why they have struggled in recent years.
As a footballer he epitomises everything a football fan wants to be regardless of allegiance.
He is strong, quick, has stamina, desire, heart, an engine, and possesses a bag full of tricks, Thor’s hammer in each foot, good in the air and, unlike most of his contemporaries, has that ability to grab a game by the scruff of the neck deciding that he doesn’t want to lose and drag it kicking and screaming to the final whistle with a favourable result. If you don’t believe me let me loan you my 2005 Champions League DVD; from the first game to Istanbul he was imperious and he got Djimi Traore a Champions League winners medal.
Yet as with everything in life Father Time comes calling and slowly starts stealing from us all, a yard of pace here a week of injury recovery time there. As Stevie grows older we will increasingly become faced with an issue of how best to utilise this talent, and if you scoff, I have seen questions asked over him this season already (not from me I may add).
What I wanted to do here was write a piece to stimulate conversation and just to gauge other people’s opinions:
Why change anything? He is playing central midfield as he was born to do.
Any talk of Stevie playing anywhere other than midfield, whether it be sitting defensively as we saw at the Euro’s or pushed on behind a striker as we saw with Torres, is simply lunacy. Steven Gerrard was born a central midfielder, he is the archetypal general. His play both inspires those around him as well as instigating fear in his opponents.
He harasses and bullies when not in possession with fearsome challenges and a desire to win, and when the team is in possession he is the heartbeat; he has the vision and is the inspiration. With the likes of Allen and Lucas in behind he can lose the shackles and link-up with Suarez and Sterling and Suso ahead of him safe in the knowledge a Welshman and a Brazilian have his back. Where should he play? Central Midfield no doubt.
Attack, Attack, Attack!
Before the International break Liverpool were heading into an interesting selection headache in the centre of the pitch with the pending return from injury of Lucas. Let it not be forgotten that the downturn in results syncs with first the nasty injury he picked up against Chelsea, and then the muscle trouble at the start of this season.
The Brazilian provides our backline much needed protection and allows those ahead of him to express themselves, something currently we lack. He will sit nicely with Joe Allen who goes about his business quietly and dictates how the team plays. The little Welshman is the central point of the team and with Lucas returning will be able to be more offensive in his play.
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So in a 4-3-3 this leaves one midfield spot with Gerrard, Shelvey and Sahin fighting tooth and nail for it, let alone the likes of Suso (despite his use higher up the pitch so far) and Henderson desperate to play. Strong cases can be made for all three, but should we not just be deciding between Sahin and Shelvey? The unfortunate news about Borini has left us even lighter upfront, and in a league that demands four strikers we have but one. The solution is obvious, no? Push Stevie forward into that infamous ‘false 9’.
He has all the attributes to play a central striking role; he can hold the ball up as a target man (something Carroll could have performed for us) but he has the ability to play with it too (something which the manager doubted Carroll could do). Alleviating his defence responsibility will allow him to express himself on the game and his direct play and creativity will give Liverpool that attacking focal point. With Stevie playing through the centre with Sterling/Suso and Suarez off him….wow!
One step back is two steps forward!
The 4-3-3 system being employed by Rodgers’ Liverpool is not suited to the style of play favoured by a player like Stevie. The lung bursting box to box midfield is somewhat stifled in a system that calls for a more patient build up and considered approach.
Fortunately in Stevie we have a player capable of playing in any position on the pitch (I think he played in all but goalkeeper in Istanbul!). The modern game is crying out for athletic centre backs with the confidence to carry the ball from the back with Agger being the prime example of what a modern day centre back should be.
If we look at Barcelona for example, they have been deploying the likes of Mascherano, Busquets and Song as centre backs over the last couple of seasons. We all know the offensive capabilities of Stevie but defensively speaking he is also excellent, he would be very quick for a centre back, can tackle, can time a challenge, is excellent in the air and very comfortable on the ball.
Our style of play demands possession and for us to be in possession higher up the pitch and whereas this restricts Stevie the Midfielder in how he carries the ball, Stevie the Defender would have far more pitch in front of him. An extra bonus of playing deeper would be that physically it is not as demanding a role as a midfielder as less ground is covered thus prolonging his career. It has been muted as an option at international level by a number of pundits so why not at club level?
What you have (hopefully) read are three separate arguments put forward for our captain. You will notice I have not put across my personal opinion as I don’t want to taint the conversation; I have simply made a case for each proposition. What I would love is for you the reader to now be the jury, the judge (and for some people probably my executioner!!). Please let me know which you agree with, if any, and why you do. If there are other options then please let me know those too!
I’m on Twitter @timdibs come say hi!
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I think his yearis going to be the last year as a regular starter I’m afraid. Watching him this year, he doesn’t have the energy to win the ball bak after he loses it and Rodgers styl doesn’t allow for luxuries. Sad, as he’s been a great player and will still have the odd great moment but good managers recognise the time when great players need to be phased out, it seems it will be jonjo!
I couldn’t agree more with this if I tried, no matter how much I’d like it to be untrue. However, I vaguely remember Houllier successfully playing him at right-back. The harsh reality about playing him elsewhere hinges on it being where we want the ball to be as the team depends on him as an outlet
The most important thing with Stevie, is getting a performance out of him… I wonder what odds you can get on his name being in one of BR’s envelopes? lol
nonsense , gerrard is still the best . rodgers has not proven himself to be good manager .rodgers is not using gerrard where he is best . gerrard in – rodgers out
apparently as 007
with subtitles like on ‘Being Liverpool’ or was that only Carra? I used to be insulted by it but now I just think it’s funny 🙂
gerrard is our greatest ever player and still our best . at 31 he has lost none of his ability or desire . the only difference between the last 2 seasons and before – is he is being totally misused .
he is not a central midfielder or a workhorse , he is the greatest attacking midfielder ( just behind the striker ) that i have ever seen . kenny used a 4-4-2 that doesnt suit him . hodgson likewise and had gerrard working like a donkey in the euros ( totally wasted for england ), and rodgers inexplicably has him in a withdrawn position .
talk of the end for gerrard is rubbish , he is better than scholes . we need to play him in a area where it suits him . we need to build a team around gerrard . thats not going to happen under rodgers .
so for me ? gerrard or rodgers . liverpools greatest v inexperienced manager ? no choice at all . lets get a manager that will get the best out of gerrard . then we will have a world class player again .
What happens if he gets injured?
As far as I’ve seen this season, Gerrard is getting plenty of opportunity to attack.
shelvey or sahin have been furtest forward attacking not gerrard . gerrard is wasted playing sideways ,keep possession football , thats not what he is good at .
i cant believe there is so much negativity to the man ,who has at times singlehandedly , kept us going for 10 years
Yes, he has singlehandedly kept us going at times during the past 10 years, no doubt about it. I’ve sung his song more times than I can remember at Anfield but we shouldn’t pin our hopes on one player or build a team specifically around one player, either. The best sides get goals from all positions which has a lot to do with not having a clear focal point, surely you understand that?
Gerrard is not only passing sideways at present, he is supporting attack.
You are taking your point to the extreme. I have a seat high up in the Centenary and it is clear the team is far more dynamic this season and that includes Gerrard linking with Suarez and Sterling often in each game.
The way some people go on, you would think our centre midfielders were glued to the edge of their own D 🙂
Steven Gerrard is our liability now. S. Gerrard should be used as squad player. No contract extension for S. Gerrard.
who do you think you are. you wouldnt know a world class player if he shagged your wife. gerrard will play first team regular for next 3 years. then be around the squad until he retires. gerrard does not have the legs to play at the point of the midfield any more. but he does have great distribution and eye for a killer pass. for next 3 years gerrard,shelvey,henderson,lucas,allen,suso(will play on point of mid) will play rotation game of midfields.
aren’t u the same fool who thought fergusons utd just avoided relegation on last day of his 1st season ? lol .. what are u ? 12 years old
as for gerrard … he is such a legend and for everything he has done for us … i would let him come round and shag my wife
u dont know football . fool
wow , you can see into the future , amazing . 3 years right ? im off to the bookies to bet my wages .
really though , you are very ignorant when it comes to football . henderson ,lucas and allen have and never will play the ‘ point ‘ of midfield ( i think you mean attacking . this is not the 1st time you have shown your lack of knowledge about liverpool . still it must be tough when match of the day only show 5 min highlights
oops , that was reply to k’s idiotic garbage
Gerrard is my icon, my hero, the lad is a Legend arguably the best lfc player ever, arguably, in a better team in his prime, I rated him the best midfielder in the world. So it breaks my heart to say that we need to move on and have the guts to bench him now and then, don’t care where he plays just don’t play him as much. Life without him is a reality we need to come to terms with. As much as I rate him, I love liverpool even more and as a club we need to move forward.
Rafael Benitez sees him playing as no 9 into his 30s… He is intelligent enough to look for space between the back line for that yard to score! Kind of Alan Shearer style…
gerrard is the greatest and should be played in his proper position like rafa did . shame on rodgers for wasting him
agreed . stevie is king nd rodgers is looking like a bit of a joker for not using h him right
give rodgers till the end of the season , if he doesnt turn it around we should make carra manager
yes carra as manager , fowler as assistant , rafa back as sporting director , and king kenny back as chairman . as soon as we get the yanks out