IT’S almost treason to suggest that Steven Gerrard is no longer an automatic starter for Liverpool FC but perhaps, to get the best out of Brendan Rodgers’ tactics and team shape, the time has come for Captain Fantastic to hang up his cape.
At the start of the 2012-2013 season all fan’s knew that we were in for a rough ride initially, we were given a nightmare start to the season thanks to the fixture computer and we were left dreadfully short up front due to the transfer deadline fiasco.
We also had a new, young and in-experienced manager in Brendan Rodgers.
Rodgers likes to set his teams up in a 4-3-3 formation. He likes to play with tempo and for his teams to press high up the pitch.
He would have noticed that there was a serious lack of mobility in the Liverpool FC midfield and almost immediately shipped out Charlie Adam , Jay Spearing and Alberto Aquilani. He then spent £15million pounds on Joe Allen from his previous club Swansea City. Eyebrows were raised as it was a significant amount of money to be spent on a player that had only played in the Barclays Premier League for one season.
However, Joe Allen knew the way Brendan Rodgers liked his teams to play. Also, anyone who watched Swansea City the previous season could not have helped but be impressed with Joe Allen’s composure on the ball, awareness of what was happening around him and also his ability to win the ball back even though he is slight in stature.
With the loan signing of Nuri Sahin and the return of Lucas Leiva after long term injury it appeared that Brendan Rodgers had his first choice midfield for the start of the season.
However, with the Nuri Sahin deal only completed near the end of the transfer window he was severely lacking in match fitness and although Lucas Leiva came back from injury, a thigh muscle tear was soon to follow in the home game against Manchester City.
Brendan had a problem, he tried to supplement the midfield area with first Jonjo Shelvey and then Jordan Henderson. He also moved Joe Allen to a defensive midfield position to cover for Luca Leiva however more problems soon arose.
Steven Gerrard was struggling adapt his game to Brendan’s tika-taka style. Steven liked to get the ball and look forward on nearly all occasions, he didn’t want to slow the play by passing sideways and back. He preferred to try the risky cross-field pass, the longer ball into the channels or to the feet of the striker.
All of that went against Brendan Rodgers’ death by football approach.
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Teams also learnt to press high on Joe Allen at the base of the midfield 3 and he lost form and confidence. Although, how much of that is down to a shoulder injury he sustained we will never know.
All of which meant Brendan had to adapt and start playing a 4-2-3-1 with Steven Gerrard sitting alongside Lucas Leiva and either Jonjo Shelvey, Nuri Sahin or Jordan Henderson playing further forward and joining the front players in attack and being the first to press high when in defence.
What also happened was that Brendan Rodgers gave Steven Gerrard more licence to hit those long raking passes, to be slightly more direct than Brendan Rodgers wanted but he knew he had to get the best out of what he had at his disposal.
This was the theme for the rest of the season, there were some changes in personnel, Jordan Henderson came in and played very well and Nuri Sahin was sent back to Real Madrid. Jonjo Shelvey fell by the wayside a little and Joe Allen finally succumbed to his shoulder injury.
So, you may be asking why would it be time for Steven Gerrard to hang up his cape and no longer be a first choice player?
Last season we learnt that Lucas Leiva, Joe Allen and Steven Gerrard cannot play together in a midfield 3, they are all too one paced and unfortunately for Steven Gerrard his legs can no longer carry him around the pitch as quickly as Brendan Rodgers will want.
When Jordan Henderson played there was more energy, more pressing higher up the pitch and Jordan Henderson was happy to make more runs forward to supplement the attacking players.
This season Brendan Rodgers will want to play his preferred formation, that is a 4-3-3. He will want his team pressing higher up the pitch and hopefully he is looking at a replacement in the defensive midfield role to Lucas Leiva.
I would like to see Joe Allen and Jordan Henderson starting in the Liverpool FC midfield at the start of the season alongside Lucas Leiva or his replacement.
At all clubs there comes a time for evolution, the old guard hand the baton to the younger guard and this could be the time for Steven Gerrard to do that. He will still be a huge part of the squad and the club of course but perhaps it is time for him so follow the footsteps of Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes.
Of course it would be a huge decision for Brendan Rodgers to make, especially in the wake of Jamie Carragher retiring.
If I were a betting man I would say that Steven Gerrard will start more games than not up until Christmas, and after that point Brendan Rodgers will start phasing him out of the starting XI.
He will always be our Captain Fantastic but now is the time for someone else to take on the cape and the responsibilities that go with it.
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Don’t be silly. Gerrard is still the best we have …..by a long long way
Jimmy what a right plonker you are.
Gerrard gone and then what? Liverpool needs him much more than they realize. I hope he gets that league title before he really hangs up his boots. But by longshot, I’m hoping that happens
Gerrard gone and then what? Liverpool needs him much more than they realize. I hope he gets that league title before he really hangs up his boots. Even though its by a longshot, I’m hoping that it happens
I think last season was one of the best that I have seen from Gerrard in a long time. Ready for every game, plenty of assists, goals and a real Captain on and of the field. Gerrard is helping the younger guy´s and bringing confidence to the play that Rogers want to see on the field. No. Gerrard will be the one that Rodgers leans on for now and he will give all he´s got like he´s always done.
I think u a right our captain should sometimes be rested, against teams like stock city ,southampton,
R u having a laugh m8 hes the heart and soul of the club is captain fantastic what a season he had 2012-2013 and i hope a few more.
Cheers for the comments gents. Firstly I am a massive Steven Gerrard fan and he did have a good second half of last season. However, he’s 33 now and perhaps the team as a whole would be better off without him in it? Similarly with Suarez, does he over shadow some of the other players? Does he stop them doing what they want to do? Only one way to find out and thats to have him on the bench ore often.
You have got to realize man we have had a lot of stalwarts exit alonso, kuyt, jamie, mascherano. All these players ever since their exit, we have found it difficult to replace anyone with the same potential. In these times of crisis id rather ask for stability, rather than experimentation. The answer is in smooth transition, not in erratic decision making.
u better stop the plan of taking the captainces from him because gerrad is our king n our fantastics captain.
Stupid article!
nice article except that it wasnt properly written.
Sounds logic if only it means resting him 2 carry hs legs more years 2 come.
If i were brendan,i wldnt gamble wd gerrard be on de bench.rather i wld rest him sam games wch on paper are easy 2 take 3 points n hve him in if de game s nt going as wanted
I think Hendo can be the new gerrard. however gerrard is the ultimate midfielder. is like to see wanyama come in for Lucas. a more bold,rigid approach.
Are you for real there’s still plenty of life in Stevie yet he is truly a legend still head and shoulders above most in his position.Maybe in 3-4 years time but not now for goodness sake.
Gerrard is to liverpool what Di Natale is to Udinese, Pirlo to Juventus, Xavi to Barcelona.
A complete midfielder that is adapt at changing his style and approach that best suits the team and the manager. The sensibility and gamesense that these few players posesses is a boon for managers and clubs alike knowing that they have experience, composure and the ability to change the game while lifting the team as awhole is what money cant buy.
For me to believe its time for gerrard to hang is cape is when i see someone that could take over from where he leaves.
Till Then im Glad we Still Have A Mr. Fantastic worthy of donning the liverpool red.
couldn’t have said it better
Time to give agger the captaincy and build a team around it
its nice article but handanson cannot fit the shoe now atleast let seen what handerson will play this season for me will still need steven as a first eleven shirt.
Absolute nonsense! Well written, but nonsense!
Barring his shoulder problem, he would have played every minute of every game last season and was our second best player even after a mixed start to the season. You talk about how Allen, Lucas and Gerrard can’t play in a midfield three, correct! But, that is not a reason for Gerrard not to play because hes a better player then Lucas and I shouldn’t put him in the same sentence as Joe Allen without being disrespectful. Jordan Henderson at no stage played in the two man holding midfield so why are we talking about him and Gerrard?
If and i emphasise if, we bring in a world class holding midfielder who can get around the pitch, something in a Diame/Toure/Essien mould, then possibly you could begin to wrap him up a bit better in the lesser games. But until that day, forget about Allen and Lucas together or Jordan Henderson dropping alongside one of them. It will never be good enough. Henderson has done brilliantly as the attacking member of that triangle last season but would need to be wiser where he ends up when the balls breaks to play in a holding role, wrong side of man far too often. Same can be said for Allen, plus he seems lightweight but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt until I see him fit again. Fact remains, for this season at least, Gerrard has to play as often as physically possible.
Hi Brian, Thanks for your reply.
I agree with some of what you are saying, Ideally I would like to see Allen and Henderson alongside a top DM, Wanyama would be ideal.
I’m certainly not saying let Steven Gerrard leave or never play next season, just that perhaps we need to look at building the team around younger and more mobile midfielders. Of course, that could be this season coming or perhaps next season. I just don’t think Steven Gerrard should be considered an automatic starter and certainly not a player that cannot be subbed or dropped.
That’s why we all love football, it’s all about opinions.
Cheers
I agree fully with Brian. And I would also like to add – I hope Joe Allen NEVER plays for Liverpool again . He is that bad -it’s shameful that a player of his low calibre wears our badge
Well said by fishlock, we can not use Gerrard for ever and the earlier we realise this, the better..let’s start building the team around younger players and give them time 2 improve, bring Gerrard as a substitute to change the tempo of game when needed.
There is not nothing bad in that idea, I really bide the Idea, but if we need replacement I will prefer christian erikson, young and talented, and also V wayanma for lucas replacement and one defender more.
This a nice article.perhap Gerrard has leave a legacy and he is a player to reckon with. Let Daniel Agger take the mantle.