Lets face it, Liverpool F.C have a lot of problems at the moment, be that pLayers we have over paid on and stand to lose massive amounts on, Ageing players on huge wages that no longer warrant a place on the subs bench let alone the first team, to a lack of funds needed to strengthen the first team. It will be a long road to rectify but one that needs to be taken & I for one think we have the right man for the job & look forward to the long walk back to where we should be. What we do know, is that we are trying to play a quick passing game in midfield, which you need to do the basics well to make effective. One person that stands out for me as not fitting into this mould is Steven Gerrard, forget about the fact he had the lowest pass completion of any outfield player in our last game, I don't think you can make a judgement on the first game of the season, but at the same time, when was the last time Gerrard had a sustained good period from CM ? I for one cannot recall such a period. We baulked at the never ending saga of who was a better CM Lampard or Gerrard ? Reds would categorically say Gerrard, anything else & you didn't know anything about football ! For me it depends on what system you use. In Rodgers particular set up, with short passing involved you would have to say that Lampard would be a better fit, I have never been of the opinion that Gerrard had a good enough short game & was disciplined enough to play this role effectively, Rafa saw this and switched him to the right & then just off the front man, both of which he excelled at & had his most productive seasons, many would have read this article puslished April 2012 on our success rate with and without Gerrard from last season, but i thought i´d repost for those that have not: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2012/apr/10/the-question-steven-gerrard-liverpool Stats are always subjective, so it would be foolish to suggest that this article alone prove anything, taking into account the opposition so forth & I´m not saying drop him altogether, as I feel he is still a fantastic footballer on his day but with Liverpool lining up the way they are & the style of football being played along with the deficiencies in his game, would we be better off utilising him on the right of an attacking 3 perhaps ? he might not have the legs to constantly get up and down the byline but he still has a great football brain & would surely be a more intelligent option than playing Downing on the Right as he did on Saturday. Joe Allen showed Gerrard how CM should be played on his debut with over a 96% completion rate & this included long searching balls, spreading the play aswell as his short game. This is something I haven't seen from a Liverpool player since Alonso left. It begs the question, if Gerrard no longer has the legs to play off the front man in one of the only positions he was truly world class in (we also do not line up in exactley the same manner), why does he warrant a place in a position he has always been lacking in & is a fundamental part of how any team plays ? This opens a whole other can of worms, for the positive & negative, as who would fill the 3rd midfield spot ? Shelvey looks like the first back up & will mature into a fine player, I would be very interested to see a midfield 3 of Allen, Shelvey & Lucas, they would definitely have the legs & tenacity to operate as a 3 & maybe even most importantly, the simplicity. Charlie Adam long hailed as not good enough, didn't look as bad as everyone is making out last season when he played alongside Lucas especially in fact he finished the season as our top assist maker even though he missed the final 11 games. The Away performance against Chelsea maybe the highlight. To me, although I don't think he´s an amazing football player, the fact he didnt try to hide & put in some good performances alongside Lucas suggests he has a small part to play this season if we pick up injuries. A midfield 3 of Allen, Shelvey & Lucas by the way will inturn give Gerrard the freedom he needs to operate on a football field, whether that is wide from the right or wandering infield masking his penchant for Hollywood passes that lose us possession in key areas as well as his average short game. I have said elsewhere that Suarez´s lack of composure would be another option for a wide position, preferabley from the right also. So this scenario would create depth for that area, which will be a positive from any shift in Gerrards position, saying that, looking at the Andy Carroll saga, it seems pretty set that untill Carroll is sold Rodgers will prefer Suarez in the number 9 position with Carroll on the bench unless he makes a judgement call based on the opposition. It would be interesting to hear A) what other LFC fans make of Gerrards current standing in the squad, B) where they feel he is best suited to make use of his talents & C) if his talents are still of a level that would mean he should be fitted into the starting 11 whatever the case.
If Gerrard was keeping a better player out of the team then there would be grounds to discuss this, but he is the best for our CAM role bar none, Henderson and Shelvey aren't ready to perform there week in week out and be of use (Can't see them scoring a blistering hatrick against Everton like Gerrard did last year).
a) I feel he should be dropped. On merit - he has not performed for a few years and has only been in the first team because either the other midfielders aren't good enough (in the eys of the fans when comparing a legend like Gerrard to the likes of Adam) or because of his name/status. His leadership seems non-existent these days. These are pretty grim times and we need someone who will gee up the players, motivate them and also get the crowd going. He has the body language of a defeated man. b) If he is to be used, then let play in the front 3 alongside Suarez etc. Put him closer to the goal therefore reducing the distance for him to run into the box. Plus, he's clever and can make good runs and he can finish. c) No. He should be used a super-sub IMO. But that does not mean that Henderson or Shelvey should go straight into the squad either. We have quantity over quality at the minute. A player like Sahin would have been perfect alongside Lucas and Allen. I do agree with you on Adam - alongside Lucas, he got assists and goals and more importantly, we were getting dominant performances and decent results (either wins or draws). Since Gerrard's return, the dominant performances were fading away and we were getting beat (deservedly).
lfc 009 bullets are my thing, get yer own. re; elephants people who live in zoos do risk having the occasional elephant wandering in. re; gerrard. his recent website article saying he was this or that just points so clearly to the heart of this issue, he still thinks he's it and 25.
I disagree, Gerrard will adapt to the midfield role he has always been an intelligent player and has played in many positions over the years. I would agree that he can and maybe should play as part of the front 3 as I think the role would suit him. I really think he will play in both roles this season. He didn't have the best of games against WBA but I felt that it was because he was changing his natural instict and holding in midfield, so he was doing what he was told and trying to change for the sake of the team. We shouldn't judge him on this one game.
I think it will be interesting. On one hand BR seems to be uncompromising on his adoption of his system to the point where he seemingly has dismissed using a player up front(Carroll) he believes will disrupt that system. Yet he is picking Gerrard. I am though grateful as I am and still of the belief that he has world class moments in him believe that the Gerrard of today creates an imbalance in our midfield. I saw it in the last two years and I could only presume it will be exacerbated with the return to this style which is "whole team" orientated. From a purely technical point of view I find it hard to understand why he would pick a player who in my opinion will disrupt the tactical style more from midfield than Carroll would from upfront. Worse, add Gerrards body language & demeanor when things aren't going right plus captains armband and I fail to see the balance with the half dozen world class moments we might get a season. My only guess is BR is being political. He thought (probably rightly) that it would be unwise to drop a legend, club captain during a time of transition when we are going to lose a number of games, some times looking terrible until the new system is bedded in. Can you imagine the clamour from some if we lose 4-5 of the first games (not wanted but not impossible looking at the fixtures) if during that time Gerrard wasn't starting? I think he's balancing politics with long term goals. He believes he has the long term backing of the owners so can afford to have his plans disrupted for a year when I think you will see Gerrard phased out a lot more next year. I also think its why despite seemingly having an abundance of midfielders we keep targeting more. He's looking for a strong enough midfield to be able to face us and say no more Gerrard.
It must be a bloody big room as I think the OP is looking at the wrong elephant! In reality we should be looking at Rodgers and his ability to actually manage the players that he has and within the financial realities imposed by the owners. So just how flexible is he or is he so wedded to a particular style of play that he fails to maximise those player resources? The problem is that we will not know that for quite a while.
****s sake lads we've only played one league game Simply put...Gerrard is being asked to change roles YET AGAIN. Has he always adjusted? Yes. Did his switch to right midfield come off overnight? No...he looked hopeless there for the first two months. Will he adjust to BRs tactics? IMO yes of course he will. You seriously think BR should drop him one game into the new season? That's got AVB written all over it. Doesn't a player who's given us so much deserve our support during a bad spell? Or do we just cast these guys aside at the first sign of trouble (like we did with Kenny)? I really want to have a "I remember the days when we supported our players" style rant...but what's the point. Some of you guys want instant overnight fixes for things and they don't exist now anymore than they existed ten or twenty years ago.
I don't think anyone is questioning Gerrard after one game, I think the comments are based on the last couple of seasons. As for a player serving us so deserving respect, of course he does but not to the detriment of the team. You have to know how to use a player, when you have gotten the best out of them and when to dispose of them. I'm not saying we should get rid of Gerrard, hell I'm not saying we should do anything with Gerrard, just pointing out that there comes a time when enough is enough and decisions have to be made. It took the fans about two years to join forces when it comes to Jamie Carragher's contribution, I think most of us now accept he is past his best and is back-up at best now.
I agree but have ranted a bit less. Im sure he will adapt he's a class player and will always give his all, yes he may move at times to the front 3 but that is again showing what a good player he is. I still think he will be a huge player for us for a few seasons yet.
I'm with you on this one, Billy. The thing is our problems are there for all to see, but we each have our own solution. Many seem to be put out if the club doesn't do what they think it should and start calling for heads to roll. BR has a task, to get us competing again. He tries one method and if it doesn't work he has to learn from that and adapt it until it does. It's a learning process and takes time. Our job is to get behind the team and be patient.
Yes but all this also completely neglects what the players are still capable of and we all know what Gerrard is capable of when utilised correctly. It also neglects the impact these lads have in and around the club on a daily basis. As it happens its kind of hard to judge Gerrard on his two injury hit seasons prior to this. I wonder if those United fanswho were calling for Giggs head years back after his injury hit years in his late twenties are glad their manager isn't as knee jerk as they were being. Fergie knew Giggs was a class apart so identified a different way to use him AND gave him time to do so. I hope to god BR is clever enough to do the same.
Agreed Saint. No one likes losing games and Saturday was tough, we all wanted to get off to a flier but calling for heads to roll already? That's a slippery slope IMO and will set us back a whole lot further than it will take us forward. The manager and team need and deserve time to adjust.
I'm not saying just dump him and as stated my opinion is based on what I have seen over 2 seasons. Because he's a good player he'll adapt and cope and on some days look awesome. Is there anyone to replace him that can be world class on the day in the squad at the moment? Nope. But a season is about averages. 12 points won by Gerrard on good days has in my view too often been cancelled out over the last two seasons with 12 points lost to an anonymous Gerrard. That's too simplistic as the rest of the team bears the responsibility as does the manager. But it's also the managers responsibility to answer why a player is first choice no matter how badly he performs and the answer in competitive sport can not be "it's a reward for years gone by": Thats what testimonials are for. Do I think he's past it right now today? No. But do I think a team over the next 2 seasons with him as automatic first pick will succeed? I'm sorry I don't. Personally I'd love to see him as part of the front 3 and him have a renaissance this year but it's not going to happen, BR doesn't seem to agree with us. So all I want now is a competitive team & our form over the last 2 years means not one of the squad bar arguably a fit Lucas should be automatically on that team sheet. But for this year at least the reality is BR like managers before him will be guaranteeing a position every week for a fit Stevie.
