Sad as it may sound, but the time has come for Gerrard to give up his automatic place in the starting XI and play his remaining games with honour and integrity as even he would not want the club to suffer for his ambition to get more game-time. PHOTO: AFP
Much has been said about the miraculous ‘3-4-2-1’ formation which has worked wonders for Brendan Rodgers, but the question now remains is whether the new shape can take the Reds all the way to Europe’s elite competition or will we see another almost season from the five-time European champions.
Another question for Rodgers to ponder is the return of club captain Steven Gerrard, who was sidelined with a hamstring injury he picked up against Tottenham in mid-February. The club captain has missed six games out of which the Reds have lost only one, that too against Besiktas on penalties in the Europa League. Apart from the lone loss, the Reds have been on a dominant run and have curbed any challenges that the opposition teams have thrown in their way.
Liverpool vice-captain Jordan Henderson has impressed beyond expectations and has been the leader in the absence of the charismatic Gerrard, and the question that remains is whether the 34-year-old gets a place in the starting eleven keeping in mind the team’s great form?
Rodgers has been quick to dismiss any notions of Gerrard ‘automatically’ deserving a place in the starting eleven, regardless of his form and has asserted that the skipper would have to earn his way into the team, just like any other player.
But Gerrard is not just any player! The fans have already been devastated with the news that their beloved ‘Captain Fantastico’ would leave Anfield after a glorious 16-year career and now with very little time left for the season to end, the fans would want to see as much as they can of the player whom they have adored for a decade and a half.
That is the dilemma that Rodgers finds himself in and it will be highly impressive if the Northern Irishman can keep a balance between giving the fans what they want and making sure that the team continues their attacking fluidity and creativity because after all everyone would forgive the manager for not playing Gerrard, but fans would be less forgiving if the team somehow lets slip the top-four push after working so hard to get back into it.
Gerrard’s place in the starting eleven is highly contentious and there just isn’t a place where the midfielder could play and be as productive and efficient as he was a decade ago. This in no way aims any disrespect to the former England captain, but is just a reality check because regardless of how great a player was in his peak, time is something that changes everything.
With the likes of Raheem Sterling, Philippe Coutinho, Adam Lallana, Alberto Moreno and Lazar Markovic in the squad — all of them in their early 20s except for Lallana who is 26 — there is little space left for the talismanic captain to mark his return.
With all the attacking options taken — and attack is the zone that Gerrard loves to play in — the only place left for the midfielder is to provide cover to the defence and use his long balls to supply accurate pin-point passes to the frontline.
That was the theory behind playing Gerrard in the defensive midfielder role!
In theory it looks all good and dandy but the reality portrayed something entirely different. Gerrard has slowed down considerably in the past few years and as he goes further into his thirties, he has lost his touches and his powerful impact over the field, and in doing so he compromises the defence and leaves them open for the opposition to plunder.
Kindly forgive my boldness but this statement does not talk about the Englishman’s charisma on and off the pitch but is specifically targeting the way that he conducts his football. To his defense, it’s not about his work ethic or his love for football or Liverpool — it just simply is the villainous role that age plays for such athletes.
Rodgers needs to show his leadership skills in the management of Gerrard as he has to look at the club and not the fans who tend to get a bit emotional at moments like these.
As for today against Swansea, it seems highly improbable that the club captain would start the game and would have to wait for his turn in games which are probably not that important in pushing the Reds back into the Champions League and looking at the schedule and the remaining fixtures, the last 10 games are highly important as a ‘slip’ and that too in the name of Gerrard would not bid well with the ambitions of Liverpool to become a top club in Europe.
Sad as it may sound, but the time has come for Gerrard to give up his automatic place in the starting XI and play his remaining games with honour and integrity as even he would not want the club to suffer for his ambition to get more game-time.
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