Time to sell Gerrard

[Kenneth]

I've been thinking for a while about the issue of Gerrard's position, he is undoubtedly a fantastic player but his role in the team is and always has been unclearly defined. Do we build a system around Gerrard or do we develop a system and define Gerrards role within it? At the moment for me we are doing neither effectively. I think part of our problem over the last few years has been how we utilise players to get the best out of them and the team.

We seem to have (or have had) a number of players who don't have such well defined positions and are moved about to play different roles, Gerrard, Benayoun, Babel, Kuyt at present, previously we've had the like of Berger, Smicer and Garcia...

I think we need to develop a system and sign players to fit it rather than moving players around trying to make square pegs fit in round holes.

I guess 'utility' players, or at least players who can do a job in a couple of positions, is appealing when funds are limited. Maxi can cover right and left and central attacking, although probably won't be great at any. When we have have has specialist wide men, they haven't played that much (although Riera, Pennant and Gonzalez may just have not been good enough.)

[kingfunk]

The Liverpool captain, for one, has failed to find his best form this season and his body language at times has suggested all is not well.

Against United he was a peripheral figure for long periods and in the latter stages, as Benitez threw on Alberto Aquilani and Yossi Benayoun in an attempt to salvage a point, he was moved around the pitch.

That, according to former team-mate and close friend Jamie Redknapp, will not have impressed the England international.

"Don't get me wrong, Steven Gerrard was not at his best again, but he's hardly being given the platform by his manager," Redknapp wrote in the Daily Mail. "I'm not sure if Stevie played in three, or was it four different positions against United.

"That's no way to treat your best players. Give him a platform, trust him with the role and watch him play. It's not as if he hasn't proved that before."

Im not rafa`s biggest fan as you people know, Bot blaming Rafa for Stevie`s form this season is complete bollox, no need to go into the reasons why, hes is a pro and so...... and the quotes above are coming from a complete bollox.

[Vermilion]

He is going to storm it. I think he is down in the dumps with all the **** of an virtually bankrupt underperforming club filled with average players. The World Cup could not only benefit him but also us putting a bit of fire back in his belly. He might suprise a few.

Exactly...some people forget because these players are paid loads it makes them into footballing robots without the same human frailties we all have.

He's been promised time and time again that the club will invest in top quality players...and because of our pathetic ownership it's not happened... i don't blame him one bit for feeling down about Liverpool fc and it's future prospects.

[Exiled_red]

I guess 'utility' players, or at least players who can do a job in a couple of positions, is appealing when funds are limited. Maxi can cover right and left and central attacking, although probably won't be great at any. When we have have has specialist wide men, they haven't played that much (although Riera, Pennant and Gonzalez may just have not been good enough.)

They are a useful option, but I think we have so many of them playing in so many varied roles that it poses problems, take Babel as an example he's played left wing, right wing, off the front man, as the lone front man and in a front two, he's been here a few years and I still can't tell you what his best position is. The majority of games recently he's played as a left winger, but he isn't a winger. Same with Benayoun he usually plays either wide right or wide left, but again he's not a winger. If we're going to play with wingers we should sign wingers. I wouldn't have a problem with keeping Babel or Benayoun as backups or varying their positions in an injury crisis. But I sometimes imagine that some of these players must have to think 'where am I playing today' and 'what do I have to do?' Rather than just playing their natural game. I personally think this could be part of the reason why many consider our attacking game to be restricted.

[lickedlollipop]

did Gerrad at least tried to say something to Webb when pen was given ?

[Big-Red-Ed]

So he has had one poor season by his standards in the past 10 or so. Behave yourself fella.

Let's cut the guy some slack. He is clearly not 100% fit and his freakish dynamism is what sets him apart from all others. Given his well publicised personal problems and the absolute dross he has to put up with on and off the pitch at the club, is it any wonder he is well below par.

[Redspin]

Not had a good season, looks to be losing his drive, no spring chicken, still worth good money. We expect him to be the best player on the pitch but I can't remember the last time he was our best player, nevermind the best on the pitch. Club politics would be easier without him too, and I think it would be eaier to pick a formation suitable to the opposition without trying to accommodate him. Once there was talk about playing him in any outfield position and him being the best there, now we talk about how he can't play in the middle and can't/won't play on the right. We can't play 442 with him in the team

I have no time for sentimentality, his past performances are banked and he would leave as a legend, but it's time.

Anyone got any compelling reasons why we should keep him, preferably footballing ones rather than "his fee would just pay off the debts of the Americans.."?

I agree with you. I don't remember a single game either this season where he was our best player and he's been generally average, like yesterday.

If we keep him, as is more likely, he should be put out on the right with Aquilani in the attacking central midfield role. If he doesn't want to do that I'd like to hear his views on why he's happy to play on the left for England

[Redspin]

because under a new manager he will probably flourish.

At the top of his game he is an awesome player and still world class.

I think he has lost faith in the manager and is not 100% fit.

He said pointedly on TV a couple of weeks ago when his fitness was raised by an interviewer that he's not carrying an injury and is fully fit.

Sometimes a player just reaches his peak and then goes gradually downhill. It happens to the best. Even Kenny was dropped deeper when the goals dried up

[Redspin]

The Liverpool captain, for one, has failed to find his best form this season and his body language at times has suggested all is not well.

Against United he was a peripheral figure for long periods and in the latter stages, as Benitez threw on Alberto Aquilani and Yossi Benayoun in an attempt to salvage a point, he was moved around the pitch.

That, according to former team-mate and close friend Jamie Redknapp, will not have impressed the England international.

"Don't get me wrong, Steven Gerrard was not at his best again, but he's hardly being given the platform by his manager," Redknapp wrote in the Daily Mail. "I'm not sure if Stevie played in three, or was it four different positions against United.

"That's no way to treat your best players. Give him a platform, trust him with the role and watch him play. It's not as if he hasn't proved that before."

More Redknapp bollocks. Gerrard's had a "platform" all season long in his favourite position. All managers move the players round to vary the play when things are going wrong, so why should Gerrard be immune to it?

He's on over £100K a week, so it's time he grew a pair and put a shift on the pitch. He was piss poor yesterday

[red g]

Steven Gerrard - A Victim Of Mediocrity Or Part Of The Problem?


Skipper's slump in form has coincided with Reds' slide down the table...
By Neil Jones

Another Monday morning, another post-mortem for Rafael Benitez and Liverpool. But in the aftermath of the Reds’ narrow, yet deserved, defeat to Manchester United, one question must surely take precedent for the Spaniard; just what is eating Steven Gerrard?
A year ago, Liverpool’s captain took centre-stage as his side swept United away with a memorable 4-1 victory at Old Trafford. Yesterday, the landscape seemed very different, both for Gerrard and for his club. So often the spearhead, this time Gerrard found himself lurking in the shadows as United edged a step closer to eclipsing the Reds’ record of 18 league titles. His early raid, which allowed Dirk Kuyt to create Fernando Torres’ opening goal, was as good as it got. And that was five minutes in.

In some respects, the reasons for his dip in form appear pretty simple. Gerrard must have felt the good times were on the horizon after that epic success in Manchester last March, and a subsequent strong end to the season. But Liverpool have been on a downwards trajectory since this campaign began, and his personal form has suffered more than most. A turbulent season has affected just about everyone associated with the club, so why should the captain be impervious?

But this is Steven Gerrard, a player who forged a career out of salvaging lost causes and guiding average teams out of spells of mediocrity. To see such an influential figure turning in such consistently pedestrian displays is almost as distressing to Liverpool supporters as the prospect of missing out on Champions League football.

The latter days of Gerard Houllier’s reign – which are being mirrored with increasing regularity at the moment – saw Liverpool in a similar situation, as they vied for Champions League qualification with Newcastle United. Then, Gerrard was the driving force, the man who would rescue them whenever they needed it. Liverpool eventually made it to the Champions League that season, and would go on to win it under Benitez the following year. For both, they had Gerrard to thank.


Happier times | Gerrard was driving force in 2005

Yet now, with results inconsistent, performances sporadic, and restlessness prevalent, the skipper looks to be sinking with his ship. For a man obsessed with personal hygiene – as revealed by his wife during an insightful TV documentary – Gerrard looks increasingly like a man contemplating washing his hands of the worrying situation developing at his hometown club.

Examining players’ body language may not be a fool-proof way of analysing performances, but Gerrard’s has always been an accurate barometer for how things are going at Liverpool, and it screams antipathy at the moment. His brow is permanently furrowed, and his burning passion has been in evidence only in recent acts of petulance - such as the clash with Portsmouth's Michael Brown last Monday - which he has been lucky to get away with. Torres is undoubtedly Liverpool’s ‘go-to’ man at the moment.

Perhaps Gerrard is a victim of his own success. Local supporters have long stood accused of being overly-critical of their star man, as they take for granted his super-human capabilities. This season, the Gerrard dissenters have been more vocal than ever, but in truth his performances have given them more reason. But surely there are more complex issues to his apparent loss of form than sheer frustration at his club’s slide from challengers to also-rans.

The England vice-captain will be 30 by the time next season rolls around, and whilst he has both the intelligence and the fitness to maintain a high level of performance for a few more years yet, there can be no doubt that injuries are starting to take their toll on such a dynamic performer. And with Liverpool as far away from the top of the table as at any stage since 2005, Gerrard knows that time is running out for him to collect the one medal which he says drives him more than any other.

Some commentators have speculated upon the prospect of Gerrard walking away from Anfield this summer, whilst others have even dared to opine that Liverpool would benefit from his departure.

Certainly Benitez would prefer to retain his services, but there is an obvious need for the Spaniard to root out the cause of his slump, for it is clearly affecting Liverpool’s performances. When one of your two main attacking threats is misfiring, it stands to reason that results will suffer – especially when the other, Torres, has struggled for fitness for much of the season.

A fully fit and fully focused Gerrard is as important as ever if Liverpool are to prove that this slump is only temporary. But if that is to happen then the player, as much as the club, needs to shake off the mediocrity which has tagged their season.

http://goal.com/en/news/1717/editorial/2010/03/22/1843980/liverpool-debate-steven-gerrard-a-victim-of-mediocrity-or

[red g]

He said pointedly on TV a couple of weeks ago when his fitness was raised by an interviewer that he's not carrying an injury and is fully fit.

Sometimes a player just reaches his peak and then goes gradually downhill. It happens to the best. Even Kenny was dropped deeper when the goals dried up

but he was what 32/33 when the goals dried up?

If you are right in what you are saying i cannot remember another fall from such high standards to the mediocrity of this season for a player under 30?

racking my brains.......can you think of anyone?

[Redspin]

but he was what 32/33 when the goals dried up?

If you are right in what you are saying i cannot remember another fall from such high standards to the mediocrity of this season for a player under 30?

racking my brains.......can you think of anyone?

No I can't

The worrying thing is that he hasn't played well at all this season so this can hardly be just a dip in form. Dips in form are usually measured in weeks, while Gerrard's has been since day one of this season

[red g]

No I can't

The worrying thing is that he hasn't played well at all this season so this can hardly be just a dip in form. Dips in form are usually measured in weeks, while Gerrard's has been since day one of this season

i would agree there.

[RichC]

Looks to me there is more going on with Gerrard - always noises about his other half and I doubt the court case helped.

[red g]

yep Alex curran always reminds me of that Mrs merton sketch....

"So debbie what did you see in the multi millionare paul daniels?"