Apart from the mischievous thread title to give you a heart-attack, this is going to be happening within a few years (In my opinion). How did that headline make you feel? He’s just aces isn’t he?! Our midfield maestro that some have taken for granted and I think we’ve been lucky to see him play in our time. *When* his retirement happens, certain questions are going to be raised so I guess we should look at:
The Present
Looking at his role in recent games, he’s not as robust in the challenge anymore, which - due to injuries and a want to keep himself fit – is understandable, therefore he needs an ‘enforcer’ alongside him. However, he’s dropping deeper and deeper to influence our play and I wonder if we’ll see less and less of him getting forward. This then highlights a need for the a clearer link between midfield and attack ... but we'll get to my point shortly.
For me - here and now - we need to keep him higher up the pitch; he’s made every striker he’s played with look a world-beater (and granted some of them were world-class already), his vision is tremendous and his ability to put the ball in dangerous areas is incredible.
But who can replace Gerrard and will that burden be too much? We’ve built our team around him previously, does this free us up to build a new system – does playing Gerrard now mean we have to have a three man midfield, or will we look towards a central pairing and alter our attack?
Do you think Gerrard can be ‘phased’ out of the team, or will it be a case of – at the end of the season, that’s it? How long do you think he can keep going, or does there come a point when the decision falls on the manager?
The Future
Who knows – manager? Media?
The Present
Looking at his role in recent games, he’s not as robust in the challenge anymore, which - due to injuries and a want to keep himself fit – is understandable, therefore he needs an ‘enforcer’ alongside him. However, he’s dropping deeper and deeper to influence our play and I wonder if we’ll see less and less of him getting forward. This then highlights a need for the a clearer link between midfield and attack ... but we'll get to my point shortly.
For me - here and now - we need to keep him higher up the pitch; he’s made every striker he’s played with look a world-beater (and granted some of them were world-class already), his vision is tremendous and his ability to put the ball in dangerous areas is incredible.
But who can replace Gerrard and will that burden be too much? We’ve built our team around him previously, does this free us up to build a new system – does playing Gerrard now mean we have to have a three man midfield, or will we look towards a central pairing and alter our attack?
Do you think Gerrard can be ‘phased’ out of the team, or will it be a case of – at the end of the season, that’s it? How long do you think he can keep going, or does there come a point when the decision falls on the manager?
The Future
Who knows – manager? Media?
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