If we qualify for Champions League....

[inijjer]

does anyone else think that Gerrard isn't able to start every game anymore?

[meffin]

If we qualify?

Mate, we're going to win the damn league!

[Muddled]

does anyone else think that Gerrard isn't able to start every game anymore?

I dunno mate. All the chat about injections in his ligaments, getting injured from shooting and the general toil of being at the top of his game for over a decade makes you think he can't manage 45+ games.

Maybe we can have him for one more full season before we abstract sperm and DNA for our future title winning teams.

[G]

Rest him in the cup games and the CL group games against the dross.

[Mostar]

I think we will see some transition next year as he will be one year older but BR trust him and relies on him so much that he'll probably play a lot next season especially in PL and CL.

[Paul12]

I was thinking just the other day about this and what else we might need to do to our squad. What we don't want is to fall back out of the Top 4 because of squad thinness, but I'd also like to add a bit more to the first 11. Can we afford it?

[dom9]

Is this a thread about Gerrard or playing in the Champions League?

[Leyton388]

With CL money next season I think we will see the club ramp up recruitment in the summer. IMO we are the most attractive team to join in England and lets face it who wouldn't want to come here next year with CL football and playing for the champions.

[Fierce]

Maybe, but he'll start all the important ones and he'll be encouraged to perfect the slower tempo regista model, so that he can continue to play longer after he would do in his previous Roy of the Rovers type game

[Charly]

He does not look like he is tiring during games, so I think he still has a couple of years left. But yes, we would do well to rest him during the easier games.

I think it depends on if Lucas can cover for him ,as he was playing crap in the holding role earlier in the season. Teams were waltzing though our midfield at will.

Personally I would like to see a ball winning midfielder purchased, but its going to be hard trying to fit Gerrard, Allen, Lucas, Coutinho, Henderson and another player in three places. Coutinho can play in one of the three up front too. One good thing about our squad is the flexibility it offers.

[Exiled_red]

He is getting older now I would imagine that to prolong his career he might not be able to play twice a week for alot of the season over the coming years and maybe at some point we'll have to stop playing him every game, I don't think that he will like missing games though and at the moment he doesn't seem to tire too much although we don't have CL to deal with at the moment. The first phase of playing less games should be him retiring from international football, which will hopefully be after the summer.

[Fosterbloke]

M'Vila looks like the best player to rotate with Gerrard.

[DannyMan2006]

He does not look like he is tiring during games, so I think he still has a couple of years left. But yes, we would do well to rest him during the easier games.

I think it depends on if Lucas can cover for him ,as he was playing crap in the holding role earlier in the season. Teams were waltzing though our midfield at will.

Personally I would like to see a ball winning midfielder purchased, but its going to be hard trying to fit Gerrard, Allen, Lucas, Coutinho, Henderson and another player in three places. Coutinho can play in one of the three up front too. One good thing about our squad is the flexibility it offers.

We've just about managed with that lot this season, never mind having additional European games and hopefully extended cup runs. We definitely need another quality midfield player.

As for Lucas, he's fine when surrounded by younger legs. Put him & Gerrard together though, and that's when we can struggle slightly. Though the worst was when we had Lucas as the deeper midfield player & Gerrard as one of the ones ahead. Gerrard couldn't close down & it left Hendo with too much running to do on his own.

When Gerrard got injured Rodgers saw what the problem was - a lack of legs in midfield. He had to drop Stevie deeper, and if that hadn't have worked, there's no way we'd be up where we are now. And I admit that after the Villa game, I did worry if we could make it work.