Steven Gerrard

[danperkins]

I don't think Henderson has the discipline to play a deeper role.

Completely agree

But at the moment IMO that is our best bet until we get a new DM. Hendo & Allen have energy and mobility & Gerrard can be used where he is best.

[cream]

So if he can't play the DM role and can't play the AM anymore, how about something in between? he's still our best midfielder.

[danperkins]

Gerrard is still our best midfielder IMO, for me playing him closer to goal and utilising his best assets which are his shooting,range of passing and his guile. Keeping him away from the defensive sides of things would negate his worst attributes which are his discipline,defensive positioning & his mobility.

I would fear for us vs Everton & Arsenal if Stevie was our DM.

[RedRum]

He'll be MOTM vs Everton. Playing in the deeper role.

[Kenneth]

I suspect a super sub role would suit him well. With fresh legs and twenty odd minutes to go he would be an excellent replacement in DM, AM,CM, striker, or right back.

[Daniel 7]

I wish we could see him out wide on the right and sometimes cutting in. It'll never happen, but his delivery from wide into the box is devestating.

[ronanm]

Wee Jay

[Daniel 7]

I suspect a super sub role would suit him well. With fresh legs and twenty odd minutes to go he would be an excellent replacement in DM, AM,CM, striker, or right back.

Or that

[BigChief]

I suspect a super sub role would suit him well. With fresh legs and twenty odd minutes to go he would be an excellent replacement in DM, AM,CM, striker, or right back.

[RedRum]

This guy? Super sub [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87fPFvWTg0o"]Gerrard v Man Utd 2001 - YouTube[/ame]

[G]

How do you define dynamic??

Fact is that Gerrard is still one of the most if not THE MOST creative midfield players in the league

Last time I looked he had something like 6 assists

Gerrards performance levels might have dropped but his contribution is still extremely significant and far greater than the vast majority of his teammates who play in midfield

More mobile and fluid, closes down much better too. More energy.

I'm not disputing his contribution but he needs to be playing in the right area. He has goals and assists this season but before he got injured teams were running through our midfield for fun. Then he was out of the team and we took far more control in the middle, especially in two or our hardest away games so far.

By all means have him in the team but it needs to be in place of Sterling or Coutinho rather than any of Allen, Lucas or Henderson. If he "must" play and if the front two must play then I can only see him in behind the front two because behind that we are better without him, particularly against the good teams.

Not that we have the luxury now cos Lucas is out. It feels like a massive gamble playing him DM at this point in a season when we have our best shot of CL in years. Still Allen hasn't been great there either so it's much of a muchness who plays there now that Lucas is out.

[Kenneth]

This guy? Super sub Gerrard v Man Utd 2001 - YouTube

Same guy, wrong decade unfortunately.

[RedRum]

The guys a quick learner, he'll be a Didi Hamann by the end of the season.

[Lecter]

I don't think anybody would dispute that Lecter. Most people are concerned with shoehorning Gerrard in as a DM, a role he doesn't seemed suited to. Look at when he was pushed forward against Villa - he had an impact straight away. He's a marvellous attacking footballer, just not a marvellous deep footballer.

I wouldn't argue in the slightest with this viewpoint, to me Gerrard is not and never has been an effective holding player

However some posters are advocating dropping Gerrard entirely from our midfield and that I feel isn't the right way forward

[Lecter]

agreed mate and against villa second half he was trying some lovely through balls. the problem is as far as I can see, away to spurs is how I imagine rodgers wants us to play, high tempo pressing. we were fantastic. gerrard cannot operate any longer at that pace so our game has to change when he returns. its a tricky situation and I don't think Rodgers has enough stature to even consider dropping him. thats a worry going forwards.

I'm not sure we can replicate that Spurs performance again though and in my eyes some of that performance owed more to Spurs being absolute ****ing dog**** than us being that great