Steven Gerrard

[Maxiedge]

Well, I don't like posting the following, but I'm afraid it's the truth.

Gerrard in the "quarter back" role is no longer working. He has proved time and again in this role that he isn't that effective at protecting the back four. But we accepted it because his distribution from deep helped us move quickly from defence to attack, his long diagonal balls killed teams and his passes from deep were a dream. His through ball to Sturridge against Fulham quickly springs to mind.

This season, I'm afraid that his passing has dropped off significantly. Teams are getting in his face and pressing him, meaning he can no longer start of attacks and get us moving quickly up the pitch. That would be fine if he was shielding the back 4 effectively, but he isn't and never will to be frank.

Last season a front two of Suarez and Sturridge, with Sterling in behind, meant teams were stupid if they pressed high. We don't have that anymore so I'm afraid it's time to call time on this style of play. I don't know how Rodgers goes about it now, but he has got a massive Steven Gerrard sized issue in this team.

I still think Gerrard is a top player and we really could do with a place being found for him. But I think that if he's going to play, it's going to have to be further up the field, ala Francesco Totti. We just can't keep carrying him in front of the back 4. He's a passenger atm.

Good post

This formation isn't working anymore. Even with someone to replace Gerrard, it's been worked out. I'd rather the CBs were given more freedom to bring the ball forward and pick out a pass.

[DannyMan2006]

Hardly a passenger, but agree he is far more effective further forward.

He's been a passenger this season mate.

I don't know anyone who feels he is even half decent at covering the back 4.

He is purely there to get out attacks going and get us moving forwards. Now he's not even doing that as he's getting no space. So what does he do? He starts moving forwards and leaving his post seeking space to get us going. I understand why he's doing that, but you just can't have your DM vacating his space. They need to be disciplined.

The issue with Gerrard is thus:

If you don't play him in front of the back 4, where do you play him? He hasn't got the energy to play on the sides in a 433. Is he better than Sterling in the ten? Has he done anything worthwhile that makes us think he can play in a two in a 4231?

But he's still one of our better players. What do we do? I think he'll have to move him further forwards if he's to save the season. But far all the money spent on players like Markovic, Lallana. Balotelli, Lambert. Not to mention Coutinho. Where and how does he fit them all in?

[BubbaZanetti]

Yep, I'm so ****ing fed up of Gerrard & the centre halves playing those endless short passes when we need the ball up the other end of the pitch.

[DannyMan2006]

Yep, I'm so ****ing fed up of Gerrard & the centre halves playing those endless short passes when we need the ball up the other end of the pitch.

Yep, issue is that Gerrard never gets any space so he just passes it back, whilst the game plan is to get him on the ball, if he's not an option we have to come up with something else.

[danperkins]

Well, I don't like posting the following, but I'm afraid it's the truth.

Gerrard in the "quarter back" role is no longer working. He has proved time and again in this role that he isn't that effective at protecting the back four. But we accepted it because his distribution from deep helped us move quickly from defence to attack, his long diagonal balls killed teams and his passes from deep were a dream. His through ball to Sturridge against Fulham quickly springs to mind.

This season, I'm afraid that his passing has dropped off significantly. Teams are getting in his face and pressing him, meaning he can no longer start of attacks and get us moving quickly up the pitch. That would be fine if he was shielding the back 4 effectively, but he isn't and never will to be frank.

Last season a front two of Suarez and Sturridge, with Sterling in behind, meant teams were stupid if they pressed high. We don't have that anymore so I'm afraid it's time to call time on this style of play. I don't know how Rodgers goes about it now, but he has got a massive Steven Gerrard sized issue in this team.

I still think Gerrard is a top player and we really could do with a place being found for him. But I think that if he's going to play, it's going to have to be further up the field, ala Francesco Totti. We just can't keep carrying him in front of the back 4. He's a passenger atm.

It's a hard one to swallow but Stevie does not have the defensive positional sense or the legs to play this holding role. I think all would agree that he would best serve us playing in a more attacking role... leaving the donkey work to others utilising his bests assets which are his passing & strike of a ball.

This season he has been a passenger & I've struggled to see what he offers the team in that position

[DannyMan2006]

It's a hard one to swallow but Stevie does not have the defensive positional sense or the legs to play this holding role. I think all would agree that he would best serve us playing in a more attacking role... leaving the donkey work to others utilising his bests assets which are his passing & strike of a ball.

This season he has been a passenger & I've struggled to see what he offers the team in that position

Indeed. The last goal today says it all. Amalfitano just strolls past him as he makes a desperate lunge after he's gone round him on the blindside. Time and again teams just stroll right through our midfield and they're on us.

Then look at the second goal again. Whole midfield is bypassed by one pass and it's 4 on 4. Then See the Ludogorets goals in midweek. Whole midfield bypassed with one simple ball.

It's time to change before it's too late.

[Tee]

Passenger? Shocking and disappointing to read. Truth is we have been poor for so many other reasons before even analysing Gerrards ability to protect his back 4. He was never a DM, just a deep lying Midfielder. So sad to see him be the scapegoat here.

[DannyMan2006]

Passenger? Shocking and disappointing to read. Truth is we have been poor for so many other reasons before even analysing Gerrards ability to protect his back 4. He was never a DM, just a deep lying Midfielder. So sad to see him be the scapegoat here.

I'm not saying he shouldn't play. It's a problem but he should still be in the side. Just not at DM. Just like I wouldn't want Sturridge or Sterling there, who I'd also want to start.

Gerrard is our best passer of the ball. He's no longer getting time on the ball to look up and pass. He can't snuff out danger, so what's the point having him in front of the back 4?

Moving him wouldn't turn us into winners overnight. But it would make us a bit tighter at the back and help cut out some of the goals.

I mean, seriously. Last season we played two up top because we had to with Sturridge and Suarez. Today we played two up to accommodate Fabio Borini. Who we tried to move on in the summer and has never scored enough goals as a striker. Meanwhile we left Coutinho out the squad and had £40m worth of players on the bench in Markovic and Lallana.

[captainfog]

Such a shame we've had so many injuries this season. I'd love to see a diamond with Can, Hendo, Lallana and Sterling in midfield.

[Chazza]

Passenger? Shocking and disappointing to read. Truth is we have been poor for so many other reasons before even analysing Gerrards ability to protect his back 4. He was never a DM, just a deep lying Midfielder. So sad to see him be the scapegoat here.

playing in a position that nearly won us the league and now branded a long ball merchant by some

The defensive shambles is not down to him alone although he plays a part as do all the team and people go mental about him not tracking runners and then talk about Pirlo and Alonso etc like they pick up everyone. Everyone loses a runner that's how goals are scored and that's how football works.

Paul Scholes was dragged out of retirement by United to play that deep lying Gerrard type role and he helped win them another title the difference was they had a settled and organised back 4 and keeper behind them.

[DannyMan2006]

playing in a position that nearly won us the league and now branded a long ball merchant by some

The defensive shambles is not down to him alone although he plays a part as do all the team and people go mental about him not tracking runners and then talk about Pirlo and Alonso etc like they pick up everyone. Everyone loses a runner that's how goals are scored and that's how football works.

Paul Scholes was dragged out of retirement by United to play that deep lying Gerrard type role and he helped win them another title the difference was they had a settled and organised back 4 and keeper behind them.

There was a reason we got away with it last season. That reason was Luis Suarez, Danny Sturridge and Raheem Sterling. They were simply stunning and meant teams could not press us. If they did, they went man for man on us, and as Gerrard himself said, if you want to go man for man on Suarez & Sturridge, Good Luck.

When Danny was out, as he often is, we still had Suarez and Raheem. Brendan and his tricky reds as we were called. Halcyon days my friends. We still conceded a bucket load as Gerrard offered no protection last season either, but so what. We could move so quickly from defence to attack that it didn't matter and every time we attacked, we looked like we'd score.

Well guess what. Every time we attack now, we don't look like we are going to score. In fact, sometimes I think we could play all night and not muster a worthwhile effort on goal. Now, next week we may have Danny back. And guess what, we'll look okay again if he's on it. Just as we did v Spurs. But when Danny or Mario is missing next? We'll look poor again.

The system isn't working. I'm not saying it's Gerrard's fault. I'm not saying we'd be fine if we had Pirlo or Xabi playing. I'm saying that if teams are stopping Gerrard play, the is no longer any point in him being in that position as he can't protect the back 4.

[captainfog]

If Gerrard wasn't who he was and just 'another' player would he be getting into the side on current form?

[Chazza]

If Gerrard wasn't who he was and just 'another' player would he be getting into the side on current form?

We have this debate at the start of every season because he starts slowly.

[captainfog]

We have this debate at the start of every season because he starts slowly.

There will come a time when he ends it slowly as well.

[DannyMan2006]

If Gerrard wasn't who he was and just 'another' player would he be getting into the side on current form?

No, but as he's the captain I guess he isn't just some other player. He's our leader.

I hope that next week in the derby he rams all this criticism I've given him right down my throat. But I sense something in him has gone this season. Last year people had a go, but if anyone looked back, they'd find that I backed him all the way. I knew he still had much to offer and I knew that even despite the disaster v Villa last year, which was his debut in the diamond I think, he'd turn it around.

But this is a year on and I'm sorry but we don't have the worlds best striker up front anymore. Sturridge and Balotelli is definitely a premier league winning strike force. But it's not one of the best partnerships in premiership history. It's an 8/10 as opposed to 10/10. We need more elsewhere to make do. We need a more solid backline and that I'm afraid will have to come from changing the shape.

As painful as it's been to see us in a 433 or a 4231, we need to make the change now. We won't be as amazing to watch, but it's time to tighten up and not rely on us scoring 3 goals to win a game. And any change in formation we make will have to be one where Gerrard is moved further forwards.