Steven Gerrard

[RedReet]

After another good display, the timing must be right to break the news to him that his wages will be halved. The old **** that he is.

Maybe he heard the rumors and that's the only reason he's upped his game.

[Marina]

I just love Steven Gerrard. Cliché and all that but it's just so true. A protagonist of my childhood and adolescence, and that performance against Sunderland really rolled back the years. Saying that makes it sound like I'm 100 years old but it captures the sentiment haha

[yamiedo]

Decent analysis of Gerrard's role in the team now, also suggesting that is why Sahins days are numbered. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1...ahin-may-leave

Also, going by stats this season you'd be forgiven for thinking Gerrard has been one of the best midfielders in the league this season.

"In passing, even though Gerrard was one who consistently gave the ball away too easily earlier on in the season, he outperforms Sahin.

In every area of the pitch.

Defensive zone, attacking zone and final third of the pitch, Gerrard has completed a higher percentage of his passes than Sahin in each one. His overall season tally stands at 86 percent completed in open play, compared to Sahin's 83 percent—not bad considering he has played well over 1,000 passes this season.

In fact only Yaya Toure, Mikel Arteta and Michael Carrick have attempted more than Gerrard's 1,371.

Only Leighton Baines of Everton has made more key passes than Gerrard this season, and the Reds captain leads the entire Premier League for assists with eight so far—six of them have come since December.

Gerrard is creating a chance for his teammates on average every 32 minutes, with Sahin almost double that (57) in his time on the pitch from a more advanced position."

[Fredo]

Gerrard is still one of the best, definitely. Criticism of him generally have been over the top.

[danperkins]

Reading the Gerrard article in news thread and delighted that with Lucas back Gerrard has licence to get forward more often where he is best.

I think this sums it up perfectly:

I’ve played well in some games but I’ve been disappointed with myself in others and I’m not happy with my goal tally.
I’ve maybe gone into protection mode rather than playing the old Steven Gerrard way with the shackles off and going for the jugular

Seeing Gerrard in a more attacking and progressive role is good for him and good for LFC.

[Muddled]

As Steven Gerrard improves, so does Liverpool.

Much has been written about how Liverpool are over reliant on their brilliant forward Luis Suarez, the Uruguayan that has scored 44% of their Premiership goals and without whom the Reds place in the table would be much lower. However, less this season has been written about Liverpool’s captain, whose poor early season form saw the Merseysiders come stuttering out of the gate before his recent uptick has seen them somewhat right the ship. After a period of his career blighted by injury, this season has seen Steven Gerrard play every minute of every Premiership game (sometimes unwisely), and when he’s put it together Liverpool have looked like a dangerous side.

Liverpool’s Premiership season can be broken down into two parts, a horrible first two months where the side managed only 0.85 points per game, and a much better winter period where they picked up 1.79 points per game (good for around 68 points, or fourth place if carried out for a season). Other reasons aside, such as Brendan Rodgers starting to put his own stamp on the squad, the main reason for this surge in form has been the improved play of Steven Gerrard.

Steven Gerrard's Split Season

No code has to be inserted here.The two parts of his season show how this was a challenge initially, as Liverpool fans will remember several aimless Hollywood balls being intercepted and bad touches leading to goals conceded. However after the 0-0 draw with Stoke City in the beginning of October Gerrard really picked it up. Accepting that he didn’t have to be a one man team, he attempted on average 10 passes less per game while remembering that it was his job to be incisive, still placing 35% of them forward.

Steven Gerrard’s tally of eight assists is his highest after 21 games in the last five years – he totalled 8 in 2007/08 and 9 was his best (in the last 5 years) in 2008/09 so he’ll surpass those season with ease.

Despite having less touches of the ball, he was more precise with how he used it and continued to create chances at the same rate. For further evidence of Gerrard’s importance, two matches where he created zero chances were the 2-1 defeat to Tottenham and the 3-1 loss at Stoke, games where Liverpool were just awful. As Gerrard goes, so does Liverpool. Gerrard’s role in Brendan Rodgers’ midfield is extraordinarily difficult (and may have even been the reason for Sahin’s departure). The players around him in Lucas and Joe Allen/Jordan Henderson are more functional, with good movement and the ability to recycle possession, but without the same vision as Gerrard. So not only does the captain have to keep his passing percentage high to fit in with Rodgers’ overall ethos of possession football, but he needs to do this while attempting more ambitious passes than his teammates.

No code has to be inserted here.The table above shows how adept Gerrard has become at combining his two very different, and very difficult responsibilities. Of the top seven most accurate Premiership passers Gerrard finishes last, but he is tied for making the most passes forward, has created the most chances and created the most goals. Creating chances at rate better than Santi Cazorla while still being more accurate than most of the Premier League (and more accurate than his great mate Xabi Alonso) is no mean feat.

Steven Gerrard’s tally of eight assists is his highest after 21 games in the last five years – he totalled 8 in 2007/08 and 9 was his best (in the last 5 years) in 2008/09 so he’ll surpass those season with ease. His total assists this season are the same tally as Suarez, Henderson, Downing and Sterling’s combined.

It may seem pretty obvious to say that Liverpool will go as far as their best midfielder can take them, but this is a point that needs to be made when one considers that earlier in the season fans were questioning whether or not Steven Gerrard was even worth a place in Liverpool’s first eleven. There is no question that the skipper isn’t what he was even three years ago, and there is no question that having to carry the burden of passing accurately while being the only Liverpool midfielder who can play ambitious passes will lead to some missteps. But Gerrard has done the job as well as could be expected and has certainly proved he’s not getting into the team on reputation alone.

Linkage: EPL Index

[Shaggy]

Hasn't he become a really good captain? Especially off the pitch. Says the right things, leads by example and a fantastic leader for the young uns to look up to. Can't really believe he's become that 'old head' already. A career whizzes by, huh.

[Fredo]

I've heard it somewhere that he'll break his record of assists (I think under Rafa) this season. Think he needs one more to equal it. Rodgers is doing an equally good job with him albeit in a slightly different role.

[Fredo]

Oops, didn't see that table. But yeah.

[Neil Young]

As Steven Gerrard improves, so does Liverpool.

Much has been written about how Liverpool are over reliant on their brilliant forward Luis Suarez, the Uruguayan that has scored 44% of their Premiership goals and without whom the Reds place in the table would be much lower. However, less this season has been written about Liverpool’s captain, whose poor early season form saw the Merseysiders come stuttering out of the gate before his recent uptick has seen them somewhat right the ship. After a period of his career blighted by injury, this season has seen Steven Gerrard play every minute of every Premiership game (sometimes unwisely), and when he’s put it together Liverpool have looked like a dangerous side.

Liverpool’s Premiership season can be broken down into two parts, a horrible first two months where the side managed only 0.85 points per game, and a much better winter period where they picked up 1.79 points per game (good for around 68 points, or fourth place if carried out for a season). Other reasons aside, such as Brendan Rodgers starting to put his own stamp on the squad, the main reason for this surge in form has been the improved play of Steven Gerrard.

Steven Gerrard's Split Season

No code has to be inserted here.The two parts of his season show how this was a challenge initially, as Liverpool fans will remember several aimless Hollywood balls being intercepted and bad touches leading to goals conceded. However after the 0-0 draw with Stoke City in the beginning of October Gerrard really picked it up. Accepting that he didn’t have to be a one man team, he attempted on average 10 passes less per game while remembering that it was his job to be incisive, still placing 35% of them forward.

Steven Gerrard’s tally of eight assists is his highest after 21 games in the last five years – he totalled 8 in 2007/08 and 9 was his best (in the last 5 years) in 2008/09 so he’ll surpass those season with ease.

Despite having less touches of the ball, he was more precise with how he used it and continued to create chances at the same rate. For further evidence of Gerrard’s importance, two matches where he created zero chances were the 2-1 defeat to Tottenham and the 3-1 loss at Stoke, games where Liverpool were just awful. As Gerrard goes, so does Liverpool. Gerrard’s role in Brendan Rodgers’ midfield is extraordinarily difficult (and may have even been the reason for Sahin’s departure). The players around him in Lucas and Joe Allen/Jordan Henderson are more functional, with good movement and the ability to recycle possession, but without the same vision as Gerrard. So not only does the captain have to keep his passing percentage high to fit in with Rodgers’ overall ethos of possession football, but he needs to do this while attempting more ambitious passes than his teammates.

No code has to be inserted here.The table above shows how adept Gerrard has become at combining his two very different, and very difficult responsibilities. Of the top seven most accurate Premiership passers Gerrard finishes last, but he is tied for making the most passes forward, has created the most chances and created the most goals. Creating chances at rate better than Santi Cazorla while still being more accurate than most of the Premier League (and more accurate than his great mate Xabi Alonso) is no mean feat.

Steven Gerrard’s tally of eight assists is his highest after 21 games in the last five years – he totalled 8 in 2007/08 and 9 was his best (in the last 5 years) in 2008/09 so he’ll surpass those season with ease. His total assists this season are the same tally as Suarez, Henderson, Downing and Sterling’s combined.

It may seem pretty obvious to say that Liverpool will go as far as their best midfielder can take them, but this is a point that needs to be made when one considers that earlier in the season fans were questioning whether or not Steven Gerrard was even worth a place in Liverpool’s first eleven. There is no question that the skipper isn’t what he was even three years ago, and there is no question that having to carry the burden of passing accurately while being the only Liverpool midfielder who can play ambitious passes will lead to some missteps. But Gerrard has done the job as well as could be expected and has certainly proved he’s not getting into the team on reputation alone.

Linkage: EPL Index

I don't get that article at all. It seems to me to be the equivalent of making bricks out of very little straw.

So his form's better now he has fewer touches of the ball? The reason we've improved is because he has? I don't see why you couldn't as easily claim it's the other way round.

I'm not questioning Gerrard's improvement but then I wasn't questioning his place in the team before. He's an important player because he's one of the best players in the squad. We should get better as his form picks up.

I simply doubt any of the changes in stats in that first table are statistically significant and I'm also not really sure what the second one really tells us unequivocally.

[Fredo]

35% of forward passes indicates he's taking more risks and the chances he creates out of his forward passes indicates his quality. It's better than all the other midfielders in that table.

It means that even with a more deeper role he influences things and is still one of the best at that. The notion that he's **** playing in a deeper position is maybe just a myth?

[Neil Young]

Well, it's certainly arguable that Toure and Cazorla both tend to play further forward which might be why they play more passes backwards - more of their teammates are behind them. Duh.

Like almost all these pseudoscientific analyses of football, it's weak, superficial and vastly overstretched. It appears authoritative but should be treated with suspicion, if not contempt.

[Robbie-9-Fowler]

35% of forward passes indicates he's taking more risks and the chances he creates out of his forward passes indicates his quality. It's better than all the other midfielders in that table.

It means that even with a more deeper role he influences things and is still one of the best at that. The notion that he's **** playing in a deeper position is maybe just a myth?

Also playing deeper means there are more options to pass forward to? Compared to Cazorla for example. 2 different positions.

[Neil Young]

Although having just caught up on the profound sociological musings in the Rodgers thread about footballers and social class, I realise that making bricks without straw is what the internet is for.

[The_weatherman]

Although having just caught up on the profound sociological musings in the Rodgers thread about footballers and social class, I realise that making bricks without straw is what the internet is for.