Steven Gerrard: Still evolving, still leading

Prior to Christmas, a lot of fans were questioning whether Steven Gerrard merited a place in the Liverpool starting 11 - myself included. For a name so synonymous with the club in the past 10 years, this might sound strange. The captain’s dip in form was seemingly caused by his struggle to adapt to the immediate change in style of play, brought about by new manager Brendan Rodgers. Each time Gerrard received the ball, his reluctance to express himself and eagerness to remain within the confines of his new manager’s possession based, short passing philosophy, grew more and more evident.

Fast-forward a few months, and another of Gerrard’s trademark long-range passes drops onto Daniel Sturridge’s chest with pinpoint accuracy, as ‘captain fantastic’ puts in a sublime man of the match performance in the Merseyside derby at Anfield. This has been no rare occurrence since the turn of the year, as Gerrard has consistently impressed for both club and country.

So what has sparked his return to form?

Well first of all, credit must go to Brendan Rodgers. Despite a slow start, the Liverpool manager now looks to have come up with the right formula to get the best out his captain. Gerrard is now reaching the latter part of his career, so to attempt to continue being the combative, box-to-box midfielder he has been for so many years would be naive. Take Paul Scholes as an example; the 38-year-old plays a different role for Manchester United as he did 10 years ago but has still been just as affective on the pitch in recent years. There is no reason why Steven Gerrard cannot be involved for Liverpool at that age. The red’s captain now plays a deeper, more measured role on the pitch, similar to the job that Rafael Benitez tasked Xabi Alonso with during his successful period on Merseyside. Gerrard’s subtle change in position has without doubt been prompted by his manager. Don’t be mistaken though, the Liverpool number eight’s famous forays into the opposition’s final third are far from a thing of the past – remember that strike at the Etihad in February?


Clearly the club’s sports science team, assembled last summer, must also be commended for Gerrard’s change of fortunes. Glen Driscoll (head of fitness performance) has worked closely with the club captain in particular; he recently said “we had confidence that, if managed correctly, Steven would be able to achieve everything he has achieved this year. Four or five years ago, people were saying it was very unlikely that Steven - with his injury history - would ever achieve this, let alone reach the milestones he has hit this year in terms of playing time at the age of 32.” Driscoll’s remarks are supported by statistics of Gerrard’s fitness record this season. The midfielder has started every one of Liverpool’s 36 Premier League games in 2012/13 and has clocked up 3,221 minutes on the pitch (with two games still to play), more time than in the previous two seasons combined.

And it now looks as though Liverpool want to take advantage of their captain’s recent consistency by offering him a new contract. "They want me to extend, I want to extend, so it's just a matter of time really," Gerrard recently said. "How long for I'm not too sure yet. That's under discussion at the moment. But it will get sorted one way or another in the summer." This news is certain to fill Liverpool fans with a feeling of comfort as Brendan Rodgers to looks to continue to develop his squad, and supplement talented young players with seasoned professionals like his skipper.

Turning 33 years old later this month, you can be sure Steven Gerrard will continue to evolve – both as a footballer and a person. There’s life in the Liverpool leader yet.


Please comment/share. Follow on twitter @whatahitsonlfc