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.
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
Please comment/share. Follow on twitter @whatahitsonlfc
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