Gerrard
- Thread starter Leo
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gerrard is almost pointess when he comes deep. don't blame the player, blame the formation.
I've been utterly exasperated with him all season. He announced he was coming back feeling fitter than he'd felt in years, and since then he's looked less fit than he's been in years. It's hard to work out what his attitude is because he always looks profoundly miserable, but my views on him as a captain are pretty well-known - he stinks in the role.
it's not a matter or trust, it was a matter of him dropping deep to collect the ball because it wasn't reaching him up field. what was the point of his as the forward if he isn't getting the ball/ what was the point of two holding midfielders if neither gave him the ball high up the pitch. our CM was an utter waste of fucking space.
Which is the problem.
He's the captain so the least anyone expects is 100% effort which hasn't been there in 3 years.
And that wrecks the tactics. If he's asked to play a role he needs to play it, not get on the pitch and start doing what he fancies. He breeds insecurity in the team because he shows how little he thinks of most of the players. Whether he's right or not it's a hopeless way to play a match.
How'd he show a lack of fight exactly? This happens every now and again when Gerrard has an ineffective performance in central midfield, and I'm curious to know what it really means. Central midfield requires a very specific skillset, and Gerrard's never really excelled at it. The fact that he's unable to influence a game from there, and consequently gets frustrated easily doesn't mean he's hiding, or showing poor leadership. If anything, it requires him to exert more to do something that doesn't really come naturally to him - setting the tempo.
I'm not disagreeing with you regards the shite that he has to play alongside but it's a fucking shit attitude to have as captain of Liverpool football club.
I think it was more a case of him actually being deployed deeper today, than him actually choosing to come deeper. That's been the case most times this season, and what wrecks the tactics is asking him to play the role in the first place. He's never been good at it, so it's poor decision-making, if anything.
Lucas got player of the year if I remember
He has been good at it. He's been good in most positions until recently.
I worry that he's doing all the 'things' Brukner said he was to extend his career but it's coming at the cost of actually being any use in the role he's playing. I'm hoping that if/when Lucas returns he'll push forward again, otherwise, often, there is no point in him being on the pitch as his presence, I'm sure, makes others go into their shell.
I just find it a genuine shame that such a great player seems to get no joy from playing football these days, either for us or England (even when we're doing very well). When he came into the team and for the first few years he clearly relished the game, but all of that's long gone. Probably only Darius Vassell has looked more miserable to be a professional footballer. I know he has responsibility and a weight of expectation on his shoulders, but so did Emlyn Hughes and Kenny Dalglish and you never thought - no matter what the pressure was - that they didn't actually love the game. Steven seems to find it all a chore.
In the more contrived 4-2-3-1, Gerrard is generally poor in a deeper central midfield position because the formation requires the central midfielders to set the tempo or sweep up before the defence, neither of which Gerrard is great at. That formation however does get the best of him in the advanced midfield role, because (i) it showcases his best abilities (power, skill, running, shooting, ability to play the final ball etc.); and (ii) also allows him to conserve energy doing what he does best.
When he does play well in a central midfield two, it's generally when we're playing route one in a 4-4-2, where he can generally barrage the box with those trademark crosses of his from a central position. That's what we played in the last 20-30 minutes, and it's why he looked much better than he did in the deeper role in the 4-2-3-1 we had for the first 50-60 minutes.
Fuck me. He practically ran the game. He ran his bollocks off up and down the pitch - he clearly didn't trust Spearing/Henderson and later on when it was wave after wave of Red for the last 30 who was running the show ? Suggest you all watch it again no matter how painful.
Gerrard played well, he wasn't Superman today but FFS he can't be expected to be that for us in every cup final.
He had to play his role and pick up the slack for two Championship level players playing in midfield with him.
Sometimes the expectations for Stevie, who has carried this team for the better part of a decade, are ridiculously unfair.
He had to play his role and pick up the slack for two Championship level players playing in midfield with him.
Sometimes the expectations for Stevie, who has carried this team for the better part of a decade, are ridiculously unfair.
I don't think we can except any from SG anymore like we use to. He is not that young player that would drag us out of a shitty place anymore, and to be honest I don't blame him for not showing the necessary effort - I am sure he is also looking after himself to prolong what little more time he has in this game. I am greatfull to him for what he did today by coming deep when he realised that both Henderson, and Spearing were not handling the midfield situation at all, and whats the point in trying to support Suarez if is a lone man up front with a midfield who cannot support him ? It's wrong for us LFC fans to have a go at him - he has stayed at this club and served us really well in nearly every season, and he is going to get injured more and will be gradually phased out in the next few years like Cara.
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