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Liverpool Debate: Is It Finally Time For Steven Gerrard To Move Back Into Midfield?
The skipper's position appears to be causing a problem....
05-Oct-2009 5:57:06 PM
When Guus Hiddink's Chelsea sauntered out of Anfield in April of this year, having pretty much wrapped up a place in the Champions League semi finals, the inquest for Liverpool was already in full swing. How exactly had this side, whom the Reds had comprehensively beaten twice in the Premier League already, turned up in the bear pit of Anfield and made their hosts look so average?
Most of the analysis highlighted a couple of issues. First, Liverpool's poor marking at set-pieces. This problem refuses to go away, although the Reds' defence has recovered from their early season form, at least, when the concession of one or two set-piece goals per game was almost a given.
The second factor centred around two players. Michael Essien and Steven Gerrard. Two world class performers, by anyone's standards. Two driving forces, capable of changing a game and dictating the rhythm of their side. Essien won the battle, but it was the manner in which he did so which would, and should, have alarmed Rafa Benitez and Liverpool.
Gerrard, rightly, has been lauded for his performances playing off Fernando Torres as a withdrawn forward. The understanding the pair have built up is, on its day, devastating. Both have an innate appreciation for the other's movement, both have the eye, and the ability, for a killer pass. Both finish clinically.
That night at Anfield, though, Essien nullified Gerrard to such an extent that Chelsea were planning for the semi-final after little more than an hour. The Ghanaian was in Gerrard's face every time the ball even looked like heading in his direction.
As a consequence, Gerrard spent much of the game either with his back to goal, or retreating deeper and deeper in a bid to secure some possession. The result? A severing of the link between Torres and Gerrard, and a 3-1 defeat for Benitez's side.
Gerrard's apologists that night, with some justification, pointed out that Essien's performance was a one-off, and that few players in world football would have been able to manage such an effective suffocation. They were right, Bolton had tried a similar tactic with Fabrice Muamba earlier in the year, Everton with Phil Neville. Both failed. Gerrard was too good to be stifled.
But Liverpool are striving to reach the very pinnacle of the game - both domestically and in Europe - and therefore they cannot afford to have their captain, their best player, shackled in games of this magnitude. If it happens, Liverpool tend to lose.
It happened again at Stamford Bridge yesterday, Gerrard saw a fair bit of the ball in the opening exchanges, but from then on, his service was cut off, and his performance dropped noticeably. Essien was again pivotal, snapping around his heels, covering space with incredible athleticism, and getting the ball forwards whenever he received it.
It can be argued that Liverpool's own midfield players do not help their skipper as much as they could do. Xabi Alonso's departure has been discussed long and hard on Merseyside (and beyond), and there has been a definite drop in the variety and quality of the Reds' midfield distribution as a result. The Spaniard had a fine understanding with Gerrard, one which neither Lucas nor Javier Mascherano seem able to match at the moment.
Most of the analysis highlighted a couple of issues. First, Liverpool's poor marking at set-pieces. This problem refuses to go away, although the Reds' defence has recovered from their early season form, at least, when the concession of one or two set-piece goals per game was almost a given.
The second factor centred around two players. Michael Essien and Steven Gerrard. Two world class performers, by anyone's standards. Two driving forces, capable of changing a game and dictating the rhythm of their side. Essien won the battle, but it was the manner in which he did so which would, and should, have alarmed Rafa Benitez and Liverpool.
Gerrard, rightly, has been lauded for his performances playing off Fernando Torres as a withdrawn forward. The understanding the pair have built up is, on its day, devastating. Both have an innate appreciation for the other's movement, both have the eye, and the ability, for a killer pass. Both finish clinically.
 No.8 + No.9 = 10 out of 10 | Gerrard and Torres |
As a consequence, Gerrard spent much of the game either with his back to goal, or retreating deeper and deeper in a bid to secure some possession. The result? A severing of the link between Torres and Gerrard, and a 3-1 defeat for Benitez's side.
Gerrard's apologists that night, with some justification, pointed out that Essien's performance was a one-off, and that few players in world football would have been able to manage such an effective suffocation. They were right, Bolton had tried a similar tactic with Fabrice Muamba earlier in the year, Everton with Phil Neville. Both failed. Gerrard was too good to be stifled.
But Liverpool are striving to reach the very pinnacle of the game - both domestically and in Europe - and therefore they cannot afford to have their captain, their best player, shackled in games of this magnitude. If it happens, Liverpool tend to lose.
It happened again at Stamford Bridge yesterday, Gerrard saw a fair bit of the ball in the opening exchanges, but from then on, his service was cut off, and his performance dropped noticeably. Essien was again pivotal, snapping around his heels, covering space with incredible athleticism, and getting the ball forwards whenever he received it.
It can be argued that Liverpool's own midfield players do not help their skipper as much as they could do. Xabi Alonso's departure has been discussed long and hard on Merseyside (and beyond), and there has been a definite drop in the variety and quality of the Reds' midfield distribution as a result. The Spaniard had a fine understanding with Gerrard, one which neither Lucas nor Javier Mascherano seem able to match at the moment.
 Support players | Kuyt & Yossi |
The positive sign for Liverpool is that they do at least have options. Despite what a lot of people think and say, Albert Riera, Yossi Benayoun and Dirk Kuyt are at least capable support players, able to chip in with goals and assists on a semi-regular basis. The entire weight of Liverpool's attacking game is not carried solely by Torres and Gerrard.
Therefore, moving Gerrard back into a more orthodox central midfield role alongside Mascherano - who was excellent, bar one costly lapse yesterday - would not necessarily make Liverpool a lesser, or less threatening, side. With Alberto Aquilani still to debut, and him being an attack-minded midfield player who passes well and shoots from distance with power, Liverpool could still soon find a perfect balance in midfield.
Gerrard has always described himself as a central midfield player. His autobiography talked candidly about his reservations when Sven-Goran Eriksson asked him to play as a support striker for Peter Crouch with England ("my heart sank when I saw the number 9 shirt hanging on my peg.")
He seems to have overcome those worries for Liverpool, though still harbouring his own desire to play in the position he most enjoys. In the wake of what could turn out to be a costly defeat in west London, Benitez may well be wise to join him in that opinion.
Neil Jones, Goal.com UK
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