Replacing Steven Gerrard: What Can Brendan Rodgers Do?

The past few weeks have been very emotional for Liverpool fans, who have bid farewell to the playing career of homegrown hero Jamie Carragher. With a beautiful serenade of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” over which commentators dared not to interrupt, the whole of Anfield and many of those watching across the world said goodbye to “Carra” with fond memories of his quarter century at the club.

Manager Brendan Rodgers has moved quickly to add to the heart of the squad’s defense with the signing of Kolo Toure from Manchester City. Though Carragher is irreplaceable in spirit, the Toure move represents a like-for-like swap of an experienced center back. With this in mind, many Liverpool fans are mentally moving on to Rodgers’ next task of replacing the irreplaceable: Steven Gerrard.

Introduction: The Lay of the Land

Gerrard, who turned 33 last week and has suffered several long-term injuries in recent seasons, is much like the beloved Carragher in his ability to lead by example, his love for his boyhood club, and of course, his quality on the pitch. He represents a stalwart of Liverpool and England’s central midfield. To Brendan Rodgers, though, he represents a greater challenge in finding a long-term replacement than does Carragher.

This is not to say that Gerrard does not have at least two more years of incredible football ahead. If anything, “Captain Fantastic” is a part of the class of British footballers (such as Frank Lampard, Paul Scholes, David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, John Terry and Ashley Cole) who have had long, fruitful careers.

However, Gerrard is certainly entering the twilight of his career, and as a manager who constantly emphasizes his long-term plans for the club, Rodgers is surely looking for ways to approach the hole Gerrard will leave in midfield as he retires.

The Challenge

Like Carragher, Gerrard is emotionally irreplaceable to Liverpool fans. He embodies what people fantasize to become as children–the homegrown hero winning honors with the club they grew up supporting. He is perhaps a last remaining symbol of club loyalty in a sport that has become dominated by transfer spending, scouting foreign talent, and the lure of Champions League revenue.

A much more practical concern to Rodgers is that Gerrard’s quality as a midfielder is not readily available either locally or abroad. There are certainly players who share some of his individual qualities (and indeed some of them are at the club already), but he lacks for competition in the total midfielder category.

Gerrard's versatility is astounding. He has been successful in defensive, central, attacking and right midfield positions. At a young age, he developed qualities that are typically associated with experience, such as quick instincts that allow him to mentally play faster than his opponents. Of course, one also cannot ignore his ability to whip-in crosses, set pieces and volleys with unmatched pace and accuracy.

So what can Rodgers do about a team that, in simplest terms, will have all of these qualities in their midfield on Gerrard’s final game but be without them the following day?

Option 1: Wait for It

Tactically no stranger to patience, Rodgers’ first option is to wait until the “next one” arrives. Lightning may strike again at the Liverpool youth academy or the club’s scouting network may identify a prospect elsewhere who is the heir to Gerrard’s throne. Youth-conscious owners, Fenway Sports Group, would certainly have no problem with this approach.

Young English midfield talent is emerging at other clubs in the form of Jack Wilshere and Tom Cleverly, but those players have yet to consistently establish themselves at the top levels and it is unlikely that Liverpool would be able to acquire them anyway. Further, they (and the academy classes behind them) are perhaps being hindered by the inherent pressure to become England’s next Gerrard or Lampard, which may make waiting for talent to arise an unfruitful strategy for Rodgers.

Option 2: Work Around It

A second option for the Liverpool manager would be to develop a set of midfielders such that each fills a portion of the void left by Gerrard in addition to carrying their own responsibilities. This approach actually seems quite realistic looking at the current squad.

Jonjo Shelvey has shown promise as a roaming attacking midfielder who can strike towards goal with pace. Phillipe Coutihno, lauded by many as the best transfer business of the season, provides the ability to deliver long and accurate balls to forwards making runs through the opposing team's back line. Lastly, Jordan Henderson has exhibited an ability to play as the “midfield general” and can move out to the right side of the field if needed.

Although one Steven Gerrard is technically more efficient than this three-person hybrid option, Gerrard can’t be in three places at once. Rodgers is most likely astute enough to realize that if he develops the “Gerrard-like” traits in the proper players and deploys them the proper positions, he will functionally have replaced this midfield void. In the meantime, Gerrard is still at the club and can mentor these players both in training and by example.

Option 3: Ignore the Issue Altogether

A third, and perhaps most obvious option is to ignore the problem of replacing Gerrard altogether. While it seems like a team can’t lose such an amazing player without being lesser for it, Gerrard’s abilities are not all that necessary for a midfield playing under the Rodgers philosophy. Rodgers intends to have the team possess the ball constantly and to have long, patient spells of buildup play (for a crash course in the 4-3-3 with rotational movement, see this excellent link).

If anything, on paper, Gerrard’s natural playing style based on instinct, power and playing the game at warp speed make him a poorer fit than target man Andy Carroll because Gerrard could jeopardize multiple “phases” instead of just the “finishing” one.

As a result, it’s possible that Rodgers has already solved this problem in the signing of Joe Allen. Though the young Welshman came with a hefty price tag that many feel he has yet to live up to, Rodgers was clearly insistent in having a player who can keep the passing metronome of his football philosophy ticking at all times.

It feels strange to say that Joe Allen is the replacement for Steven Gerrard, but whether one replaces Gerrard with the next Gerrard or the next Xavi clearly depends on the playing style to be deployed by the team. With a lack of players coming through the ranks with a playing style like Gerrard's and Rodgers’ insistence on making Tika-Taka the top-to-bottom philosophy at all the levels of the club, this third option actually seems like the most obvious choice.

The Transition Period

Although Rodgers is planning to develop a new playing style at Anfield, Gerrard still plays a great deal of time under the new manager. In fact, Gerrard played every minute of the 2012-3 Premier League campaign until his shoulder injury could not be ignored any longer and the team was firmly locked out of European places. This seems counter-intuitive considering Rodgers’ long term plan for the club.

Gerrard’s playing time is most likely indicative of his persistent quality and his ability to adapt to various midfield roles and playing styles. Gerrard still bulges the mesh from long range, but he is also a part of the more intricate passing play desired by his manager. In terms of quality, Rodgers can do no better than Gerrard at the moment, and that is not a bad thing. The next generation of players will have their captain to look up to as model for leadership, talent and persistence.

Conclusion

As a whole, replacing Steven Gerrard is an impossible task, and in many ways, it’s nice to know that Rodgers won’t try to find a natural heir to his throne. Gerrard will have a uniquely defined legacy filled with emotional memories of past glory and excitement.

Further, Joe Allen will not have to live up to the pressure of recreating Gerrard’s hometown love and powerful midfield presence. Allen need only work hard and be the short-passing maestro Rodgers wants him to be–a task with which he is more likely to succeed.

Overall, fans will be able to look to the future knowing that success is on the horizon (albeit in a different style) while still being able to recall fond memories of the high octane play that made fans across the world enjoy watching Steven Gerrard in a Liverpool shirt.