How Much Influence Will Liverpool Captain Steven Gerrard Have This Season?

Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard is about to enter a club record 11th season wearing the captain's armband, and he has been speaking recently about how he's ready to hit the ground running and help his team to a better finish than last year.

Now 33 years old, Gerrard made more league appearances last year than he had done since 2006-07 season, before a shoulder injury made him miss the last two games.

Having spent the summer recuperating, his recent comments, as reported by Dave Lyons of the Daily Star, indicate that he is getting back to his best fitness level and is raring to go for the new season.

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I’ve obviously had a couple of issues with blisters and stuff, but I’ve managed to get as many minutes as I wanted to get out of it and I’ve done 95 per cent of the training. So, from a personal point of view, I’m exactly where I want to be. As players, we have to openly admit this is not the time of year we enjoy. Training is very difficult, we are jet-lagged at the moment and our sleep is all over the place – but there are still three weeks to go. We’ve got some really good friendlies to look forward to but I won’t lie, we’re all looking forward to the Friday night before Stoke when it’s all in the bank.

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With more new signings in the middle and final thirds arriving this summer, and Gerrard's advancing years likely to only hinder him more as time goes by, just how important will the skipper still be to the Reds this term?

Gerrard's Role

On the pitch, Gerrard is playing a much deeper role with Liverpool than he had previously. Brendan Rodgers has utilised him as a withdrawn playmaker, able to get on the ball in space and direct the flow of Liverpool's buildup.

His attacking instincts remain intact of course, and he netted 10 goals in all competitions last season.

As the senior member of the squad, now that Jamie Carragher has retired, Gerrard has a less tangible role, too; that of ensuring the youngsters coming through have someone to look up to, someone they can approach, and who can offer advice and guidance when they have their inevitable dips in form or success.

Gerrard's been through it all: shoddy tackles against Aston Villa, hauled off at half time against Basel, a red card in the derby, cup final own goals and even handing in a transfer request after a mix-up in communications.

His list of mistakes and moments of down time are well-known, but he's also come through it all as the country's best player in a generation and has a haul of medals at Liverpool to show it.

Liverpool's Options

With no true central midfield arrival this summer, and Jonjo Shelvey's departure, the Reds are perhaps a little on the thin side, but with no European football, only a bad injury run should make them feel the pinch.

Joe Allen, Lucas Leiva and Jordan Henderson are the three central recognised players other than Gerrard, while Jay Spearing also remains at the club for now.

Luis Alberto may yet be used in a similar area of the pitch, despite being more naturally inclined to play further forward, but by and large, Liverpool have four players, including Gerrard, to fill the two deepest central midfield positions.

It's not a lot, but for 40 or 45 games, it should be sufficient quantity to see Liverpool through the season.

And in terms of quality? That's for the manager to judge. Getting it right or wrong will have consequences on Liverpool's season, and potentially his own job.

Gerrard in 2013-14 and Beyond

With a World Cup in Brazil less than a year away, Gerrard will likely view this campaign as his last huge one. He'll find it far more difficult to recover from a shorter break and intensive tournament in his mid-30s.

That could lead to Gerrard not featuring as frequently in 14-15, but for this coming season, it certainly appears that the captain has a huge role to play.

He remains the stand-out player by technique in the centre of the park and will be charged with starting the moves which arrive at the talented feet of Philippe Coutinho and, with luck, Luis Suarez.

That Liverpool should be without him for any length of time would not bode well for the team as they look to re-introduce themselves to the top four of the Premier League, and even with him, there will be a heavy burden of responsibility on others to pick up from Gerrard's lead and raise themselves above previous levels.

If the Reds are to enjoy a successful campaign, the names of Coutinho or Daniel Sturridge might be set for a lot of column inches, but rest assured that Steven Gerrard will be the driving force behind much of the attacking play once again.

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