Reasons to Believe Steven Gerrard Is Still a World-Class Player

As has pretty much been the case ever since the end of last season, Steven Gerrard has been in the news.

With Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers publicly admitting that the Reds have offered their 34-year-old captain a new contract ahead of the current one expiring at the end of the season, many are pondering just what sort of impact the ageing skipper can have on a Liverpool side desperate to re-establish a connection with the top few positions in the table.

But surely any squad will always have a use for a player as good as a man who has been in the Liverpool first-team picture for 16 years and a player who can still impact Liverpool like few others in the world simply because he is who he is?

Gerrard still has the quality to have a big role at Anfield, and here’s five reasons why.

Leadership

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When Gerrard was dropped to the bench against Stoke City at the weekend, Liverpool’s new vice-captain Jordan Henderson got the opportunity to lead the Reds for the first time in the Premier League.

The 24-year-old’s form ever since Rodgers arrived at the club ensures that he deserves such recognition, and in many ways, he is the perfect captain for a side which has repeatedly relied on youth under their current manager. But will he ever be as inspiring a figure as the man he’s effectively replacing?

Gerrard is a Liverpool icon, and there is something about him pulling on that armband which inspires himself, the players around him and their supporters.

You simply don’t throw that away without wringing everything you can out of it.

Set Pieces

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Admittedly, they haven’t been given much of a chance because of the club captain’s omnipresence in the side, but can anyone at Liverpool take a set piece as well as Gerrard does?

One of Liverpool’s less discussed but clearly prolific tendencies last season was a succession of goals scored from corners and free-kicks—most notably a Gerrard delivery and a header from Martin Skrtel.

This season, too, Gerrard has scored a free-kick against Everton and converted crucial penalties against Tottenham and Ludogorets, and while his crossing hasn’t been as good during this campaign, you’d still trust him to put in a perfect delivery ahead of any of his current team-mates.

Impact from the Bench

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Jamie Carragher raised a point in his Daily Mail column last week which immediately came true 24 hours later—namely, that his former team-mate and close friend can have a huge impact for Liverpool just by coming off the bench.

When Gerrard emerged to replace Lucas Leiva against Stoke at Anfield in the 75th minute on Saturday, there was a notable lift in what was a nervy Anfield atmosphere; belief grew, and it ultimately led to Glen Johnson’s late winner.

Even after that goal, Gerrard was seen conducting the crowd in a way that we haven’t often seen from him when he’s started matches, and there seemed to be an enjoyment of a role which he might have to get used to over the coming months—that of the “supersub."

Respect

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As well as Gerrard’s presence having a positive effect on his team-mates and supporters, it could also have a negative one on opposition players.

Many will have grown up watching Gerrard be the heartbeat of Liverpool and England, smashing in goals from distance and generally riding to the rescue like Roy of the Rovers.

Regardless of form, age or his happiness at perhaps not starting each and every match, Gerrard could still have this effect on the opposition, marking him out as a man they’ll respect and in some cases be fearful of.

The key to this, though, would perhaps be to remove some of the midfielder’s defensive responsibilities in the side and almost indulge him to simply do what he is good at—something that would take a leap of faith from Rodgers to do.

Lucas Leiva

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However, the Reds boss can do just that because he still has Lucas in his squad.

As his recent performances at Real Madrid and Ludogorets and at home to Stoke showed, the Brazilian is in good form as he has battled back from injury and being out of favour to seemingly save his Liverpool career for now at least—something that Rodgers has praised.

On this form, he should be one of the first names on the teamsheet in the holding midfield position, allowing for Gerrard to become one of the players battling for one of the two slots ahead of him in the centre.

This would remove the defensive responsibility which Gerrard had last season when Liverpool had the firepower to get them out of trouble and allow the skipper to concentrate on the skills that have made him one of the best midfield players of his generation.

Play Lucas or perhaps upgrade on him in January and get Gerrard back to attacking, scoring and creating goals, and there is no reason to suggest that the Liverpool captain cannot enjoy another couple of years as a vital part of the squad.