Liverpool Transfer News: Brendan Rodgers Admits Reds Still Need Steven Gerrard

It’s something that’s become almost patented down the years: Steven Gerrard, standing over a ball, with Liverpool in the mire; the outcome almost inevitable.

Although the midfielder’s FA Cup brace against AFC Wimbledon didn’t compare to the stirring showings turned in against AC Milan, Olympiakos and West Ham United down the years, it was a pertinent reminder of what Gerrard has been—and still is—capable of with his summer departure looming large.

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Brendan Rodgers knows it too and admitted in the aftermath of the Reds’ hard-fought 2-1 triumph over the Dons that his squad still lacks that dash of stardust possessed by the skipper, per John Cross of The Mirror:

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He was outstanding in the game, it was a brilliant individual performance from him and the catalyst overall. He scored two and if he was a selfish player might have got on the ball and got a hat-trick.

Steven made the decision to move after lot of thinking. He’s a world-class player. Okay, he’s getting older but he’s absolutely top-drawer, a top-class player, and he brings a sprinkling of quality that this team needs. And his two goals were fantastic.

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For a lot of Liverpool supporters, the prospect of life without Gerrard would have really hit home after the third-round clash. The team on show was bristling with international experience and bright, youthful talent, but their skipper aside, it was an XI seemingly devoid of direction and leadership as they struggled with the robust tactics employed by the hosts.

With that in mind, Phil McNulty of the BBC thinks the skipper is almost irreplaceable:

The performance turned in by Gerrard at Kingsmeadow certainly suggests he can still cut it. Maybe not in the ferocious, all-action style that made him one of the world’s most feared midfield players, but in spells, when the time is right and with proper utilisation by his manager.

Jamie Carragher, who has admitted he feels the club could have done more to keep hold of Gerrard in his column in the Daily Mail, clearly still feels the iconic No. 8 has much to offer:

Gerrard was revered for his displays at the base of a midfield diamond during the 2013/14 season and, while he was prolific in terms of the goals and assists notched, the effervescent forward play of those in front of him covered up much of the team’s—and his own—lack of defensive acumen. This season, without that array of offensive talent, he’s been exposed.

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Rodgers is looking to take this team in an obvious direction and at this stage of his career, Gerrard doesn’t have the dynamism to operate in a system based on fluidity, unrelenting pressing and incisive short passing. It’s why his manager admitted he couldn’t guarantee him a starting place and why the 34-year-old has decided to try his hand at Major League Soccer.

Should last night’s virtuoso display change anything? Former England international Gary Lineker mawkishly suggested it might:

But there’s a sense that the time is right for Gerrard to set off in search of pastures new. Whether the captain left now or in a couple of years' time, it would be impossible to fill the void created on and certainly off the field. While there is currently no obvious leader in the group, what a chance for someone to emerge as a talisman for this enormous club.

Expect Gerrard to be drafted in and out of the side for the remainder of the campaign, with Liverpool still looking to prosper in four different competitions. And if he’s used astutely by Rodgers, Reds supporters should be treated to a few more moments of magic from their skipper. The measure of the man is enough to guarantee he won’t be ending his spell as a Red with a whimper.