Steven Gerrard's Liverpool Homecoming Is a Bad Idea for All Involved

Steven Gerrard was at Anfield to see Liverpool’s first defeat under new manager Jurgen Klopp on Sunday. Against Crystal Palace, he saw a team still struggling to grip the ideology now being imposed on them, and he will doubtlessly have felt the urge to help.

It’s in the 35-year-old’s character to pit himself as a saviour of Reds, and it has both been his best and worst trait as a Liverpool player.

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In Istanbul, it was a good thing—a great thing, in fact. While Liverpool’s famed comeback from 3-0 down at half-time was due to much more than just one man’s efforts, Gerrard deserved more credit than anyone else for the club’s first European Cup triumph in 21 years. Last season, however, it was a bad thing.

Look at the way he strutted on to the Anfield pitch at half-time last March as Liverpool trailed Manchester United. His swagger hinted at an utmost self-assurance that he could almost single-handedly turn the contest around. Gerrard arrived with too much vigour, though, and was sent off within 38 seconds. Latterly, his saviour complex was more of a hindrance than a help.

That hasn’t prevented speculation linking Gerrard with a loan return to the club he left just a matter of months ago, per Simon Hughes of the Independent. Klopp—in search of a senior figurehead in his dressing room—reportedly held talks with the L.A. Galaxy midfielder over the phone, with Gerrard set to train with the Reds until January 15. 

Jon Super/Associated Press

But a Merseyside homecoming is a bad idea for all involved. For Gerrard, he would return to a club that has already moved on without him. The appointment of Klopp was meant to herald a new age at Anfield, and the loan signing of Gerrard would only provide an unnecessary throwback to a time that needs to be forgotten. From the perspective of both player and club, a loan spell is something that should be avoided. 

Of course, Gerrard’s eventual return to Liverpool in a coaching capacity one day might be an inevitability—with some even suggesting that a verbal agreement was struck with the player upon his move Stateside earlier this year, per Paul Joyce of the Daily Express.

However, if Gerrard did move into a coaching role, how long would it be before his presence at Anfield would hang heavy around Klopp’s neck? 

With every slump, or even below-par result, the possibility of Gerrard—the hometown boy done good—taking over as manager would be raised.

Just as was the case for Roy Hodgson, who was replaced by Kenny Dalglish, the biggest threat might come from within, and Gerrard could in time be that danger to Klopp.

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Liverpool need help, that is not in any doubt, but Gerrard cannot offer it. At his peak, he would have been the perfect candidate to lead Klopp’s Gegenpressing revolution, but his legs simply don’t carry him like they once did. He’s no longer the force of nature he once was, so the only impact likely to be felt upon his return would be in the dressing room.

Gerrard, as demonstrated last season, is finished as a top-tier football player. He was once one of Europe’s best, but to return to Liverpool—even on a loan spell—would undermine his legendary status at the club. The 35-year-old is already held in the highest esteem at Anfield, so what does he have to gain from going back?

Even in MLS, a division of a lower standard than the Premier League, Gerrard has struggled and was even blamed by many for the L.A. Galaxy’s early exit from this season’s play-offs.

At 35, he perhaps regrets simply not calling it a day at Liverpool—the club of his legacy—at the end of last season.

Jon Super/Associated Press

The innate urge to return to where Gerrard and his family feel most comfortable is understandable, and if he makes his decision solely on that basis, it would be hard to begrudge. But on a loan deal, he would only be back on Merseyside for three months at most, making it more of a holiday than a homecoming.

Would he be able to return to California for another gruelling MLS season after tasting such home comforts over the winter?

Klopp explained last week, per the Press Association (h/t the Guardian):

"

I spoke with Stevie. One phone call and a few messages. He is a very nice guy I must say.

He’s a Liverpool legend, of course, but his contract as I know is in the USA. But now his break starts, and I told him, ‘When you are here, of course you can come whenever you want, you can train with us if you think it is good for you.’

Of course our doors are always open for him, that is clear. But nothing else.

"

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As Klopp says, Gerrard is a bona-fide Liverpool legend, and the club’s most iconic figure since the days of Dalglish and Ian Rush. But his final season at Anfield was one to forget, and one to discount when evaluating his legacy.

A return on loan would only accentuate that one failing in a career of fabled achievement—and that would be an unfortunate way to end his Liverpool premiership.

Instead, Gerrard must focus on a task he has yet to truly embrace in MLS. His commitment to L.A. Galaxy has been questioned, particularly on his trips back to England to serve as a pundit on BT Sport’s Champions League coverage.

Midway through the season, the former England captain seemed more concerned with keeping a presence back home than making a success of things in the United States. 

The same won’t be accepted of Gerrard next year, and a loan spell with Liverpool certainly wouldn’t set the right tone for the season ahead.

A club legend, he may be—but for his own good, Gerrard should make do with watching things from the stands.