Steven Gerrard: Have We Seen the Best of the Liverpool Icon?

The only thing that all great players have in common is that some day time catches up with them.

Some, like Eric Cantona, burn out.

Most fade away.

That is what we are seeing now from Steven Gerrard.

Only a year on from winning, in unusual fashion, the FPA Football Writers' Player of the Year, the Kop idol cuts a forlorn figure, looking a shadow of his former self.

There is no question that Gerrard, in his day, has been one of the finest all-round midfielders of the last 10 years. Few, if any, are able to match his energetic dominance of the game, his penetration in the final third, and his willingness to put in the sheer hard yards.

His leadership qualities have been questioned at times, although far less since he led his team to victory in the 2005 Champions League. There is no doubt that his mere presence can stir players and fans alike, getting them firmly behind his team (not that Liverpool fans ever need much encouragement to do just that).

His partnerships with Peter Crouch and Fernando Torres saw Liverpool cut a swathe through sides, always full of menace, and capable of scoring from anywhere at any time.

But this year we have seen his all-action, swashbuckling displays become more and more diluted, as the years begin to catch up with him.

One of Gerrard's biggest attributes was his pace—not so much his raw straight line speed, but the speed at which he reacted, the speed at which he played the ball, and the lightning quick sharpness with which he saw and took goalscoring opportunities.

And it is this speed, so key to the effectiveness of his game, that has begun to desert him.

With the edge taken off, Gerrard often threatens, but never delivers. Whereas previously Gerrard would fire home a 30 yard FA Cup Final equalizer, now he is forced to fire wide under pressure. Once, where he would have burst through challenges into the box, now, defenders are getting their toes in.

Perhaps it is the repeated niggly injuries that a player of his style incurs as a matter of course. Perhaps it is that, with all the football he has been playing, he's just permanently fatigued. Or perhaps, it's just that the aging process is finally settling into his body.

Perhaps, in a more fluent Liverpool side he will be able to regain some of his effectiveness. Perhaps, we will once again see the best of Gerrard at the World Cup in South Africa. Surrounded by Rooney, Lampard, and Lennon, with Barry performing his defensive duties, perhaps he can once again be the game breaker that we all know he can be.

Perhaps.

But, I fear that we have already seen the best of Steven Gerrard. His ability has reached a peak that he will never again conquer. Gerrard, 30 in May, still has four good years left as a genuine Premiership performer.

How many of those, if any, are spent as one of the elite few?

We will just have to wait and see.