A week ago I wrote about Steven Gerrard and his much talked about contract negotiations with Liverpool. The discussion was based around whether Gerrard should want to stay at Liverpool and whether Liverpool should want to keep him. The answer to that second point has become all too obvious in the last 72 hours as Liverpool took another massive leap backwards.
Ten years ago, Liverpool were securing a memorable victory against Olympiakos in the final Champions League group game, coming from two goals behind to win 3-2. Goals by Florent Sinema Pongolle and Neil Mellor are forgotten, lost to time. This is the game remembered for Steven Gerrard and his last minute winner as much as it is for Andy Gray and his cry of “ooooohhhhhh you beauty”. Take a bow son, etc etc.
The clear criticism labelled at Liverpool after this game was that, with a starting XI boasting very little star power, the Anfield side were too reliant on their captain. It’s staggering to think that ten years and one day after that fondly remembered night Liverpool were again left with Steven Gerrard and a squad of players around him who were not quite up to it.
Gerrard scored a stunning free kick, he did what big players do which is produce at big moments in big games. But his efforts weren’t enough, he couldn’t carry what was around him and Liverpool went crashing out into the Europa League.
It’s amazing to think that after being labelled a one man team ten years ago, Liverpool find themselves in exactly the same situation now. And it’s not just that they are relying on one player, it’s that they are still relying on that same player.
It was widely reported in 2004/2005 that Gerrard would be leaving for pastures new, it’s worrying to think of how badly things could have got for Liverpool had that have transpired.
Last season Brendan Rodgers managed to build a team around Gerrard. They weren’t perfect, they conceded too many goals for one thing. But they had other players like Luis Suárez and Daniel Sturridge who could win games for them. And because of it Liverpool went further than at any point during the last decade. They qualified for the Champions League and came within a whisker of winning the title.
Now, with Suárez sold and Sturridge blighting a perfectly good career as a hospital patient with the occasional game of football, Liverpool are back to square one. It’s Steven Gerrard and a lot of place fillers. You can’t blame the club or the manager for selling Suárez, he had to go. You can’t blame them for Sturridge’s fitness concerns either. But you can blame them for the quality of player that has been brought in.
Maybe that’s unfair, they can’t all be bad players. But they are certainly not performing. Even proven Premier League entities like Adam Lallana and Dejan Lovren are not showing their best. Meanwhile, when a new striker was the order of the day, a massive gamble was taken on the enigmatic Mario Balotelli that has thus far proved fruitless.
On Tuesday night, a red card masked the fact that Liverpool went out of the Champions League, because they were simply not good enough. Not in their final game, not in any of their group games. We shouldn’t be surprised, they haven’t been impressive in the Premier League either.
One good season and a talismanic captain have papered over the decade-long cracks for Liverpool.
Brendan Rodgers was quick to criticise Tottenham and their transfer policy last season. He was right to. Spurs invested a fortune in players with no experience in our high tempo English game and they were left wanting. A new team couldn’t be built around unproven players like Paulinho, Saldado and Lamela. But Rodgers could have paid more attention to the actions that he was criticising as he now seems doomed to repeat them.
Moreno, Can, Marković, if these are meant to be the kind of players that take on the Steven Gerrard mantle then Liverpool fans must be left scratching their heads. There is no quick fix to Liverpool’s problems. They need more from the players they have, sure. In this day and age if Brendan Rodgers can’t do that then he will be swiftly and unceremoniously replaced. But it’s about more than that.
If Liverpool want to fulfil their own cries of being a top four team that consistently challenge for the league then quality needs to be added now.
10 years ago, they were told that they couldn’t just rely on Steven Gerrard forever. Now, that is truer than it has ever been.