Ten years ago, Steven Gerrard gave one of his most candid interviews admitting he may have no choice but to leave Liverpool.
The following May he lifted the European Cup, still wondering if his club truly wanted to keep him and whether it was right for him to stay – bewildered by the lack of a contract offer.
They love their anniversaries at Anfield, but the contemporary re-enactment of this particular episode in Gerrard’s career is unexpected.
Amid the background of Istanbul reunion plans at the end of this season, Gerrard again finds himself contemplating if this will be his last in a Liverpool shirt.
“I won’t be retiring this summer,” he says. “I will play beyond this season. We will have to wait and see if that’s at Liverpool or somewhere else. That’s Liverpool’s decision.”
If this is to be Gerrard’s last season at Liverpool it has a familiar ‘transitional’ vibe to it. When Liverpool finished second in 2002 and 2009, key players departed and the appeals for time began. Were the lesson learnt in 2014?
“When Luis Suárez left I knew it would be like that,” says Gerrard. “When you come close [to the title] it is important you keep your main players. It’s not just about those coming in, it’s about what got you there.
“You need to keep that together and add to it. When you are taking big chunks of it away and adding five or six into it, it’s not going to happen overnight.
“I would love a Fabregas or Costa here, but I have to understand how the owners want to do it and accept I am a Liverpool player, not a Chelsea or Manchester City player. They [Fenway Sports Group] have gone on record saying they want to bring exciting young talent into the club. You can’t just expect that to click overnight.
“I’m not looking for excuses but there are collective reasons for our stuttering start. We lost a key player; we’ve had a key player injured; we’ve had a huge setback through just falling short last season; other Premier League sides have improved. Chelsea have gone and got their missing pieces of the jigsaw, City get stronger every year because of the funds. That’s why we’re not sitting top of league with everything rosy.
“We are not in a position like City or Chelsea where the manager notices they are a little bit short and just goes bang, bang, two new signings.
"Maybe it’s slightly different this year where we had more available because of the money from Luis, but as you see at Tottenham if you make five signings there are a lot of changes.
“If Luis was here we probably would have won some of the games where we have slipped up. Also, if we had Daniel Sturridge fit. If you lose a player in Luis’s form and a player of Daniel’s potential, it is going to be up and down until you either get Sturridge back or Luis’s replacement starts firing some goals in.”
Ah, that replacement. The Mario Balotelli question arrives. Gerrard is reminded of his friend Jamie Carragher’s view that Balotelli will not last more than a season on Merseyside.
“It’s a bit early for shouts like that. He could score 10 in 10 now. What then? You still sell him in January?” Gerrard said. “I understand Jamie’s opinion. He is on TV and has to give opinions. Mario’s scored two in 12 games and when you play for Liverpool you are going to get judged harshly compared to Luis and Daniel, but Mario has the ability to turn it around. Then it will be interesting to see everyone’s opinion. People won’t be saying he is a panic buy then.
“He needs time to score the goals and prove to be people he is worthy of staying here. I am not going judge him after 10 games. I have to help and support him. To come in after Suárez is tough. A big ask.
“To be a main striker at Liverpool you have to expect the pressure and the responsibility and embrace it. Our fans expect us to win every game. To be top drawer you have to be quick and aggressive but above everything else you have to score regularly. Look at the ones I have played with – Fowler, Owen, Suárez, and Torres – consistent with goals. That’s what made them superstars.
“Being a No 9 weighs heavy, but so does the No 8. So do most of the numbers here. We have a huge following. The pressure is on us to perform every single game, we’re on TV every three days. You can’t hide.
“You have to accept and embrace it and enjoy the pressure and the fact you are being judged. That’s what I have learnt to do since I was 19. Perform consistently or people will be critical. With social media and the way the general media has gone there is so much criticism and opinion out there that if the No 9 weighed heavy 10 years ago it weighs even heavier now.
“I don’t think you have sympathy for Mario. He’s a big lad. He’s played for big clubs and has had the responsibility before. He’s not feeling sorry for himself. He is working hard, doing extra shooting sessions and doing everything he can to make it work. I’ve been impressed the way he goes about his work. You can understand where all the attention comes from and he enjoys it.
“It seems he likes the attention, likes being the main man up front. He loves the social media and loves talking to supporters. If he wants that at Liverpool you have to score goals. He will know that. And if he didn’t know it coming in then he will know it now.”
If Balotelli has much to prove, the frustration for Gerrard is Sturridge has been unable to build on his form.
“Brendan built his team around Luis and Sturridge,” Gerrard said. “He’d never played the diamond before, so it was a big compliment to Luis and Daniel he changed the whole team set-up to get the best from them.
“Ability wise, Daniel is possibly the No 1 English striker I’ve played with. When you talk about speed, sharpness and skill and different types of goals he could go as far as he wants to. Who in this country is better?
“Wayne Rooney is different, between a nine and 10 for me, but Wayne is 30, Daniel is 25. Some of the things he does in training blow me away. I knew he was good but I saw what he could do last year. He needs to hit high numbers season after season. His goal-to-game record is scary. Last year he was in Luis’s shadow. Now it’s for Daniel to be Liverpool’s iconic No 9 – the main striker – for many years.
“Brendan said he needs to repeat games. That is any player, not just Daniel. I have experienced the frustration of picking up niggles and missing big games. It is not just frustrating for him, but all of us – players, fans and staff – because we need him back as soon as possible.”
Wherever Gerrard plays he is reminded of last season’s near miss by opposition fans. The slip against Chelsea was celebrated beyond Stamford Bridge.
“I’ve had stick since day one and the reason is I’ve been a decent footballer and they see me as a threat to their team,” he says. “It’s gamesmanship. I would have to be very naive or insecure to feel sorry for myself, saying it’s not fair because I gave service to England and don’t deserve it. Liverpool fans give some opposition players absolute hell when they come to Anfield, but they only go for the best players out there, so I presume it’s the same when I’m getting pelted.
“Do I hear it? Of course I hear it. Does it affect me? No, it drives me on to perform better.”
Mourinho revelled in stopping the Liverpool title charge, suggesting his players were meant to be ‘clowns’ on that fateful day at Anfield.
“I’m a big fan of his. I understand and respect he loves winning and will do anything to get the win,” Gerrard said. “People say he tactically outclassed us and outwitted us – maybe he did in parts of the game – but they came to destroy the game and break it up, to stop us blowing them away. His tactic was to slow us down and spoil – stop us getting into a rhythm. He’d seen what we could do, and put men behind the ball, his biggest, most powerful team to disrupt us. It worked for them so credit where it is due. It hit me hard and I know it hit the supporters hard.”
Gerrard knows there may never be another chance to complete the medal collection with the trophy he craves. Not at Liverpool, anyway. If they don’t want him and act before he becomes a free agent in the next two months, it will be noted by plenty of others with title aspirations.
- Steven Gerrard was speaking on behalf of Lucozade Sport. Visit www.lucozadesport.com Follow @LucozadeSport
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