2014 was a year that aptly summarised the final stages of Steven Gerrard’s Liverpool career. The unquestionably talented midfielder led his unfancied Liverpool side to the runners-up spot in the Premier League, and had the privilege of leading his country at the World Cup, and yet both achievements felt underwhelming, and left fans of both teams wondering what might have been.
With just three games to go in the 13/14 Premier League, Liverpool had the chance to go five points clear of Manchester City, who had a game in hand, but a home loss to Chelsea, which included a Demba Ba goal that came directly from Gerrard slipping in possession, effectively handed the title to City.
Then, in the World Cup, the 34-year-old was disappointing in midfield as England crashed out at the group stage thanks to defeat to Uruguay and Italy, both by 2-1 scorelines. In the Uruguay game he was especially poor, losing possession before Edinson Cavani laid on a ball for Luis Suarez to head home Uruguay’s first goal and again when he directed a long ball into the path of the Barcelona-bound striker for the winner.
Since the disappointment he suffered in Brazil, it has been clear that Gerrard’s influence is diminishing. Liverpool sit in eighth position as of January 1st, and have struggled to cope with the losses of Suarez, sold to Barcelona and Daniel Sturridge, who has suffered with injury all season. Furthermore, in the high-energy 3-4-3 formation that Brendan Rodgers has favoured in recent games, it seems there is no real place for Gerrard in the side, with the more energetic pair of Lucas Leiva and Jordan Henderson seeming to fit the central roles better. That he struggled so much against Leicester City’s pair of Dean Hammond and Matty James in their 2-2 draw shows just how far he has fallen.
Steven Gerrard has started 17 games in the Premier League this season, Liverpool have won just 6 of these. #LFC pic.twitter.com/UTJr9FCsIK
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) January 1, 2015
Therefore, after a calendar year of ‘what if’s in 2014, the New Year seems to be spelling the end of an era for Gerrard and for Liverpool. The announcement on Friday morning that the Merseyside club’s skipper would be leaving the club at the end of the season was greeted with sadness on social media by Liverpool fans, and does leave a few questions in the minds of Rodgers as to whom the leaders are in his squad.
Jordan Henderson, who was announced as vice-captain in September, might be the obvious replacement as captain after Gerrard departs, but he is not the loudest player in the squad by any means, and Liverpool may want to sign a central midfielder in the summer who can take on the captaincy. Another option would be to make Adam Lallana their new captain, who led Southampton with distinction in his final few years at the club.
However, one thing that is for sure is that the club will completely change without their inspirational captain. His time at the club has been one of great success, and whilst none of the teams he played in was quite as polished and complete as those of the club’s glory days of the 1980s, his seven major trophies at the club, as well as 180 goals in 695 appearances, will be remembered by all who watched him.
It will be hard for anyone to forget his achievements in a Liverpool shirt between 2004 and 2006 in particular, in which he single-handedly pushed the side through the group stages of the 04/05 Champions League, before being a key influence in the knockout stages and in the dramatic final, in which Liverpool famously came back from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 with A.C. Milan and win on penalties. Then, having submitted and then withdrawn a transfer request with Chelsea supposedly interested in him, the 2005/06 season was famous for his unbelievable performance in the F.A. Cup final, in which he scored two outstanding goals and inspired Liverpool to a comeback win against West Ham, again on penalties.
Since then, Gerrard has perhaps failed to reach the heights of that spell, but second-place finishes for the side he has captained for twelve years in 2009 and 2014 were surely highlights, along with the League Cup victory in 2012. Ever since his interview in October in which the 34-year-old stated that he would leave the club if not offered a new contract, there has been speculation about his future, but it finally seems as though his future has been sorted.
He will definitely be missed not just by Liverpool, but also the Premier League; Gerrard departs as the second-highest scoring midfielder, behind only Frank Lampard, and the 16th-highest scorer overall. Furthermore, the prospect of a 2016 MLS season featuring both Lampard and Gerrard is mouth-watering, and both will be major draws for their sides. Finally, it looks as though there may yet be a chance that Gerrard will still appear for another European club, in the same way that Lampard, David Beckham and Thierry Henry have done in the past. If he does, it may help him finally achieve his ambition to win a major European league title.
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