Steven Gerrard - complete player?

Parks Life

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For me the most frustrating English player going.

He has everything and really has the capabilities to be one of the best players in the world.

Pace, Stamina, Bravery, Strength, Desire, he is influential, he has a very good technique, he has a great shot on him, his passing is really good and he has very good eye for a through ball.

However he is lacking one thing - Intelligence!

So often he goes walk abouts and leaves others exposed and so often he tries to do that bit to much. 50 yard through balls that come off one in five times.

Its not even a coaching thing as I have heard comments before from Benitez about how he should conserve his energy at times and other things similar.
 
MThomas said:
he hasnt progressed very much in recent years, used to be liverpools most important player, alonso has taken over that part
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I know what you mean. I thought going into Euro 2004 he would be our key player and was arguably one of the best players going into the competition. He was poor though, very poor. His ball retention (something to do with intelligence again) was appalling.

He's doing a good job on the right for Liverpool but you can tell he's not happy there.
 
well, playing for england is something quite different. sven with his Ihni binni dimi diniwiny anitaime tactics makes sure that none of the players get to produce the same goods they do for their club teams. i wonder if gerrard is somehow frustrated about his situation at liverpool, he used to be fan favourite number 1, the golden boy that would lead them to glory, centre midfield driveforce, heart of the liverpool team. after all that fuzz with chelsea, he´s not the fans favourite, alonso has taken over the part as golden boy and centre midfield driveforce, and old gerrardo has gone from being the heart to being the lung. he´s a brilliant player and englands best midfielder.
 
MThomas said:
well, playing for england is something quite different. sven with his Ihni binni dimi diniwiny anitaime tactics makes sure that none of the players get to produce the same goods they do for their club teams. i wonder if gerrard is somehow frustrated about his situation at liverpool, he used to be fan favourite number 1, the golden boy that would lead them to glory, centre midfield driveforce, heart of the liverpool team. after all that fuzz with chelsea, he´s not the fans favourite, alonso has taken over the part as golden boy and centre midfield driveforce, and old gerrardo has gone from being the heart to being the lung. he´s a brilliant player and englands best midfielder.
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Yes, however he has the capibilities to be much better in my opinion.
 
Top thread this, shows how great you lot know your footy.
 
hey, your lot brags him up a notch or two, we bring him down a notch or two.
basicly, he´s somewhere inbetween. has he reached his full potential then ?
does he looked pleased about playing off the right side ? constantly spraying fantastic 50 yards passes as your lot seems to think ?
 
MThomas said:
hey, your lot brags him up a notch or two, we bring him down a notch or two.
basicly, he´s somewhere inbetween. has he reached his full potential then ?
does he looked pleased about playing off the right side ? constantly spraying fantastic 50 yards passes as your lot seems to think ?
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You must be watching other games than me.
 
MThomas said:
gonzales, though not exactly spanish.
where is he from again ?
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Chile. Still haven't made sure he will be in England next season, may have to stay in Spain for another season.

Also he plays left side I think, they'll still need a right winger and a striker.
 
MThomas said:
good reply, does that work for every question you cant answer ?
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No, it means I can't really be arsed to argue every point with you.

Plus i'm off home now.
 
MThomas said:
chile, thats it.
benitez is doing his best to get him in, liverpool will probably go to certain lenghts and claim its a travisty of justice towards the poor people who got framed by using the M word.

i thought he could play off both sides ?
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I've only seen him once and he played left side, not sure what he is like right side though. Liverpool fans seem to be excited about him though.

I'm sure Barwick can pull a few strings for them to get him clearance.
 
Reflectorboy said:
jack of all trades, master of none really
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:eek:

Gerrard would walk into pretty much any team in Europe, how can he not be a master of his trade? I can't think of a better central midfielder in the world at the moment. I think he's probably the most complete player around and one of the most complete players I've ever seen, he can play as a second striker, right midfielder, defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder and right back, all with ease.

This probably sounds like bias but I was often very critical of Gerrard a couple of years ago, I used to think like Parks Life that he wasn't intelligent enough with the ball and that he was overrated, but contrary to what MThomas has said he has improved massively over the past few years, we now have better strength in depth particularly in midfield but that doesn't mean Gerrard's regressed as a player.

I think he can still improve, he's 26 now so over the next few years he will be in his prime, which is a scary thought considering how well he plays already. I think playing alongside Alonso will help him greatly, I would agree that perhaps his intelligence is the weakest area of his game but with experience that improves, it's an area where he's already improved a lot anyway.
 
Gerrard certainly has the talent to be one of the very best but his England performances frustrate me. He's had some great games for England but recently he doesn't seem to have transferred his Liverpool form on to the international stage. If he can then England have a great chance to win the world cup.
 
Looking Busy said:
Gerrard certainly has the talent to be one of the very best but his England performances frustrate me. He's had some great games for England but recently he doesn't seem to have transferred his Liverpool form on to the international stage. If he can then England have a great chance to win the world cup.
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Yep, becoming abit like Barnes. However I do partly put that down to Lampard as well, as he wants to do the same things as Gerrard and they don't know when one should go forward and one should defend. Strange that it actually worked alright with Scholes but I think thats because he is alot more intelligent than Lampard.

@ LWAR

He still can't dominate games in the way someone like Keane or even Vieira have done in the past though. Where they can dictate the pace of the game. Granted he is 26 and has years on his side and Keane probably only did it at the top level in the last 5-6 years of his career from about 28 onwards.

Still at times though its like he tries to much to dominate the game himself and it can distract from a team performance. I think this one of the major reasons why Alonso looks a different player when playing next to Gerrard in central midfield. He has to play a much more defensive role. Alonso next to Sissoko or Hamann then has the freedom to get on the ball and work his stuff. The Champions league final was a massive example of that. Gerrard seems better suited now on either the right or behind a striker.
 
Parks Life said:
Yep, becoming abit like Barnes.

@ LWAR

He still can't dominate games in the way someone like Keane or even Vieira have done in the past. Where they can dictate the pace of the game. Granted he is 26 and has years on his side and Keane probably only did it at the top level in the last 5-6 years of his career from about 28 onwards.

Still at times though its like he tries to much to dominate the game himself and it can distract from a team performance. I think this one of the major reasons why Alonso looks a different player when playing next to Gerrard. He has to play a much more defensive role. Alonso next to Sissoko or Hamann then has the freedom to get on the ball and work his stuff. The Champions league final was a massive example of that. Gerrard seems better suited now on either the right or behind a striker.
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No doubting Gerrard has some weaknesses, he's not bionic (although that Lucozade advert has raised suspicions) and I'd say you're right, this is probably his worst area. I'm not exactly sure what Rafa has planned for our central midfield because Alonso can play very well as a defensive midfielder but is a better playmaker, maybe he will play three with Momo in the holding role like Chelsea do, or maybe he will advance Gerrard like you say, he's done that quite a few times this season already. I think it can work with Gerrard and Alonso, they play well together and Alonso can dictate the pace of a game himself so that makes up for Gerrard somewhat.
 
MThomas said:
i dont think he has improved massively. still making the same poor decisions, late tackles that has awarded him red cards.
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When? The only game I remember him getting a red card in this season was Everton, other than that his tackles are generally very well timed and far better than they used to be.
 
I edited a bit after you had quoted about England.

Do you blame some of his performances (or non-performances) on playing next to Lampard?

As I said he seemed brilliant playing next to Scholes and one could hardly say Scholes was more defensive than Lampard.
 
LWAR said:
When? The only game I remember him getting a red card in this season was Everton, other than that his tackles are generally very well timed and far better than they used to be.
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i still think he overheats and charges in, like several other players,he has a tendency to get away with things. i just dont think he has improved that much compared to all the potential he has. two seasons ago, he was your most important player. now he has been shifted into a right midfield position, behind alonso when it comes to importance. he has done well in his right side position, but he´s a cm and should play in a cm position.
he´s still far away from being a "general" as he´s supposed to be
 
Parks Life said:
I edited a bit after you had quoted about England.

Do you blame some of his performances (or non-performances) on playing next to Lampard?

As I said he seemed brilliant playing next to Scholes and one could hardly say Scholes was more defensive than Lampard.
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I'm not sure really, maybe he and Lampard are just too similar. Scholes is more attacking, he provided something a little different, Gerrard could fulfill a different role to him. Now Stevie seems not entirely sure of what his role is, I think that might be affecting him, the balance doesn't seem quite right.

If he was played alongside someone like Carrick I think you could see a dramatic improvement in his England form, but personally I hope he's dropped so he doesn't pick up any injuries. :D
 
MThomas said:
i still think he overheats and charges in, like several other players,he has a tendency to get away with things. i just dont think he has improved that much compared to all the potential he has. two seasons ago, he was your most important player. now he has been shifted into a right midfield position, behind alonso when it comes to importance. he has done well in his right side position, but he´s a cm and should play in a cm position.
he´s still far away from being a "general" as he´s supposed to be
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He hasn't played right midfield that often, he was there for a bit but Cisse has moved out to the wing now, I think it was just a matter of finding a peg to fit in the hole and neither Alonso or Sissoko would be capable of playing there with any real ability. I'm afraid we'll have to agree to disagree, I really think he's improved a lot.
 
LWAR said:
I'm not sure really, maybe he and Lampard are just too similar. Scholes is more attacking, he provided something a little different, Gerrard could fulfill a different role to him. Now Stevie seems not entirely sure of what his role is, I think that might be affecting him, the balance doesn't seem quite right.

If he was played alongside someone like Carrick I think you could see a dramatic improvement in his England form, but personally I hope he's dropped so he doesn't pick up any injuries. :D
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I have always felt that Lampard and Gerrard are quite similar type of players and the England team could do better with a defensive minded player playing behind either one of them.

Sven would never drop one of them and hopefully Scolari will do it and play carrick next to either Gerrard or Lampard.
 
LWAR said:
:eek:

Gerrard would walk into pretty much any team in Europe, how can he not be a master of his trade? I can't think of a better central midfielder in the world at the moment. I think he's probably the most complete player around and one of the most complete players I've ever seen, he can play as a second striker, right midfielder, defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder and right back, all with ease.

This probably sounds like bias but I was often very critical of Gerrard a couple of years ago, I used to think like Parks Life that he wasn't intelligent enough with the ball and that he was overrated, but contrary to what MThomas has said he has improved massively over the past few years, we now have better strength in depth particularly in midfield but that doesn't mean Gerrard's regressed as a player.

I think he can still improve, he's 26 now so over the next few years he will be in his prime, which is a scary thought considering how well he plays already. I think playing alongside Alonso will help him greatly, I would agree that perhaps his intelligence is the weakest area of his game but with experience that improves, it's an area where he's already improved a lot anyway.
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Yet another piece of bullocks from you. Gerrard is an overrated midfielder and would not walk into teams like Barcelona, Milan and Juventus who have far better midfielders. And yes, he can do a job but you just validated my point that he is jack of all trade master of none. Alonso is a better midfielder than Gerrard. Hope this helps
 
LWAR said:
I'm not sure really, maybe he and Lampard are just too similar. Scholes is more attacking, he provided something a little different, Gerrard could fulfill a different role to him. Now Stevie seems not entirely sure of what his role is, I think that might be affecting him, the balance doesn't seem quite right.

If he was played alongside someone like Carrick I think you could see a dramatic improvement in his England form, but personally I hope he's dropped so he doesn't pick up any injuries. :D
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If Gerrard is the most complete midfielder who can walk into any team and can play all the positions with 'ease' as you say, I find it queer that he cannot do it with Lampard, another class player. Good player but massively overhyped.
 
Reflectorboy said:
If Gerrard is the most complete midfielder who can walk into any team and can play all the positions with 'ease' as you say, I find it queer that he cannot do it with Lampard, another class player. Good player but massively overhyped.
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Thats more down to Sven and his tactics, he should drop one of them and play carrick alongside the ither.
 
Reflectorboy said:
Yet another piece of bullocks from you. Gerrard is an overrated midfielder and would not walk into teams like Barcelona, Milan and Juventus who have far better midfielders. And yes, he can do a job but you just validated my point that he is jack of all trade master of none. Alonso is a better midfielder than Gerrard. Hope this helps
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I said pretty much any team, not any team. Of course certain teams play systems that would not suit him, or have players better suited to their position, that said on individual merit I would probably take him ahead of the likes of Xavi, Gattuso or Vieira/Emerson at the moment, it seems Juve would too considering their interest in him.

The thing is he doesn't just do a job, he is outstanding in a number of positions, as a 'box to box' central midfielder I don't think there are any better in Europe at the moment, that he is most definately a master of. I'm pleased to see you recognise Alonso's abilities though.
 
Gerrard always was and always will be a poor mans Roy Keane. Even when Keane was 33 with a dodgy hip and knee he'd have Gerrard on a short leash when we ever we played that lot. Keano would slow the game down and Gerrard would be running around like a headless chicken wasting his energy and when he was fecked Keane would speed it up and "Stevie G" would go missing, meandering around the part aimlessly like a looking for his mum in a shopping centre, and after a while, once Gerrard got some energy back and summoned up a bit of courage to sprint around like an idiot again, spraying pointless and easily cut out long balls, Keano would slow it down and Gerrard would do his little fish-out-of-water routine again. If it wasn't so pathetic it might have been funny, and if I have had a little more compassion I'd probably feel sorry for him.

You would have thought he'd grow out of it, but he hasn't.
 
The Hairdryer said:
Gerrard always was and always will be a poor mans Roy Keane. Even when Keane was 33 with a dodgy hip and knee he'd have Gerrard on a short leash when we ever we played that lot. Keano would slow the game down and Gerrard would be running around like a headless chicken wasting his energy and when he was fecked Keane would speed it up and "Stevie G" would go missing, meandering around the part aimlessly like a looking for his mum in a shopping centre, and after a while, once Gerrard got some energy back and summoned up a bit of courage to sprint around like an idiot again, spraying pointless and easily cut out long balls, Keano would slow it down and Gerrard would do his little fish-out-of-water routine again. If it wasn't so pathetic it might have been funny, and if I have had a little more compassion I'd probably feel sorry for him.

You would have thought he'd grow out of it, but he hasn't.
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:lol: Excellent post.
 
LWAR said:
I said pretty much any team, not any team. Of course certain teams play systems that would not suit him, or have players better suited to their position, that said on individual merit I would probably take him ahead of the likes of Xavi, Gattuso or Vieira/Emerson at the moment, it seems Juve would too considering their interest in him.

The thing is he doesn't just do a job, he is outstanding in a number of positions, as a 'box to box' central midfielder I don't think there are any better in Europe at the moment, that he is most definately a master of. I'm pleased to see you recognise Alonso's abilities though.
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Xavi and Emerson is far better than Gerrard in terms of technique and ability. Gerrard is better than Gattuso. And again, like i said jack of all trades master of none. A poor man's Roy Keane like Hairdyrer said. Has bags of potential but overhyped.
And yes, Alonso is a quality passer of the ball.
 
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