The thin line between ‘Stevie G’ and ‘Stevie Me’

He can smash the net with 761-yard humdingers – some turn out to be unforgettable match-winners; he can deliver that ‘Hollywood pass’ with a physics-defying curvature from far afield; he can execute his renowned “scissor” tackles when need be and he can also flaunt his exaggerated stepovers to exhibit his complete repertoire. However Liverpool need none of this from their Captain Steven Gerrard.
Gerrard has been the heartbeat of Liverpool for nearly a decade. He has rescued his side on countless occasions – No Istanbul 2005 was not one of them; Didi Hamann gets that particular cake. Be it the goal-line clearances as right-back against Everton in 1999, the earth-shattering strikes against Olympiacos (2004), West Ham (2006), Real Madrid (2009) – and a myriad of other such moments – there’s no denying Gerrard’s impact on, not only Liverpool, but the world of football. Even so, while Gerrard’s moments of magic earn him eulogy, a glaring deficiency has become the ethos of his play, and of the only club he has played for – inconsistency.
Post-Istanbul, when expectations began to soar at Anfield – even by their own deluded standards – Liverpool have been the embodiment of the weird and wonderful. They would absolutely destroy Madrid 4-0, utterly humiliate eventual champions United 4-1 at Old Trafford and then let the likes of Reading topple them at Anfield and allow Blackpool to do the double over them. While Rafa Benitez had to bear most of the brunt, Gerrard – not any less culpable – has dodged the bullet successfully.
Gerrard’s dexterity as a footballer is beyond question, however when he turns into a quasi Wolverine Liverpool are in trouble. Yes Stevie you have some of the most gifted mutations in the footballing realm, but please don’t bring into play the ones you don’t have – dribbling, stepovers, taking corners, locating targets from more than 15 yards (consistently). So often an aura of a ‘one-man show’ is created at Anfield with Gerrard getting a lot of people’s share of limelight. Routinely Gerrard would opt for a glamorous 40-yard cross-field ball in lieu of a simple 8-yard through-ball, with the former a source of a heartily applause from the Kop, whereas the latter could’ve resulted in a promising move.
He also leaves a lot to be desired in terms of positional discipline and, while historic nestles into the back of the net vindicate his long-range cannon bombardment, his self-commanded shoot at sight orders mean that quite often an open teammate is ignored in his thunderous quest for personal glory. Gerrard should take a cue from Paul Scholes – the greatest midfielder of the EPL era – and Frank Lampard – comparatively limited skill but optimum effectiveness. Both of them recognized their limitations and worked within their strengths, to ensure that the team worked optimally and in turn gave rise to their teams’ prolonged domination and etched their names in their respective club’s folklore.
Gerrard has won all silverware available – barring the most significant one – and has scored in the cup final of every competition he has played in, but if he wants that coveted EPL trophy, he’d need to purge out his self-centered exploits and bring in consistency as he approaches the twilight of his career. Wayne Rooney has the same ‘look at me I am all over the pitch’ syndrome, but his output has been optimized by Sir Alex’s unmatched art of man-management. And, while Benitez and Hodgson couldn’t really command the required level of esteem, King Kenny has what it takes to channelize his skipper’s game.
After being used as a substitute recently, Gerrard is nearing full fitness and looks set to lead his side in their quest to reclaim their top-four status back. Whether Kenny plays Gerrard as one of the three in a 4-2-3-1, behind Suarez or in midfield remains to be seen. However what is crystal clear is that if Gerrard filters in his best to combine with what the other adept recruitments have to offer, it bodes well for Liverpool. Let’s hope the scheme is launched today against Manchester Utd.