Topic: Gerrard Must Adapt to Rodgers Blueprint

[StevenLFC]

At times in his career, Steven Gerrard has had to put the Liverpool team on his back and almost single-handedly carry them to victories. He's bailed Liverpool out of difficult situations so many times by taking over games and scoring equalisers and winners almost by himself. However, that was under previous managers and in different systems. Brendan Rodgers's system isn't really built for that type of play.


For years Liverpool relied on Gerrard. He was the man that the fans, players and manager looked to at critical points to do something magical. We've game wild as he has smashed home a 30-yard pile-driver to keep us on the Champions League against Olympiakos, we've seen him burst into the box not once but twice in the European Cup final, resulting in him scoring a goal and winning a penalty; and we've witnessed him scoring an injury-time equaliser in an FA Cup Final versus West Ham in 2006. But things have changed since then. Some of those historic moments happened over seven years ago, times have changed and Gerrard has got older and maybe it's time for him to change his game.


Liverpool have had a difficult start to this season and the same can be said for our skipper. Rodgers's system is built around keeping the ball and not forcing the issue unless there is an obvious pass available, yet at times Gerrard hasn't done this. He's tried to do what he's always done and force the issue, try the quick through-ball or play a risky 30-yard pass and in doing so he's been caught out, resulting in the opposition seeing more of the ball than Rodgers would like. Against Arsenal on Sunday it was Gerrard who gave away possession which allowed Podolski to score the first goal.


Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Liverpool should drop Gerrard, after all he's still our best player. However, I think he needs to adapt to the new style of play and show more patience in possession. He needs to learn that this system won't work unless he plays in the way Rodgers wants him to.


He's a good enough player to adapt his game even at this stage in his career, and if Liverpool are to be successful this season, he will have to do it sooner rather than later.


Gerrard Must Adapt to Rodgers Blueprint

[conman]

i agree with what you say. he needs a calmer approach with ball retention. but he is creative and can provide those killer balls. i guess its a case of choosing wisely rather than opting to take every glimmer of an opportunity.

Though Gerrard ain't the best player anymore imo. he certainly was however for about a decade or more.

[kapil08]

The much talked about 'free-role' doesn't seem to exist in Rodgers system. Every player's a cog in the machine. I feel Gerrard will take some time to adjust. But time is what neither of us has.  It's a headache I wouldn't like to have right now. I can imagine the dilemma Rodgers must be facing at this time. 

It seems one of the key issues in any field of life. How do you tackle people who have contributed to bringing you where you are today, but now find themselves unable to change.

Anyway, hope he goes to achieve good things with us over the coming few years.

[Yiannis]

but he is creative and can provide those killer balls. i guess its a case of choosing wisely rather than opting to take every glimmer of an opportunity.

That's the key,exactly.If he can't understand and do that,he harms the team's style and philosophy.Have to say, i doubt if he manages that as it seems he can't get it out of his play.He has been like that his whole career and what they say about the old dog and new tricks...?

[StevenLFC]

That's the key,exactly.If he can't understand and do that,he harms the team's style and philosophy.Have to say, i doubt if he manages that as it seems he can't get it out of his play.He has been like that his whole career and what they say about the old dog and new tricks...?

I disagree about the 'old dog, new tricks' thing pal. Giggs and Scholes have done it at Man United and I'm sure Gerrard can too. Rodgers speaks of 'Death by Football' and if the killer pass isn't there, don't try it, just keep the ball moving and tire the opposition out. Gerrard seems reluctant to do this, he always wants to make things happen which is admirable but counter productive in this system.

[kasperoff]

I think we need to find a position in the team that saves his legs a bit. And listening to Rodgers none of those middle 3 will have that luxury. Potentially the holing midfielder of the 3, but do we really want Stevie there? He can do more damage getting forward and Lucas/Allen can fill that role better anyway.

The front 3 all have to do their fair share of closing down too, but not to the extent of the midfield. I'd like to see Gerrard given a try on the right of the front 3. It's arguably been his best position for his entire career to be honest! That or just behind the striker in a front 2 (Like with Torres), but I don't think we'l be seeing that formation anytime soon.

[Severely]

Technically, there's no reason Stevie can't fit into the Rodgers system, it's simply a mental thing in my opinion. It'll take time for him to get used to being patient and playing the simple ball, rather than rushing and forcing play, but I'm confident it'll come. A big part of that will be learning to trust team mates and the system itself. He won't feel the pressure to force play as much if it gets through to him that the system, and the players within the system, are capable of breaking down teams and getting wins together.

[Thog]

I can't believe people are saying he doesn't fit in because he tries to force things too much...

You need some sort of penetration in the team. Can't just have all midfielders. That's my worry if we have a triumviate of Lucas, Allen and Sahin. Gerrard is world class. We will not see Steven dropped under Rodgers if he is fully fit, I can guarantee it. He might have a pass success rate of 65%, it doesn't matter.

If Rodgers was still at Swansea, your telling me he wouldn't want Gerrard? Load of bull. He is perfect for the attacking midfield role. Just don't think he can hack three games in one week, that's all.

[StevenLFC]

Nobody is saying he shouldn't play, and I agree the team does need penetration. However if the pass isn't on, I'm sure Rodgers would rather Gerrard play the simple pass rather than force something that isn't there.

[Thog]

Nobody is saying he shouldn't play, and I agree the team does need penetration. However if the pass isn't on, I'm sure Rodgers would rather Gerrard play the simple pass rather than force something that isn't there.

Yeah but a lot of the times there's isnt an option so he has to try and create something out of nothing. Look at Skrtel - no option, forced back to the keeper and before he knows it it's 2-2. I agree he needs to cut down on the long balls, but tiki taka is not just short balls, you do need your Gerrard's and Suarez' in the side - ones that can make things happen.

[StevenLFC]

Yeah but a lot of the times there's isnt an option so he has to try and create something out of nothing. Look at Skrtel - no option, forced back to the keeper and before he knows it it's 2-2. I agree he needs to cut down on the long balls, but tiki taka is not just short balls, you do need your Gerrard's and Suarez' in the side - ones that can make things happen.

Guess we will have to agree to disagree. In this system there should always be a pass on. Skrtel could easily havelayes a simple pass down the line but he chose not too.

[Z e u s]

I think we have to be fair to Gerrard.

He is not in his prime anymore, which is understandable as he is over 30.  However that is not to say he can't still be an influence on the pitch.

Gerrard's natural game is clearly all about high tempo, urgency, full energy and when he gets the ball the first thing in his mind is to try and create or score, with a pass or shot.  I personally love that attitude, but it is clear under Rodgers we are going to play more patiently and Gerrard has to adapt.

He is clearly good enough to adapt talent-wise.  He is one of the most complete players we have ever seen, as he has all the attribute and skills needed to keep possession and work under this system.  The hardest thing for Gerrard to change is mentally can he curb his natural instincts and become more patient.

But we need to be fair to Gerrard.  If he simply kept the ball all match and had stats like Joe Allen, but got no assists or goals, he would be criticised on here for not doing enough. 

Gerrrad feels pressure (as does Suarez and I think he needs to adapt and change just as much as Gerrard does) to win games as our fans expect him to do so as he has for the last 10+ years.  Ifour club had lots of other match winners, then he probably could do what Giggs and Scholes do at United and play a more disciplined and restricted role.  But we don't and therefore he still has to be one of our main match winners and will continue to try those match winner passes in order to try and win us games - and I love him for that, as he is always brave enough to do that.

Suarez and Gerrard both have to realise Rodgers doesn't want them to try and force things in the final third and lose possession.  Both need to realise less is more under this system and patience, constant probing is more what Rodgers wants, than individual brilliance. 

I think they can both adapt, but it is not going to happen in three games, it will take some time. 

[Mr Kipling]

Can't disagree with any of this, apart from when you say 'after all he's still our best player'. There are 3 players i consider to be more important to us at the moment and one of those is already out injured.

[Motty]

I'd like to try him in the right attacking position instead of Borini, he can beat his man easily and is probably the best crosser in the team ,maybe after a month or two it will be Sterling and Assidi on the wings but until then we should at least give this a go ,it means Shelvey can play in the attacking midfielder role and then we will have a striker to come off the bench in Borini.
In this position Stevie can use his explosive style the most without  worrying as much about losing the ball as he would in the centre

[Eeyore]

For me Gerrard is a mercurial talent capable of making the truly extraordinary look ridiculously easy but at times he makes the ridiculously easy look extraordinarily difficult. He has unbelievable balance for someone of his size, terrific athleticism and at times a skill-set that appears to defy the laws of physics. I really can't think of another player who could of scored the goals against Reading or Marseille where he has taken the ball at the wrong angle and just whipped his foot around the ball with a ridiculous combination of top spin, side spin, control and power.

I think I have seen the Marseille goal a hundred times and still each time I am surprised when the ball ends up in the net. It is just natural instinctive genius, you could spend a lifetime with a geometry set, a degree in physics and a supercomputer and still not be able to work out how much spin and power to put on the ball.

Gerrard reminds me of a Seve Ballesteros or a Viv Richards someone born with at times just an unfair natural advantage over his peers. A natural feel for what to do and a natural ability and technique to pull it off. The problem is that Ballesteros swinging a golf Club and Richards swinging a bat were individual instinctive things. Ask Seve to keep it simple and hit fairways and greens and it would of drove him mad, the same with Richards if you asked him to reign in his instincts and stop playing his shots and you would of lost half the player. Maybe it's the same with Gerrard has he got the concentration levels to become a midfield robot like Allen or Lucas or will he always be an instinctive genius who pulls of the seemingly impossible with regularity.

Has he got the mental attitude and desire to eliminate mistakes, if you want a golfer to hit fairways and greens you shorten his swing and swing within yourself like a Casey if you want to eliminate mistakes in Cricket you shorten your backswing and cut out expansive shots like a Trott. To do that though you need incredible levels of concentration and a robotic technique something Stevie doesn't really posses. Is asking him to become a robot a bit like commissioning Da Vinci to paint your ceiling instead of getting him to knock out another breathtaking masterpiece, a complete and utter waste of talent.

Benitez realised that and played Gerrard in the final third where his magic could tear teams apart, the problem for Rodgers is that his philosophy is more suited to robotic players who can pass teams to death and wear them down. In Football there is always leeway for a genius but at the moment we have two in Stevie and Luis two players with the ability to produce moments of brilliance but all too often those moments of magic are interspersed with moments of the mundane with simple passes going astray and too many poor touches that lose possesion.

The pay off if you can incorporate both Luis and Stevie is immense but we shouldn't underestimate how difficult it will be for Rodgers to pull it off. Maybe that conundrum will define whether Rodgers is a success the way Stevie's return from injury caused Kenny as many problems as it solved. We often looked better under Kenny playing with one mercurial genius rather than two. Let's hope Rodgers manages to incorporate both of them. At the moment we play like a pressure cooker with a leak everytime we crank up the pressure looking to force a mistake a miss placed pass or a failed dribble let's all the pressure go often with drastic results.

[Ski]

Agree with some. I'd like to see Gerrard on the right of the front 3 with Suarez left and Borini in the middle. Shelve or Henderson taking the 3rd spot in midfield when Lucas is back.

[Z e u s]

The problem with having Gerrard on the right, is when he gets the ball the first thing he'll look to do is cross. 

I think we are looking to cross less, as we don't really have a target man in the box, Suarez is often not in the box as he goes roaming and I really don't think it is the best plan of attack.

For me we'd be better playing Gerrard as the central striker.  He should be given instructions to get in and stay in the box at all times.  Then play Suarez, Sterling (Assaidi) wide to do the creating.

Gerrard is our best finisher and I'd like to see him tried as the striker and finisher of moves.

[edeyj]

I see this as an opportunity for Stevie. He isn't getting any younger and maybe now is the time to reign in the superman efforts that we have seen in the past.

I tend to agree that he could do a job in the front 3. I also think he could easily do the holding job in the absence of Lucas. That would free up Allen who Brendan thinks will give 50% more when he doesn't have the holding job to do. This could be "sold" to Stevie as a temporary job for the benefit of the team while Lucas is crocked and Brendan could then see how he gets on. It's also the ideal position for the captain with close contact to the defence and the ability to see everything in front.

Maybe worth a try?

[timmyonions]

The problem with having Gerrard on the right, is when he gets the ball the first thing he'll look to do is cross. 

I think we are looking to cross less, as we don't really have a target man in the box, Suarez is often not in the box as he goes roaming and I really don't think it is the best plan of attack.

For me we'd be better playing Gerrard as the central striker.  He should be given instructions to get in and stay in the box at all times.  Then play Suarez, Sterling (Assaidi) wide to do the creating.

Gerrard is our best finisher and I'd like to see him tried as the striker and finisher of moves.

Not necessarily so,he wouldn`t immediately look for a cross unless it`s on.I think your not giving Gerrard the credit he deserves here.He can be a very clever player around the edge of the box when he gets the chance.Coming in from the right he can go with a one-two or a cross depending on the situation.He`s also extremely good at timing his runs into the box so maybe he could be on the end of moves as well as starting them.

As for Gerrard playing central striker that just wouldn`t work.You can`t just tell a player who has never played there to just "stay in the box" and hope it works out.

[Z e u s]

Not necessarily so,he wouldn`t immediately look for a cross unless it`s on.I think your not giving Gerrard the credit he deserves here.He can be a very clever player around the edge of the box when he gets the chance.Coming in from the right he can go with a one-two or a cross depending on the situation.He`s also extremely good at timing his runs into the box so maybe he could be on the end of moves as well as starting them.

As for Gerrard playing central striker that just wouldn`t work.You can`t just tell a player who has never played there to just "stay in the box" and hope it works out.

Fair comments.

Especially about Gerrard on the right, he will mix up his game.

Ideally we wouldn't use Gerrard as a striker, but we don't have many other options, as most would like to see Suarez wide.  Even Rodgers the other day said he'll consider Suarez as a "false winger".

If we use Gerrard on the right, does that mean you keep Suarez central? 

[shelovesyou]

Whilst its an interesting read i wish people would stop trying to teach the lad how to suck eggs.
Im pretty confident between himself and Brendan that they know what they are doing and trying to achieve collectively.

[Thog]

I would like to see Gerrard on the left personally. Then you could have Suarez on the right as an inside forward with a top striker upfront. Makes perfect sense because Suarez shouldn't be left with too much defensive responsibility imo (and it's where he played for Ajax), Gerrard can drop into midfielder creating sort of a 4-3-1-1-1. It shouldn't really matter too much because we will focus on relentless pressing off the ball and not look to sit off with two banks of four.

Especially with Enrique who has very good stamina, can bomb up and down the left flank. We have noticed he can't really forge a good partnership with anyone but his best partnerships have been with players who tend to drift inside on their stronger foot- Pacheco, Bellamy, Maxi.

[Pepe Silvia]

It should be Rodgers being the one to adapt to Gerrard, not the other way around. Rodgers needs to adapt his methods to all his players but especially the ones who can score goals. We don't have the luxury of many goalscorers within the squad so we need to get the best out of the ones we have. I don't understand this rush for everyone to fling themselves head first into this "system" of Rodgers. Why does it have to hpen straight away? We didn't see Rafa's ideal team until his 4th season and before that he had to adapt to playing 2 strikers upfront to win games.

That said, it's still very early days and I thought Gerrard played well against Man City so maybe the Arsenal game was just one of those things.

[timmyonions]

Fair comments.

Especially about Gerrard on the right, he will mix up his game.

Ideally we wouldn't use Gerrard as a striker, but we don't have many other options, as most would like to see Suarez wide.  Even Rodgers the other day said he'll consider Suarez as a "false winger".

If we use Gerrard on the right, does that mean you keep Suarez central?

You could,but then again he could play left,with Borini through the middle.There`s lots of possibilties no? 

[And Could He Play]

Whilst its an interesting read i wish people would stop trying to teach the lad how to suck eggs.
Im pretty confident between himself and Brendan that they know what they are doing and trying to achieve collectively.

fucking hilarious , gang of nobodys on a forum telling one of the best footballers ever how to play his game. Seen it all now.

[Thog]

You could,but then again he could play left,with Borini through the middle.There`s lots of possibilties no? 

Don't see Borini playing upfront for us long term at all. Not good enough to and not what Rodgers looks for in a striker. He's an inside forward like Suarez. 

Suarez - (Striker) - Borini is what it would be.

[timmyonions]

fucking hilarious , gang of nobodys on a forum telling one of the best footballers ever how to play his game. Seen it all now.

Not sure if thats aimed at me but i`d never do such a thing 

I just formed an opinion on where i`d like to see him play,where i`d like to see if Brendan could use him?For me he could do damage from the right side.Just an opnion mate.

[Z e u s]

You could,but then again he could play left,with Borini through the middle.There`s lots of possibilties no? 

Certainly another option.

I think the key is finding the right person for the central role.  What I mean by that someone who can finish!

Suarez has proven he is not clinical and most people would like to see him wide as a creator rather than the central striker.

I think we have a few other options that can be used central:

- Borini
- Gerrard
- Yesil
- Ngoo / Morgan

[mtred1984]

Technically, there's no reason Stevie can't fit into the Rodgers system, it's simply a mental thing in my opinion. It'll take time for him to get used to being patient and playing the simple ball, rather than rushing and forcing play, but I'm confident it'll come. A big part of that will be learning to trust team mates and the system itself. He won't feel the pressure to force play as much if it gets through to him that the system, and the players within the system, are capable of breaking down teams and getting wins together.

Thats the thing, gerrard isnt mentally right for rodgers system, Hes a roy of the rovers player, he likes to force the play with impossible passes, and if they come off its look at me sort of thing. What made gerrard is these attributes, he isnt going to be able to throw that all away, its how he plays his game, it was how he was brought up to play. Look at his complete opposite in joe allen on ball retention. Allen will make a high risk pass AT the right time. Play one twos at the right time. Gerrard DOESNT

[timmyonions]

Don't see Borini playing upfront for us long term at all. Not good enough to and not what Rodgers looks for in a striker. He's an inside forward like Suarez. 

Suarez - (Striker) - Borini is what it would be.

How do you know?

[mtred1984]

Cant people also see that when gerrard was threw into centre mid, he cant defend for his fucking life, his positional play and willingness to track back is non existant. You start off with a 2 man central partnership, gerrard goes on a stupid run and leaves the other completely isolated. I agree he should be tried as a false 9, similar to what fabregas done in spains opening game, but will he adapt? Thats the other question.

[rednich85]

Can't disagree with any of this, apart from when you say 'after all he's still our best player'. There are 3 players i consider to be more important to us at the moment and one of those is already out injured.

John Mac will fuck you for this.

[Thog]

John Mac will fuck you for this.

Not unless he goes the game.

[Mutton Geoff]

Read the first that he carried the team on his back this is bollocks and shows no respect for the rest of the team , so didn't bother after that,  this is the  same SGFC crap that does the op and this club no favours at all

[Draex]

Why hasn't he kicked England into touch? He will be 34 by the next world cup - his body is nearly done as it is..

I honestly feel he has to choose England or Liverpool - he can't do both..

Rodgers has a tough decision with Gerrard, but he should be an impact sub for me - he would devastating off the bench. Shelvey will soon take his place imo - he's quickly adapted to what Rodgers has asked, Gerrard hasn't. There is no sentiment in football when it comes to age, I hope he doesn't go down a similar route where his reputation is slightly tarnished, like Carraghers did (not for me, but reading comments you can see this has clearly happened), by playing on past his time - but that's the managers call not his.

[Redrider]

I think possibly that Gerrard is currently being asked to perform different roles in each game that he plays. The moving dynamic of the introduction of Allan who clearly fills a specific role for Rodgers, combined with the loss of Lucas has demanded a change of role for Gerrard. I also suspect that Borini is struggling to find an effective slot in the Liverpool line up and Gerrard is being called upon to adjust his positioning to accomodate trials for the new man.

[TLW 84]

As with others, he has got to adapt to the tactics but it might take time. Has RAWK got the patience for Stevie Gerrard?

[BarryCrocker]

Why hasn't he kicked England into touch? He will be 34 by the next world cup - his body is nearly done as it is..

Because he's 3 matches from reaching 100 international caps and he's waited his whole career for people like Beckham, Terry & Ferdinand to get out of the way so he can captain his country.

[jaffod]

fucking hilarious , gang of nobodys on a forum telling one of the best footballers ever how to play his game. Seen it all now.

Par for the course on here now I'm afraid. This will just descend into the usual bollocks with FM types spouting shite about how he's indisciplined, can't defend, a headless chicken, bad captain etc. It's already started actually.
 What makes me fucking laugh is how it's all about Gerrard adapting to this new 'system' of BR's, as if the other 10 have got it down to a fine art when in reality the first 3 games have shown us we can't  defend, we can't create decent goalscoring chances, we can't stick the ball in the fucking net and we have a 'keeper who looks dodgier by the game.

[StevenLFC]

Read the first that he carried the team on his back this is bollocks and shows no respect for the rest of the team , so didn't bother after that,  this is the  same SGFC crap that does the op and this club no favours at all

Fair enough pal, you are entitled to your opinion. I'm wasn't giving it the whole 'Steven Gerrard M.B.E.' thing though, and didnt mean to disrespect other players. I was just making the point that for a while he was the focus point of the team and a lot of the play was built around Gerrard.

Also, I know a few people disagree with me but I do think he is still our best player.