This is not going to be a long article. My intent is to raise a debate within our community to know what your feelings are with regards to the following consideration.
Given that Jay Spearing and Lucas Leiva have ‘performed’ beyond expectations in tandem in the past games to the extent that both have been rewarded with new contracts, do you feel a player like Steven Gerrard should ‘earn back’ his first team birth or should he be back in the team automatically once he is fit?
The supplementary question is: if you would opt to have Gerrard back unconditionally with the current squad, which player would you leave out?
Have your say!
The unwritten rule in US sports is “you never lose a spot due to injury”. I realize that rules are meant to be broken, but once players have to play with the fear of getting injured (and losing their job as a result), they don’t really “play”.
The message has to always be “Go out and play .. and don’t worry about injuries” …. but if Gerrard loses his spot or gets shipped, you’re sending the wrong message.
I don’t think you understood the question. It’s not a question of injury. Unfortuneately, Spearing got his ‘chance’ because Gerrard got injured. he got a run of games and has been brilliant. The question was, if Gerrard was fit now, would you take our Spearo, another Liverpool player, or get Gerrard to ‘earn back’ his place.
obviously to get Gerrard back am 95% sure, Spearo would get dropped once Gerrard is back only that from time to time Gerrard MIGHT/COULD get subbed and replaced by spearo
i think we r on a wrong debate here.. Next season suarez n caroll wil be playin upfront. That gives 4 midfield places. Now we know that kenny wil be goin for wingers this season n kuyt is already there.. So i guess only 2 central positions are left.. N no matter how much we debate, we all know dat 1 place is goin to be stevie’s.. The debate should be who to play alongside him? Meireles, Spearing or Lucas… Fight of 3 players for 1 position.. Thats how i think its going to be.
The fact is that when gerrard regain his fitness,jay have to wait and came in from the bench,cos gerrard is the heartbeat of the team due to his good leadership.And lucas is in his top form,i also know that jay is doing very well,but he is the one to come from the bench.
Easy for me – Gerrard walks straight back in as soon as he is fit and Jay Spearing drops to the bench. JS has performed admirably, but SG is at least as good, and scores hatfuls too. Come on you Reds!!!
Hello Tonio,
It’s a pertinent question. As many about our captain, and his role on the pitch.
Many things has been written about it. And the answer is simply: he’s number 8 :) he got to play as number 8. Not as a playmaker number 10. Not as a defensive midfielder. Not as winger.
As a number 8, in the same role as Alonso before.
Can he play all the matches? No. Too many times injuried, we got to be honnest: it’s surely better for him to play 50% of the matches or less. A significant chance for Spearing, for exemple, to show his progress
Gerrard in Jay out simple put ur strongest 11 out when available!!!
Spearing out and Gerrard back in,Jay doing an ok job but not even close to a half fit Stevie…..
Very good point to bring up as whether we like it or not every great player will eventually reach a point where they can no longer compete. At this moment in time i would slot Stevie straight back in place of Spearing. The young lad has been brilliant for us but i believe that just the presence of our captain on the pitch is a boost for his team mates & a blow to the opposition. Jay hasn’t got that reputation (yet) & Lucas is up for player of the season. Until such a time comes that Stevie has a run of games that show him to be struggling he should always be a first choice pick.
“just the presence of our captain on the pitch is a boost for his team mates & a blow to the opposition. Jay hasn’t got that reputation (yet)”
Agreed mate, that’s also my point.
When He is fit, Gerrard must be in the team.
As far as Gerrard is concerned, i think this break will do him the world of good.
No bollocks England Tourney this summer,full pre-season and have a player who has looked after himself, back at the age of just 31.
This however does not answer the question, im a firm believer that you should keep an unbeaten side, however in todays climate, i feel that like man united, Chelsea etc you need at least 10 midfielders, United have got to the Europeon Cup final and possible prem league title with Scholes, Giggs, Fletcher, Nani, valencia, Gibson, Carrick.
i feel that next season Maxi, Jocanovic, J Cole, will be sold.
I think Kenny will go with a winger policy to support Carroll Suerez kuyt and another striker to be signed.
Kenny has sometimes played 4-2-2-2 with Kuyt as a winger/striker, you need to swap it around these days and i feel that Gerrard, SPearing, Lucas and Merielles can all play together at different times, Aqualini can be sold and hopefully at least 4/5 creative wingers can come in such as Sanchez, Young, Marvhaeux, etc
You think Spearing should be a starter next season instead of Gerrard? lmao
Felipe, was that question directed to me?
perfectly put…stevie G all day everyday. he wud walk into any prem team.
I would take Spearing out only on the fact that I believe the Captain must always be on the pitch if they are able to play.
Good talking point this, my thoughts are that Stevie has been great for us however is starting to pick up injuries etc and it’s time to start thinking of the future, now I don’t mean push Stevie back to the bench of course because he’s still great, however a player will play better with a bit of place competition and that’s something that’s been lacking in Liverpool for the last few years. Stevies name has always been first on the team sheet and quite rightly as we’ve had no one else however things are changing and it’s only going to make us stronger in the long run.
Short answer the best player on the training pitch should be on the pitch, everyone should fight for their place and no one is above this.
Thoughts?
Oh and follow me please guys, my twitter account is painfully short of followers ‘lizo84’
Ynwa
I agree with the better player on the training pitch gets first pick, but Stevie G gets injured so subbing or giving him a break for jay could help. Lucas could also use a break sometimes having options are always great to help keep our players fit. I think our defense injuries stem from no fit left back that caused a domino effect resulting in no RB putting Carra in RB made us too thin. Having options gives us more a boost in more than one way.
I think it’s a very tough call, if the teams playing well and winning there’s an argument it shouldnt be changed no matter how good somebody is that returning from injury. That player should be on the bench at first and come on for a player off form or who is injured, prove their worth then reclaim their place. There are examples of great LFC players in the past who had to adapt, such as Callaghan switching to midfield after injury and the emergence of Brian Hall, Ron Yeats to left back after injury and Larry Lloyd came through. However in the case of Gerrard we are looking at an exceptional talent and if he is on the sidelines waiting to get back in how long before agents and other clubs start shit stirring and making bids
No one has mentioned meireles getting dropped. That’s the answer for me. Spearing and Lucas In the centre gerrard Suarez potentially young all inter changing behind carroll
Ooouucchhh. Now that might find some opposers Chris!
No, no, no… no one will oppose this. If Gerrard could be dropped, why Meireles not?
Gerrard vs Meireles??
Gerrard is still the winner of the fans’ heart.
I cannot imagine a team that has their captain sit on the bench for ten games when he is fit, just because his replacement has been playing well. Or, should we select our captain due to each game performance, that means Suarez could be our captain for one game, Meireles or Carrol for another games?
if real wanted gerrard and offered KAKA would we sell
I’d say, Kenny should afford to rotate the squad. I hate to use Man Ushited’s example but I just don’t get why even though every time Fergie rotates his squad, his team seem to connect. But then, I bet Kenny can do the same and get good results.
I think the same. Keep Lucas-Spearo at the heart of the team, put Gerrard for Meireles, Gerrard looks more powerfull and pacy than him when fit, I think.
such a good question! most LFC fans don’t even dare think about not picking a fully fit Stevie G. lucas and meireles have gelled magnificently in centre mid this year and deserve to keep their place. i think we’ll adopt a squad rotatino sytem next year (not as extreme as Rafa’s, more like a fergason) and i agree with what someone else has said about having plenty of depth. don’t forget, there’s also Sterling, Suso, Toni Silva and connor coady coming through the ranks not to forget poulson and shelvey.
I think the same. Keep Lucas Spearo at the heart of the team, put Gerrard for Meireles, Gerrard looks more powerfull and pacy than him when fit, I think.
A fully fit Gerrard is still one of the best midfielders in the world. So it’s a no brainer for me but Jay would be a worthy back up.
meireles has been awesome, not so good since pushed out further wide. Gerrard has to go straight back in, after all, i still think he’s are best player not to mention captain.
gerrard would still b 1st man on my team sheet next season !!!
i think threal debate should be about carra, been awesome since forever, but i think the defence needs the biggest shake up. ?
Alexio I promise to kick up a debate about the defence soon….! :-)
very simple solution to an often overblown problem:
work gerrard in slowly, and if spearo keeps playing above gerrard then work him out.
you shoul dbe in the team because you are playing better than the other competitors for your spot, NOT because of what you did years ago, or because you wear the armband.
Liverpool should not be in the business of indulging players beyond what is best for the club.
if spearing is better placed to contribute to the success on the pitch, he is there 100% of the time before gerrard, IMO. if not him, then put in whoever will.
in all truth, and with all thingsbeing equal, i woul dstill lean towards spearo, because he at least has the chance to be the future of this club, and with lucas could form the CM pairing for the next decade.
we will clearly not have that with gerrard.
plus, gerrard has been on a downward slope as far as his influence on games, for almost 2 years now.
its the same with carra, who i would be surprised to still see playing as much next year as he is accustomed to….
while gerrard is still playing well he should play, even on merit in my opinion, we all know the quality of the player and if he is involved games he always has a huge impact on the game. im interested to see him and suarez play together next season. spearing is one for a few years when gerro is no longer fit enough
Yeah, but the armband doesn’t only have a C on it but there’s also an F, that’s for Fantastic. That’s why you called him Captain Fantastic. He is not fantastic for nothing, is he?
When Gerrard is fit, he is straight back in the first 11. If you called this absurd, that’s also what fantastic means.
Don’t talk like Gerrard has finished, he won’t do the miracle again, loses his strength to drag the whole team on his back, lost his influence on the game in the last two years (when the whole team playing crap), and lets replace him with the young Spearo who haven’t even done any miracle that could change the game like Gerrard did. Don’t mistaken me, Spearo has played well there, but that’s because the whole team also played well. He still has a lot to do to replace the #2 of 100 Players who shock the Kop. Of course he need chances to show us what he can do, that’s why I agree with rotation policy, next season there’s plenty of chances he can get in Carling Cup and FA Cup also European Cup (if we don’t get CL spot), but in important games Gerrard first for me.
I know Gerrard cannot play forever for us, and we need a replacement but not yet, we wish he will still do what he has done for us for few years to come.
When Stevie-G is fully fit, he plays. Spearo has been brilliant but when (and let’s hope that will happen) Stevie get’s back to his level and full health, there is no doubt which one is going to play in my mind.
ok few questions for you all:
1- do people think reina will leave? if so do we all agree the lyon keeper is an adequate replacement?
2- do you think the current defence is good enough with the the likes of skertl, the greek fella, injury prone agger etc? and who do people think would be good signings to strenghten?
3-joe cole-stay or go?
4-anymore strikers? if so who?
Hi Alexio. This is MY view: 1) Reina will not leave. 2) Kenny has praised Martin Skrtel and said he has improved drastically. Kyrgiakos will leave, Agger might be sold (Bayern seem interested). 3) If used as a make-weight for Lennon I’d say go. 4) Yes, at least another two….which ones….too many available to choose from, it’s a question of money I guess.
Reina will stay, he’s more or less told us he is. I think all this talk about buying a CD is rubbish. We’ve got Wilson, Skrtel, Kelly, Carragher, Agger, and Ayala. That’s 6 we have, no need for more. I would sell Joe especially if we buying wingers as a priority. The striker i would like to see is Conor Wickham, this kid is quality.
ok without being overly negative….skertl has improved in the second half of season but i still think he can be quite rash sometimes and that worries me, Carra, obvious legend but is ageing and his pace again worries me (dont get me wrong with this one, carra leads the defence fantastically i wouldnt replace him atm), Wilson will become a quality defender in time i just think next season is too soon, agger is an awesome CB but is injury prone, ayala has been playing championship football and again i dont think is ready. left back is still an issue even with the emergence of the two youngsters.
I just don’t understand why the club is looking for a CB? Matin Kelly is a ready made replacement for Jamie. Kelly and Wilson will be our regular pairing at the back because Kenny will give them a chance. Skrtel is playing now like he did in his 1st season and seems to have his confidence back. I think Ayala is ready if called upon, Kenny thinks very highly of him. Send Wisdom out on loan and keep Ayala with the 1st team squad.
Steven Gerrard is one of our best players and will be a legend, but I think any player, no matter how good he is or how much he has done for the club in recents games/seasons should earn his position back in the team.!
to even here people talk about gerrard this way is funny spearo,has played well and taken his chance well in only a handfull of games wen stevie is fit it is a no brainer that he go’s straight back in!
He walks back into the team Spearing is dropped. If Stevie doesn’t perform well in his first few games back, spearing replaces him.
We certainly missed our captain and must not forget what he has done for the club to be even questioning his role in this manner.. Albeit a debate. He single handedly carried the squad for the last few years (on the pitch) and now we have KK, lets not belittle the position of our captain or take for granted who we are talking about here. So certainly he deserves his spot in the 11.. but playing him less is best interest for all.. Look at giggs, offers the same consistency at 37.. How? But reserving and taking care of him.. Experience goes a long way.
KK? i agree.
We are being linked with defenders and midfielders but I think a 3rd well established striker is needed to accommodate injuries to luis (more so than) Carroll. Ngog is not worthy here and last 2/3 seasons will show that. Dirk is great momentarily but can not afford this risk on a long term injury on the aforementioned. Don’t forget opening games Suarez may not be available.. Enter Pacheco? Munian? – another striker with “flare”..
sell lucas, buy sissoko and leave jay as a backup for stevie and sissoko
That same Lucas who has been our best player for the last 18 months to two years? Stop saying what every other arm chair fan, who doesn’t go the game says! Which defensive midfielder started the first two goals? Lucas, played Suarez in down the left and then Johnson in down the right. There shouldn’t be a debate over Stevie and Jay because Jay doesn’t even come near Lucas
what happens when suarez gets injured we need back up perfect man for the job lavezzi classy an pacey. also can play in a 443 with suarez an caroll in the middle. what u think
An out-of-sorts Gerrard is still better than an in-form Spearing. Whilst Spearo has been performing brilliantly this season, Stevie G is still miles ahead. Remember we’re talking about one of the world’s best midfielders.
As Gerrard gets older and more injury prone, it would be wise to adjust his role within the squad. Playing him in a deeper supporting role, aka alonso where he wouldn’t need to push up as much but still split defences with his passing abilities. We have missed the likes of an alonso in our squad, and Gerrard would fit that bill perfectly. That said, in answer to your question, i think Gerrard would walk into our team without question. Spearing’s performances have been great, don’t get me wrong, but we need to take into account that these are only 3 or 4 great performances, Gerrard has had over ten years of brilliance under his belt.
It would be an interesting question had Gerrard been out for a season and Spearing had played as well as he has for that period. I guess we will just have to wait and see just how well he performs after this injury. We have had great players( i will not mention his name) who were injured and to this day they do not look anything like the player they were.
gerrard would be 1st option of cos, but now we got quality cover for the middle. thats what we need for a full season. in fact we need that for evry position.
replying to your heading… NO, no liverpool player is untouchable in the long run(look at FT, we sold him)
btw, at the moment i think Suarez, Stevie, Carra, Reina are the ones untouchable (i should add Meirales, Kuyt and Lucas to this list too, they have been awsome)
and when Stevie is fit, give spearo some bench time so he develop into a better player than he is now..
and also, i have a feeling that KK should play Stevie at LM (like Rafa did, and it did awsome stevie scored 23 goals)
so Meirales and Lucas can don the midfield.
but we dont need to shun stevie to LM when we play 4-5-1, cuz Suarez can be a perfect feeder at LM with AC up front alone
peace out
YNWA
> Is Any Liverpool Player Untouchable?
Sure. Aurelio breaks every time he’s touched, so he’s pretty much untouchable.
OnlyPepe and Carra are untouchable
spearin it’s good but to me hr is not good enough to replace our captain..maybe 1 or 2years from now spearing can rpalce our captain…YNWA…
stevie is the best among the best..if he fit enough,our midfield more strong..
Gerrard every time no question, however what we have learned is that if needed JS is an option and these run of games will allow him to believe and not be overawed by the prospect of being Gerrards understudy.
simple drop lucas at home and spearing away
The team needs as many match winners as possible.With Steve and Raul we have two more. Spear is still perfecting the basics. So Steve back in the team for Spear.
Gerrard could play as one of the wider midfielders that are given more freedom to get forward.
Stevie would be in the team any day of the week, but as he gets older I feel he will need more recovery time due to the type of player he is. He has put his body on the line for years and its bound to take its toll. Jay has been an excellent deputy, but I am not sure he is the same type of player as some publications have been saying. I have been a big fan of jay for years and am glad hes had the chance. However I feel he is more suited to a masher type role, but with a better passing range. You can tell he has learnt his trade with three of the best midfielders in the business as he has bits of all of them on his game. His tenacious defensive play, coupled with quick passing across the pitch and the energy and rasping shots of stevie g. Spearing has arrived and said to the management that we don’t need to spend a load of money on a cm this summer.
spearing is not and will not ever be half as good as gerrard and you have to ask such a stupid question clearly a glory hunter i would consider spearing ahead of gerrard if he can win us a champs league final all on his own if he can score between 15-20 goals a season and get at least 12 assists per season and if he starts to pass like gerrard or alonso simply put unless he becomes as good as gerrard ps he wont then i would consider it
guys, i love spearing, he has improved ALOT!, BUT even King Kenny said, any team in the world would be better with stevie in it! so even Kenny will drop either lucas or spearo for gerrard! and dont forget stevie comes back next season, fresh, the most fresh he has ever been!
No one is under Kenny, which is good.
I can’t even believe you thought there was a discussion point over Gerrard or Spearing! Am sure people take Stevie for granted! Jay doesn’t even come close to him, yes he has done well but he is not in the same league as Gerrard. Also Jay is probably 4th choice after Stevie, Lucas and Raul.