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Should we be playing Gerrard in the Holding Midfield position?


WhiskeyJar
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Steven Gerrard as Defensive Midfield  

123 members have voted

  1. 1. Should we be playing Gerrard in the Holding Midfield position?



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Steven Gerrard is an attacking midfielder, and will be till the day he retires.

 

except he hasn't been for a while, and wasn't when he first got in the team.

 

Don't get me wrong, he's a natural footballer, and as such is on the same wavelength as Suarez, probably the only player we have that is.  These players play from instinct.  They would be devastating together imo.  Gerrard is certainly less of a player when he's operating from deep, but needs must. 

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I'm pretty sure the idea is to have Henderson and Allen as holding midfielders but high up the pitch with Gerrard playing behind them to pick up the runs of the likes of Sturridge. Add to that Gerrard set piece quality and you can see why Brendan is grooming Gerrard for a deep midfield role. If Allen and Henderson press as well as I think they can then Gerrard won't have to do much ball winning in the same way Pirlo doesn't do much ball winning.

 

Basically Allen and Henderson are key to how well this will work.

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Dont like Gerrard deep at all.

He doesn't track runners well enough.

 

as opposed to who?  Gerrard has never really played the dedicated DM role.  He's always played a more dynamic role which means he covers a lot more ground.  These days, the legs aren't up to that, but he's still faster and has more speed strength and stamina than Lucas.

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No. I think it's a case of fitting a square peg in a round hole because he's a legend that needs to be on the team sheet and is expected to last 90 minutes.

 

His last injury seemed to indicate that his body isn't built for bursting into the box and making snap shots any more, it's just asking for his groin or hamstring to go. Yet I'd still prefer to see him used for 50-60 minutes like that than 90 minutes playing within himself in a deeper role that requires him to suppress any attacking intent. 

 

Sahin didn't suit the number 10 role, Borini and Aspas as wide forwards were/are worse than mediocre wingers and Gerrard as the deepest midfielder is a similar bodge because needs must.

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as opposed to who? Gerrard has never really played the dedicated DM role. He's always played a more dynamic role which means he covers a lot more ground. These days, the legs aren't up to that, but he's still faster and has more speed strength and stamina than Lucas.

I don't want Lucas there either, we need a player to close down and track runners.Far too often team run off Lucas and Gerrard and end up either pulling others out of position or unmarked.

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This is the crux of the matter.  It's almost like we start from a positon of "Well Stevie has to start" and then work it out from there.  Why?

 

I suppose it's the same reason why I was shit scared before the Spurs game without him. You wonder who'll have the level head to steer a game when he's not there. We now know that Henderson, Allen and Lucas can cope without his presence though.

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Stevie has to start until we find a buy a better midfielder.  If we bring in a top class DM, and Allen and Hendo can play consistently as well as they did in a couple of games recently I'd have no qualms about Gerrard sitting on the bench.

 

He'd make a better RB than Johnson, and arguably a better 'head of the diamond' midfielder than Coutinho.  

 

So Stevie doesn't have a god given right to play, but it's hard to see a reason for him not to, somewhere.  

 

At the moment the DM role is the role that needs addressing more than the others, so he goes there. 

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No. I think it's a case of fitting a square peg in a round hole because he's a legend that needs to be on the team sheet and is expected to last 90 minutes.

 

 

 

 

This is the crux of the matter.  It's almost like we start from a positon of "Well Stevie has to start" and then work it out from there.  Why?

 

 

Please, there is no 11 that we can field that a fit Gerrard doesn't improve.

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Finisher? Like when? He has scored probably a dozen goals in the last four years from open play.

Let me put it this way.

 

A chance comes on the edge of the box, who would you want to be on the end of it? Options: Gerrard, Lucas, Allen, Henderson or even Couthino.

 

I know who I would have my money on. The captain.

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This is the crux of the matter.  It's almost like we start from a positon of "Well Stevie has to start" and then work it out from there.  Why?

 

Because of all the qualities he gives the team. There is an arguement for forcing Gerrard into the team for his set piece delivery alone.

I think people are panicing over nothing personally. I've watched a lot of Allen and his pressing and recycling of the ball is awesome, you add the energy of Henderson to that and I genuinely think teams will struggle to get out of their own half.

I was think that Lucas would be sat behind them to mop up the breakaway goal but I can absolutely why Brendan is grooming Gerrard for the role.

 

Also before anyone mentions Chelsea with regards to Allen, it was patently obvious he was dead on his feet from playing a high intencity pressing game twice in 4 days.

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Stevie has to start until we find a buy a better midfielder.  If we bring in a top class DM, and Allen and Hendo can play consistently as well as they did in a couple of games recently I'd have no qualms about Gerrard sitting on the bench.

 

He'd make a better RB than Johnson, and arguably a better 'head of the diamond' midfielder than Coutinho.  

 

So Stevie doesn't have a god given right to play, but it's hard to see a reason for him not to, somewhere.  

 

At the moment the DM role is the role that needs addressing more than the others, so he goes there. 

 

 

Gerrard absolutely doesn't have the mobility to play at right back, those days are long gone.

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He was terrible in the first half yesterday but much improved in the second.  Needs to change his passing game and adapt to the role, which I think he will.  Where I think he may struggle is with the physical demands and he might pick up an injury with all of the covering, chasing and tackling.  I can see it working against some of the weaker sides, especially at Anfield, but I'm not sure against other top 4 contenders and away games.  3 goals conceded is too many, obviously. 

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No. He could go on and prove me wrong, and I hope he does, but what's the point of having one of the best finishers at the club playing further back from the goal?

Correction - Gerrard was one of the best finishers at the club. He ain't no more. How many goals has he scored so far from open play? How many goals he's had to his name last season?

 

Voted "yes", because didn't like the alternative - Gerrard introduced sparingly in games, only when needed. It is the best for us and the best for Gerrard, given the circumstances.

 

I am confident he will adapt to his new role as he is intelligent and capable.

 

It's just managed decline as far as I can see and I don't like it.

It is, but what's the alternative - he can't play the way he used to - he ain't Gerrard of old (circa 2005) where he is the focal point of our attack.
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No. At the moment his best position is on the bench.

 

He's never been a player who can stay in one position, he's always wanted to be all over the pitch. He's nowhere near as mobile as he was and should be used as an impact sub

 

Rogers has a big decision to make over the next few games

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3 goals conceded is too many, obviously. 

 

But none of them were his fault.  

 

Not his fault we let too many crosses come into the box from wide areas, Toure didn't compete with Crouch for the first goal, Henderson gave him a bad pass and Skrtel missed a block for the second goal and Mignolet fucked up the third.

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Stevie has to start until we find a buy a better midfielder.  If we bring in a top class DM, and Allen and Hendo can play consistently as well as they did in a couple of games recently I'd have no qualms about Gerrard sitting on the bench.

 

He'd make a better RB than Johnson, and arguably a better 'head of the diamond' midfielder than Coutinho.  

 

So Stevie doesn't have a god given right to play, but it's hard to see a reason for him not to, somewhere.  

 

At the moment the DM role is the role that needs addressing more than the others, so he goes there. 

Given that hes a better shooter than Coutinho, and that Johnson is playing like a drain at the moment, i'd prefer him in either of those positions to DM.

We need a real engine in the middle, and i don't think Stevie has that engine any more.

I don't mean we should sign any old clogger, we are crying out for a Didi style player in there. We would start looking like the real deal with a bit more quality/power in the middle, and a settled, injury free, defence.

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This.

 

Allen and Henderson are the holding midfielders.

 

I'm not sure.

 

He was often seen in the DM role yesterday, in front of the back four.  I'd say Allen and Henderson are more the box to box midfielders.

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Since Allen returned to good form in Gerrard's absence I've been keen to give this a go with Hendo and Allen in front of him. On yesterday's evidence I don't like it, but I think maybe the problem is Gerrard and Lucas just can't play together against teams that press. I'd give it another go at home with different personnel

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