Steven Gerrard

“Steven Gerrard is a great midfielder.” I hear this line more than probably any other when it comes to discussing soccer. But is Gerrard truly a midfielder? He seems to be flourishing in the role he plays at Liverpool, but what role is it? When I watch Liverpool play it seems to me Gerrard has the freedom to go do whatever he wants, whenever he wants. His current defensive responsibilities are kept to a minimum with the exception of corner kicks. This is for the best, though, as far as Liverpool are concerned.

Under Houllier, Gerrard was criticized because, while was good, he didn’t score enough goals for a player of his talents. I believe this goes under not being able to handle all of the defensive responsibilities that came with playing under the Frenchman.

When Liverpool changed managers in the summer of 2004, Rafael Benitez brought a host of La Liga talent with him: Luis Garcia, Mauricio Pellegrino, Fernando Morientes (came the following January), Antonio Nunez (quite possibly the biggest bust in Liverpool's history), and Xabi Alonso. Liverpool then switched to a five man midfield and played with either Milan Baros or Djbril Cisse as a lone striker.

In that last paragraph I named 7 players and only one player is still with Liverpool: Xabi Alonso. He is the definition of a defensive midfielder. He sits in front of the back line and protects them and attacking is secondary as far as he is concerned. Having said all that, I think that Xabi Alonso is the best thing to ever happen to Steven Gerrard.

If we look at the stats, Gerrard became a full starter for Liverpool in 2001. At the end of the 01/02 season he had 4 goals in 33 games. In the 02/03 season he had 7 goals in 57 games. In the 03/04 season he had 6 goals in 46 games. Those three seasons were under Gerard Houllier.

Enter Xabi Alonso and Rafa Benitez in 2004. His goal production goes to 13 in 2004/2005 leading Liverpool to the Champions League. That was his total for the last two seasons combined! The following season, he had his first 20+ goal season with 22 in 53 games on the way to the FA Cup. In 06/07 Gerrard scored 11 goals in 51 games, some considered this a dip in form for the Liverpool captain, so Benitez already sensed he needed another player like Alonso; enter Javier Mascherano in January 2007.

With the addition of Fernando Torres, Liverpool became a strict 4-5-1 team, with Steven Gerrard having the freedom of the pitch to go wherever he pleases. Mascherano and Alonso are making sure nothing easy slips through the midfield so Gerrard does not have to worry about defensive responsibilities. In this set-up, Gerrard’s talents are at their fullest potential. In 07/08 he had 20 goals in 46 games and in 08/09 he had 24 goals in 40 games! Anytime a midfield player had back to back 20+ goal seasons, it’s pretty amazing.

But is Gerrard a typical English midfielder? He certainly is not the box-to-box type player that a Frank Lampard or a Paul Scholes is. One would rarely see him head clear an opposition’s free kick and then be the driving force for a counter attack. That’s what Alonso is there for: so he can get Gerrard the ball at the halfway line after he heads out the danger. Gerrard also has found theatrics appealing from time to time, something the English media quickly forgets. Yet Gerrard has spoke out against diving time and again. While he certainly is not the only player that does it, I don't see an English midfielder do it more than Steven Gerrard.

His performances for England have been alright at best. 14 goals in 58 games is nothing to be ashamed of, but he has not improved his performances for England like he has at Liverpool over the years. This is because England plays a 4-4-2, the formation Gerrard struggled with under Houllier at Liverpool. Now if England played a 4-5-1 with, say, Michael Carrick and Gareth Barry as the two defensive midfielders, I believe Gerrard with a free role would have double his current tally for England.

Xabi Alonso and Rafa Benitez have helped Gerrard get to his full potential by limiting the amount of defense he has to play. He is developing a role in Liverpool that is solely his to play. While he is a bit player for England who pops up with the occasional goal, Liverpool rely on his talents and offensive leadership if they are to mount a challenge for any trophy. So Liverpool fans should really thank Alonso for being one of the best defensive midfielders in the world. For this helped Gerrard realize his full range of offensive qualities.