What position should Steven Gerrard play in next season?

[beejay]

Reading his Sunday Times interview he says that when younger he couldn't get around the pitch so much and so was used as a holding midfielder by Houllier. He now sees his best position as an attacking midfielder but his versatility has meant that he has been deployed out wide both by Liverpool and England.

 

Gerrard was described by Slur Alex recently as the most influential player in the Premiership bar none and he is so good he would be a contender for the best player in any position except goalkeeper. How many positions did he fill during the Champions League Final?

 

We are now looking ahead to next season with all the talk about new wingers & strikers to cure our goals famine and take the burden away from Stevie G who is far and away our top scorer despite being moved around the midfield.

 

For the good of the team and to get the best out of his talent, where should Rafa play him next year?

 

At Valencia, the system was a lone striker with Aimar deeper as the playmaker, 2 fast wingers, a holding midfielder and Baraja in the centre to support both defence and attack. This season, Rafa has usually played 4-4-2 with 2 strikers rather than a withdrawn playmaker (although Morientes does drop deep).

 

If we bring in the right midfielder(s) and 2 new out-and-out strikers we have been clamouring for, that suggests Gerrard would play centre midfield next to Alonso or Sissoko in a conventional 4-4-2. But, when we have used this system against the better sides we tend to get over-run in midfield.

 

On the other hand, is Gerrard good enough in the Aimar role behind a lone striker, meaning we could play Sissoko/Hamman and Xabi in centre midfield?

 

Rafa will want to have more than one system to give him possibilities but to fall back on a well-organised formation for the big games. So going back to the original question, where will Stevie play for us next year?

[Ombudsam]

It's a bit of a lame answer but it really does depend on the day. I think ultimately in most situations him next to Xabi makes most sense. I think i prefer him playing just off a striker as opposed to RM but we don't have strikers who can make that work, or wingers actually

Edited March 14, 2006 by sammya

[Raj]

impossible to say without knowing who we purchase in the summer.

with the current squad. right wing.

[Guest Sabre]

I don't think he's the right sort of player to play an Aimar role. However, I don't think he's quite right to partner Xabi in the middle.

 

I think his best play is when he is able to join the attack late but he's not a great marker and when he plays in the middle with Xabi big gaps can open up between the two of them.

 

Xabi with Momo is great. I would play Gerrard in a completely free role to allow him to influence our attacking play, but that requires two excellent wingers and a striker that can hold up the ball and also score.

[beejay]

impossible to say without knowing who we purchase in the summer.

 

That's the point isn't it? Whoever we go for has to fit into the personnel we have, not the other way round.

[Bootle Buck]

I would love to see Stevie be a driving attacking midfielder. With Momo and Xabi able to pick up the ball in midfield it would be great to see them put balls through to a charging Gerrard. No defence would be able to handle him. We also need to take away corners and free kicks from him as he wastes too much excess energy trudging ove for ineffective corners. Just imagine Stevie with a limited role were he doesn't have to be all over the place. He will be a real handful if he just gets into attacking positions kind of like Rooney plays for Man Utd. Even the role Fat Frank is allowed at Chelsea would be ideal were he is allowed to get foreward and take shots at goal without being required to do too much defensive work.

Edited March 14, 2006 by Bootle Buck

[beejay]

I don't think he's the right sort of player to play an Aimar role. However, I don't think he's quite right to partner Xabi in the middle.

 

I think his best play is when he is able to join the attack late but he's not a great marker and when he plays in the middle with Xabi big gaps can open up between the two of them.

 

Xabi with Momo is great. I would play Gerrard in a completely free role to allow him to influence our attacking play, but that requires two excellent wingers and a striker that can hold up the ball and also score.

 

Isn't that pretty much the same thing?

 

I actually agree with you over the free role but that could leave the striker isolated, as we have seen so often this year.

[Cooldude]

I think he's perfectly fine on the right

 

Xabi and Momo is a better balanced central midfield partnership and Stevie will be allowed licence to free roam on the right. Defensively he'll also help Finnan immensely

 

Although as someone already pointed out, it really depends on who we play and how we wanna play, we might start Kewell and Gonzalez next season on both flanks to look for more width and have Stevie in the middle in some games, or different some other games

[floyd the barber]

well his influence on the right this season has been imense..

 

Id keep him there and continue with sissoko and alonso in the middle, which was working really well..

 

Kewell needs to step up in my opinion, hopefully competition from Gonzales will force the issue..

 

Hes certainly much improved this season, but still lacks that cutting edge and seems to lack pace at the moment.

[Guest Sabre]

Isn't that pretty much the same thing?

 

I actually agree with you over the free role but that could leave the striker isolated, as we have seen so often this year.

 

I was thinking that as I typed out my response. For some reason my brain says that it's not but I don't know why - I'm in stupid mode this afternoon

[matty]

Depends where Ballack will slot in alongside Lamps.

[beejay]

I would love to see Stevie be a driving attacking midfielder. With Momo and Xabi able to pick up the ball in midfield it would be great to see them put balls through to a charging Gerrard. No defence would be able to handle him. We also need to take away corners and free kicks from him as he wastes too much excess energy trudging ove for ineffective corners. Just imagine Stevie with a limited role were he doesn't have to be all over the place. He will be a real handful if he just gets into attacking positions kind of like Rooney plays for Man Utd. Even the role Fat Frank is allowed at Chelsea would be ideal were he is allowed to get foreward and take shots at goal without being required to do too much defensive work.

 

Agreed for the most part, but a Rooney or Aimar or Bergkamp is a specialist role requiring them to sit deep, away from the action to find space or play off the striker. Gerrard is much more of a box-to-box player who is always in the middle of the action rather than a clever, skillful 2nd striker. The Lampard comparison is more to the point.

[surf]

Depends where Ballack will slot in alongside Lamps.

 

 

i feel like i've missed 7 inside jokes

[beejay]

well his influence on the right this season has been imense..

 

Id keep him there and continue with sissoko and alonso in the middle, which was working really well..

 

 

I think he's perfectly fine on the right

 

So you don't think we should go for a right midfielder in the summer? You may be in the minority on that one.

[Raj]

I think he's perfectly fine on the right

 

Xabi and Momo is a better balanced central midfield partnership and Stevie will be allowed licence to free roam on the right. Defensively he'll also help Finnan immensely

 

Although as someone already pointed out, it really depends on who we play and how we wanna play, we might start Kewell and Gonzalez next season on both flanks to look for more width and have Stevie in the middle in some games, or different some other games

 

what he said.

[floyd the barber]

no i do believe we should go for a right midfielder...

 

Then im sure Rafa will change the side depending on who we play...

 

I just know that from what ive seen this season, you cant leave out either alonso,sissoko or gerrard.

[Guest Sabre]

Agreed for the most part, but a Rooney or Aimar or Bergkamp is a specialist role requiring them to sit deep, away from the action to find space or play off the striker. Gerrard is much more of a box-to-box player who is always in the middle of the action rather than a clever, skillful 2nd striker. The Lampard comparison is more to the point.

 

Ah, that's what I was thinking

[Raj]

That's the point isn't it? Whoever we go for has to fit into the personnel we have, not the other way round.

 

it depends on the quality of player we bring in and the opposition we play against

i prefer him on the right as we have a better balance centrally with Xabi and Momo.

 

if we have a top quality right winger and a strong centre forward, gerrard can play off the striker in a 451 depending on who we play against.

 

at least we have the option of being tactically flexible

[matty]

 

i feel like i've missed 7 inside jokes

 

Only 7???

[Buzz]

I read that interview too and wondered where he would fit. He has been great this season with that right wing/free roll, but,I actually see him as a Baraja box to box player myself, getting stuck in both ends, but, that means we have will have Momo, Xabi and StevieG in the middle. Maybe we should accomodate a (I feel a formation moment comming on....) 4231 with three players freely rotating around behind the lone striker, linking up with midfield, peeling off to the wing and supporting the striker.

Players like Garcia, Kewell and possibilities like Siamo have played on the wing or as strikers and should be able fill this role, though they will need to be discaplined as if one goes to the wing, the others will have to find their positions to balance the attack and cover the defence.

Would be a nightmare for opposing defences, and would probably be best deployed at home than away, but would accomodate Momo, Xabi, and Stevie and well worth a go I reckon.

[surf]

Only 7???

 

I got the one about Andy being England's top spy.

 

Ooops. Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh