Liverpool FC Forum

[Sabre]

I read somewhere yesterday that Bigmick said that without Gerrard, this team wouldn't be in the top four.

I've been searching that quote, but I haven't found it today, if necessary merge this thread with another thread.

The thing is I disagree. And by saying that I'm not trying to say Gerrard isn't crucial, he's the best player of the squad.

In the same post Bigmick said that Chelsea aren't a shadow of what they used to be. However, even without being a shadow, they're still the second most tough team we can face in this league, and they haven't dropped from top four.

The reason of that, IMHO, is that despite they are weaker than Mourinho's Chelsea, there's a big gap between the top four and the rest of the teams.

So, I honestly think, that if we lost Gerrard, we'd lose the best player of the squad, and be a worse team, but we'd still be one of the top four. Saying otherwise IMHO is a lack of football respect to Mascherano, Alonso, Reina, Torres... they have a quality that Aston Villa or West Ham or Tottenham would definitely like to have.

In the long term, we'll have to think about Gerrard's replacement when he retires. And in that moment we'd better have a good team to fill that gap.

So, how crucial is Gerrard in your opinion? would we be sixth or fifth if he wasn't here?

IMHO no, we'd still be top four, but we wouldn't be challenging for the title this year for instance.

[112-1077774096]

he is fecking massive to the team sabes, sorry mate but i think we would be knackered without this guy, he seems the only one who can grab the game by the scruff of the neck, i also feel he is annoyed by some of the shoit he has to play with week in week out and he needs to be more vocal on the pitch with these players

[GYBS]

Think we would be fighting it out with villa BS and arsenal for 4th place . Gerrard is the best player in the prem and the most complete midfielder in the world - you just cant replace him

[Ciggy]

Got voted the fans premier league top player yesterday.

best player in the league by a country mile, he can do everything and play everywhere his all round game is brilliant and i am so proud to have him as our captain we dont know how lucky we are.

I was a bit miffed over him wanting to leave for Chelsea that broke my heart but he has been well forgiven hes just fantastic.

[Sabre]

He really is massive, IMHO all the praises that are said about him are spot on. Best player of the squad undoubtly, and he is in my top 5 of players of all time that I have seen including the likes of Maradona, Zidane or Romario.

Gerrard would be in that all time list (well I have a weak spot for Dalglish too, I'm watching old games now to refresh my teen memories, he was a very special player with an exquisite technique).

So, no, Gerrard's quality is beyond doubt. I'm just saying the rest of the Liverpool squad are not that cráp that they'd be overtaken by the likes of West Ham.

I disagree teams out of the top four are that good as some of the rest of the players of our squad. That is, I'm removing the credit out of that teams, not from Gerrard.

[roberto green]

I read somewhere yesterday that Bigmick said that without Gerrard, this team wouldn't be in the top four.

I've been searching that quote, but I haven't found it today, if necessary merge this thread with another thread.

The thing is I disagree. And by saying that I'm not trying to say Gerrard isn't crucial, he's the best player of the squad.

In the same post Bigmick said that Chelsea aren't a shadow of what they used to be. However, even without being a shadow, they're still the second most tough team we can face in this league, and they haven't dropped from top four.

The reason of that, IMHO, is that despite they are weaker than Mourinho's Chelsea, there's a big gap between the top four and the rest of the teams.

So, I honestly think, that if we lost Gerrard, we'd lose the best player of the squad, and be a worse team, but we'd still be one of the top four. Saying otherwise IMHO is a lack of football respect to Mascherano, Alonso, Reina, Torres... they have a quality that Aston Villa or West Ham or Tottenham would definitely like to have.

In the long term, we'll have to think about Gerrard's replacement when he retires. And in that moment we'd better have a good team to fill that gap.

So, how crucial is Gerrard in your opinion? would we be sixth or fifth if he wasn't here?

IMHO no, we'd still be top four, but we wouldn't be challenging for the title this year for instance.

Gerrard is a absolute must if we are to push for the title,I think we will fall short even with him this season so to be without him we might as well give up now and I agree with you that I still think we would finish in the top 4 without him cos we still have the quality players to finish in the top 4, without Torres too? well that would be unthinkable.

We are lucky really because we have pompy away and under Adams they are shambles and with the Internationals giving us a break we should hopefully be ok.

Hopefully Benitez will withdraw Torres from the International too and say he is Injured even if he isn't cos I would dread to think were we would lie without both of them.

[bigmick]

I did say it Sabes that we wouldn't get in the top four without him, but I can't help you finding the quote because I don't where it is  . It's an interesting question, and unsurprisingly I weant to waffle on for a bit before I give my opinion.

The first thing is to agree with those who ahve praised him up. He is quite simply a marvellous player who can do virtually anything, and IMHO based on the Premiership absolutely definately, and the little snippets of world football I watch i think he is currently the best player in the World today. Messi and Kaka and the like are also top players (as is Ronaldo, and Rooney tell the truth) but I think Gerrard just shades it.

I've criticised the manager before because we are still uber reliant on Gerrard after five years of the Rafalution, but in truth this maybe a tad unfair on the manager because when a bloke scores 1 in 2 when playing in an advanced midfield role, there's little you can do BUT rely on him I suppose. My worry is that we have not been as successful as we might at surrounding him with other offensive players of the highest quality (with the obvious exception of Torres who is another wonderful player).

As for would we get in the top four without him, it kind of depends. What I mean by that is this. If for instance Gerrards injury against Everton freakishly put him out for the rest of this season, I think we'd struggle to get into the top four even now, from where we are. The reason being we only have one striker, and we have absolutely nobody who could fill Gerrards role to provide even 50% of what he does. If on the other hand we lost him first game of next season, with a bit of readjustment and a new signing in January, the other players are good enough to get us in. We could for instance have gone out and signed an Arshavin in the same circumstance (which I wish we had done anyway) and we'd make it then with a replacement.

As it is though, he is absolutely vital to us. In many matches, he is our sole goal threat and if we didn't have him, we'd be currently eight or nine points adrift of where we are at the very least in my view. We may have been able to scrape into the top four given Chelsea's demise and Arsenal's rebuild, but I doubt it.

[account deleted by request]

I think we have more than enough quality players to hold our own against most sides in the premier league without Gerrard. Breaking them down and beating them without him is another matter all together. I think we would be looking at a lot more close defeats and frustrating draws without him. Plenty possession, plenty of "controlled the game", and plenty of games were we didn't get off the mark.

I think we would eventually see out the season fighting with a few sides for 4th 5th or 6th, probably just failing to make top 4 but creating a new record for the most drawn games in a season.

[CardinalRed]

I had a discussion with a mate at work the other day when I asked him if he could think of any other team that relies upon one player as much as we do on Stevie....... You try and do the same, what becomes obvious is the weakness of our squad. Other than Stevie we do have top, top players and one of them is world class but if these scans turn out for the worse then we're gonna be looking at Rafa and wondering why he didn't strengthen............

                                                                 

[dawson99]

without Gerrard we'd have someone else. Most teams have that talisman that set them above the others. Manure, Arsenal, Cheatski, all over europe as well.

The fact is we do have Gerrard, so the questions kinda redundant.

[account deleted by request]

without Gerrard we'd have someone else. Most teams have that talisman that set them above the others. Manure, Arsenal, Cheatski, all over europe as well.

The fact is we do have Gerrard, so the questions kinda redundant.

Depends on the result of the scan mate 

[heimdall]

without Gerrard we'd have someone else. Most teams have that talisman that set them above the others. Manure, Arsenal, Cheatski, all over europe as well.

The fact is we do have Gerrard, so the questions kinda redundant.

I think it's a damned good question actually. as was proved yesterday without Gerrard we are completely toothless and I actually don't think we controlled the game that well but that is a bit too specific.
Gerrard and Torres are the only two flair players we have, the only two who can create something out of nothing, it is not a good situation but it's where the Rafalution has left us.
I have been looking at teams like Chelsea, Manure and Arsenal with envy for many years now becuase of the amount of players they have who can score goals for them, we have always limped along with 1 or 2, it's just not good enough if we want to seriously challenge for the title.

[bigmick]

Like I said, the football Gods generally work this way. It's because of this sort of thing that when a team gets a 22 man squad for a World Cup, they waste one spot by taking 3 goalkeepers. There probably isn't a team in the history of the thing which has actually needed three keepers, but you take them anyway. Similarly, regardless of how many subs you are allowed on the bench, you always make sure one of them is a keeper. The keeper never gets injured practically, but you always need a sub keeper anyhow.

This is because of the footballing Gods. If you go into a game without a substitute keeper, you can bet as sure as eggs is eggs that your ever present goalie of the last three seasons will come a cropper. I've no doubt that the same rule applies to strikers, and that if you leave yourselves as short as we have chosen to do, it will come back to haunt you before long.

[account deleted by request]

Damn you footballing gods

[bigmick]

Damn you footballing gods

Anyways enough about Keane sorry, it's a good question and a good thread.