Liverpool FC Forum

[Lando_Griffin]

I agree with both Lando & Crazyhorse. But how do you go
about dropping your captain without causing heavy speculation
by the media, fans and causing disruption in the team?

Rest him.

Job done.

He doesnt need to be rested


I think the form books will tell you that.

Oh right.

So his form has matched that of last season then?

And the season before?

I would say Mr Gerrard is having his worst season for us.

But just because the team is winning - that's all his doing, right? It's not that Pepe isn't letting goals in, or that JC, Finnan, Bellamy, Alonso and Kuyt have bucked their ideas up.

No. We lose as a team, we win because of Gerrard. 

[66-1112520797]

I agree with both Lando & Crazyhorse. But how do you go
about dropping your captain without causing heavy speculation
by the media, fans and causing disruption in the team?

Rest him.

Job done.

He doesnt need to be rested


I think the form books will tell you that.

Oh right.

So his form has matched that of last season then?

And the season before?

I would say Mr Gerrard is having his worst season for us.

But just because the team is winning - that's all his doing, right? It's not that Pepe isn't letting goals in, or that JC, Finnan, Bellamy, Alonso and Kuyt have bucked their ideas up.

No. We lose as a team, we win because of Gerrard. 

No. We win and lose as a team, but if we're winning and the team is on its best run of the season and Gerrards playing okay amongst that, he should be dropped. I dont think so 

[crazyhorse]

Yes, a rest may be good for him I agree 100%. But when do you do it? From this point on every game is important, too important to lose our captain and best player.

[66-1112520797]

Yes, a rest may be good for him I agree 100%. But when do you do it? From this point on every game is important, too important to lose our captain and best player.

The thing is though, if Gerrard isnt scoring thirty yarders or pulling us through a game and getting the winning goal i.e like against Everton, the knee jerkers come out and say he should be dropped.

The weight of expectation is much higher on him than his teamates . 

[Lando_Griffin]

I'd rest him for the Newcastle match if Mascherano is cleared to play.

Then against Sheff Utd, readying him for the scum and Barca return leg.

I really hope Mascherano is cleared asap - he's a good player.

But failing all that - Momo should be back soon - same applies - rest the Captain to get the best out of him.

[66-1112520797]

I'd rest him for the Newcastle match if Mascherano is cleared to play.

Xabi is suspended for that one though

[Lando_Griffin]

I agree with both Lando & Crazyhorse. But how do you go
about dropping your captain without causing heavy speculation
by the media, fans and causing disruption in the team?

Rest him.

Job done.

He doesnt need to be rested


I think the form books will tell you that.

Oh right.

So his form has matched that of last season then?

And the season before?

I would say Mr Gerrard is having his worst season for us.

But just because the team is winning - that's all his doing, right? It's not that Pepe isn't letting goals in, or that JC, Finnan, Bellamy, Alonso and Kuyt have bucked their ideas up.

No. We lose as a team, we win because of Gerrard. 

No. We win and lose as a team, but if we're winning and the team is on its best run of the season and Gerrards playing okay amongst that, he should be dropped. I dont think so 

But as an individual, Gerrard is miles below his usual form. He's OK compared with, say, Momo, but when compared to HIMSELF, he's falling short.

If we're to have ANY chance against Barca, we need Steven firing on all cylinders. Not sulking his way through matches, looking detached. Nonchalant, even.

I'm not going on an "I hate Gerrard" rant - I want what is best for us.

And you must admit that Stevie is not himself, which is bad for the club.

[alxy]

Football's a team game yes, but there will always be the odd person or two who will transcend that and appear higher than the rest. Almost every team has one, and ours is Gerrard (and perhaps Carragher to a certain extent).

So yes, I do agree we win and lose as a team, but Gerrard is too important to leave out at this crucial stage. As Liverpool supporters, I am sure we all feel uneasy whenever we don't see Gerrard's name on the team sheet. I can imagine the impact would be greater for the players

[red_guy]

What knee jerkers?
He's our best player and we need him in his best form. However at the moment, it seems that he's trying too hard without succeeding. It's best for him to be rested for a few games. Most of the lads depends on stevie and if he's not in his usual form..then it will be a problem for us. When he's not playing , the lads will know how to deal with that..Let him rest for a while and he'll come back hungrier and determined than before.

[Lando_Griffin]

I'd rest him for the Newcastle match if Mascherano is cleared to play.

Xabi is suspended for that one though

If Momo is fit, and Mascherano is eligible and fit to play, we shouldn't have too much concern.

Javier is a f*cking good player - miles better than many believe. He was absolutely outstanding at the World Cup, and his club form was even better, by all accounts.

West Ham have dropped a complete b*llock IMHO.

Thing is - would you rather have Gerrard play poorly against the barcodes, then have to face Barca, or rest, and then be raring to go against the Catalans?

No contest if you ask me.

BTW - I am not a knee-jerker, and I'll appreciate your not accusing me of that again.

[The Manhattan Project]

LOL

Mike Parry on talkSPORT is dissing LFC and Rafa again.

Calling him a "bad loser", despite the fact the match ended 0-0.

[woof woof !]

Gerrard hasn't been on top form of late , some of his passes have been very casual and wayward , a rest might be what he needs . He isn't however the only one whose play looks a bit tired ,in recent games his midfield partner Alonso has looked in even greater need of a  break , physically fit they may be but they both look mentally fatigued .

Pointless friendlies in midweek don't help either 

[Sabre]

I disagree Woof.

Our recent good form in the league has a lot to do with the good work of certain members of the squad, including Alonso, Gerrard, Crouch, Pennant, Reina and Kuyt.

The game against Everton is a bit misleading in the sense that it makes almost any midfielder look average. Lots of men in the middle of the park, even the men Everton had in the wings were midfielders, at least with Arteta. It's complicated to have a comfortable game. It's true that they made some mistakes, but it's true also that the kind of game they had was prone to make more mistakes.

But when it comes to analyse what they're providing to the team as of late, I'm more than happy

[Ace Ventura]

I'd rest him for the Newcastle match if Mascherano is cleared to play.

Xabi is suspended for that one though

If Momo is fit, and Mascherano is eligible and fit to play, we shouldn't have too much concern.

Javier is a f*cking good player - miles better than many believe. He was absolutely outstanding at the World Cup, and his club form was even better, by all accounts.

West Ham have dropped a complete b*llock IMHO.

Thing is - would you rather have Gerrard play poorly against the barcodes, then have to face Barca, or rest, and then be raring to go against the Catalans?

No contest if you ask me.

BTW - I am not a knee-jerker, and I'll appreciate your not accusing me of that again.

Lando i can see where you are coming from to an extent, but i wouldnt really advocate resting Gerrard at the moment.
Newcastle away will be tough and Gerrard and Crouch together have done well against them in the past.
Hopefully Mascherano will be cleared to play and he can play the holding role with Alonso being suspended.

I wouldnt fancy playing Marscherano and Sissoko (at this point and time) i dont think we would offer enough going forwards and with Mascherano hardly having played and Sissoko being out for long, it would be a mistake to leave Steven out imo.

[tommycockles]

I agree (to a point) with some of the views on here, although stating Gerrards been etc etc etc doesn't really help things. Maybe he should be left out of the Newcastle game if he plays the international on Wednesday however with Alonso suspended, Sissoko coming back to fitness and Mascherano not really had much time to adapt to our way of playing -who else do we really have as an attacking midfield option?

We shout for his loyalty whenever a transfer rumour comes up but as soon as he loses form everybody wants him out the side- he's not been playing well but bar Saturday we've been winning games!! It's now that we should be supporting him- if we had a ready made player in an attacking midfield role then i could understand us 'resting' him for the Barcelona game coming up but if he were left out now it'd be pretty obvious he'd been dropped as what better options do we have?

Maybe it's not the case that Gerrard plays better in a central role but the fact that Liverpool play better with a player who knows the attacking midfield role- by replacing him with a defensive/holding modfielder we're just taking this element out of our game and what excuse are we going to use if we lose then. I'm sure if Benitez thought he had better options he would have changed things by now as out of everyone he doesn't seem to care what people think- he picks the team he thinks gives us best chance of winning and if he's picking Gerrard then surely we should back him in or out of form.