Not a game goes by for Steven Gerrard without being reminded by thousands of supporters of rival clubs about that costly slip against Chelsea that probably cost Liverpool the Premier League title last season. Almost everyone believed the Reds were destined for their first title triumph since 1990 when Chelsea came to Anfield with three games to play, not least Gerrard. But an 11-game winning streak was broken by the 2-0 defeat best remembered for the moment when Gerrard lost his footing on the halfway line and Demba Ba raced through to open the scoring just before half-time. Chelsea ruined the party and, of all people, it was Gerrard who let them do it. Chelsea return to Merseyside on Saturday as league leaders and title favourites - and it will re-ignite some painful memories for Gerrard. Luis Suarez, the Reds’ star man last term, has suggested in his autobiography that he would have retired if he was in the Liverpool captain’s shoes. “If I had been in Stevie’s shoes, I don’t know if I would have been able to carry on playing, the Uruguayan writes. “Emotionally, it must have been very, very hard.” Suarez may be right. The mental scars of last season have been showing ever since - and will they ever heal? Liverpool finished second in the league last season and the crushing disappointment was shortly followed by a miserable World Cup, where the 34-year-old captained England to their worst performance in a major tournament since 1958. In the crucial defeat to Uruguay that ultimately eliminated the Three Lions, Gerrard misjudged the flight of the ball and headed for Suarez to race through and score the winner. His performance was deemed so bad that one Spanish newspaper refused to give him a match rating. Gerrard subsequently retired from international football after 113 appearances for England to focus on Liverpool, where he has talked passionately about his enduring hunger and drive. But the new campaign has not started well. Last season, Gerrard played 39 games in all competitions, scoring 14 goals and providing 16 assists as Liverpool’s deep-lying playmaker where he would control games and pick out the mobile strikers’ runs. This year, the Reds captain has found himself ineffectual and man-marked out of games - particularly defeats to Aston Villa and West Ham - with the Merseyside club collecting just 14 points from their opening 10 league fixtures. His personal malaise has been reflected in the teams performances and results. #Shatie
Posted on: Fri, 07 Nov 2014 12:32:22 +0000
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