The Next Stevie G...?

Captain Fantastic

It has often been said over the last 10 years that Liverpool have been driven by their talismanic captain, Steven Gerrard, and that without him the team would be nothing. Phrases such as "One-Man Team" are regularly used to describe Liverpool's perceived lack of strength in depth.

In the past this type of saying would be altered to include another star man, such as Fernando Torres or more recently Luis Suarez. The media and opposing fans would be quick to state that without Gerrard and Torres/Suarez, Liverpool would be a very ordinary team indeed.

Reds fans have always defended the team by saying that there are other players who make key contributions as well, such as Jamie Carragher, Xabi Alonso, Javier Mascherano, and so on. These rebuttles carried solid arguments, as the spine of the Liverpool team usually formed quite a formiddable force, hence why the Reds finished in the top 5 every year from 2000 until 2009.

At the age of 32, Gerrard is now enterring the twilight of his career, with perhaps another 3 or 4 good years left in him (unless he manages to follow the example set by Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes). And so, the question that Liverpool FC need to answer is: who can replace Steven Gerrard?

It is a question that the hierarchy and ardent supporters have long avoided, because the simple truth is that LFC without Captain Fantastic just doesn't seem right. This season Gerrard has been far below his usual standard, having scored only 6 league goals despite playing every minute of every league match to date. But even so, imagine what might have been had he not been in the side? The poor games-to-wins ratio that the club has so far endured might have been even worse.

So, looking to the future, is there anyone who can fill Gerrard's boots? Someone who can drive the team forward, take a game by the scruff of the neck, boss things from midfield, and turn defeat into victory?

Looking at the current squad, the answer is - unfortunately - no.

Let's look at the main midfield options:

Lucas Leiva

He is a good player who has been very unlucky with injuries since signing for the club. He has shown his defensive capabilities and proven to be a reliable player, but plays a far more defensive style than Gerrard, using positional awareness and tough-tackling to win the ball back and play short passes to keep possession. The team wouldn't look to Lucas to make surging runs towards the opponent's box, or score the game-changing goal to inspire victory. Should Lucas continue his improvement and stay injury-free for a long period of time, he could potentially be a future LFC captain. Unfortunately, his all-round game is very defensive, and so he is very unlikely to evolve into the New Gerrard.

Stewart Downing

His first season as a Red was far from inspiring, and led to Brendan Rodgers openly questioning his place in the team. Fortunately, Downing responded well and has gone on to produce some very good performances this season, being one of the bright spots in an otherwise dull campaign. He has the attacking aspect of Gerrard's play covered, and is capable of scoring spectacular goals as well as swinging in dangerous crosses. However, he doesn't have the defensive capabilities of Stevie G. Most Reds fans would be rather surprised to see him lunging in for a tackle, or even covering every blade of glass on the pitch as our beloved captain does with such authority. For this reason, I don't see him in the Gerrard role and I can't see him taking over the captaincy.

Jordan Henderson

After signing from Sunderland for a whopping fee (estimated as between £16-£20 million) in 2011, Henderson took a long time to settle in with his new surroundings. His first season was one to be forgotten, but a couple of months into the 2012-13 season he began to realise some of his potential and turn in some fine performances, including goals in the recent games against Norwich and Arsenal. However, he hasn't fully won over the Anfield faithful, who have possibly not yet forgiven him for such a disappointing debut season (that will of course change if he keeps his goalscoring form going). Henderson certainly cannot be faulted for his workrate, and his overall performance will get better as he matures. He had already won 2 Player of the Year awards whilst at Sunderland and also the England U21 Player of the Year award as well, so he undoubtedly has a lot of potential to fulfil at LFC. He needs to be more authoritative and hone his shooting and tackling skills, but he could be the one to replace Gerrard.

Joe Allen

Another very expensive aquisition (£15 million) in the summer of 2012, Allen followed Rodgers to LFC, making his debut in the 3-0 defeat at West Brom. Since then, his performances have been inconsistent to say the least. Like Henderson, his first season at Liverpool has not gone according to plan, and the jury is out on whether he will be successful at the club or not. He is only 22 and together with Henderson could form a solid midfield partnership in the years to come. Allen is a talent to watch, and provided he is given time to mature he could replace some of Gerrard's gameplay for the Reds. However, he has not yet displayed the box-to-box style of Captain Fantastic, nor the eye for goal that is an essential part of the Gerrard role.

Suso

Suso impressed greatly during a couple of seasons playing for Liverpool's reserves, and did well in some appearances at the beginning of this season, notably in friendlies and the 2-1 loss to Manchester United at Anfield. This lead to him signing a long-term contract as Rodgers took a shine to his gameplay. At just 19 years of age, Suso has a (hopefully) long career ahead of him, but this won't be as a replacement for Gerrard. He is an attacking midfielder with good vision and an accurate shot, but lacks the defensive aspect that makes Gerrard such an outstanding player. Suso has not yet displayed natural leadership qualities either, although this may come as he gets older.

Raheem Sterling

Much like Suso, Sterling impressed with some good performances earlier in the season, resulting in a shiny new long-term contract with the club. He has grabbed a couple of goals for the Reds, but tends to be deployed in wide roles to make best use of his pace and attacking nature. This probably excludes him from the list of potential New Gerrards, as - again like Suso - he does not have the defensive instincts that are so essential. It remains to be seen whether his play will adapt with age, but the team would be best served by letting him concentrate on attacking the opposition, and not giving him the added burden of team captaincy.

Jonjo Shelvey

Shelvey has been a very inconsistent performer for Liverpool as part of the first team setup since December 2011. He has yet to really win over the fans, despite a cracking goal against Chelsea last season and a few goals in this season's Europa League. This is partly down to the fact that he was sent off against Manchester United at Anfield, leaving his team mates to battle on against 11 men ending in a 2-1 defeat. Shelvey is young and will learn from his mistakes, but he needs to display more determination on the pitch, particularly to help out his team mates in defense as well as supporting the attack. He could be moulded into a Gerrard-esque player, but this might take a long time and it is unlikely he would be ready for when Gerrard hangs up his boots.

Oussama Assaidi

The Moroccan winger signed for Liverpool in August 2012, when he was handed the number 11 shirt, only to be almost immediately overlooked in favour of the emerging Suso and Sterling, as well as by Downing's return to form. It is hard to judge a player who has not really been given a chance in the Liverpool side, but at 24 years old he should really be holding down a first team place. Regardless, his talent is more in attack than in defense, and would seem to be a team player rather than a natural born leader, making him an unlikely candidate to replace Gerrard. It would be a surprise if Rodgers retains his services this summer, and an even bigger surprise if he one day replaces Steven Gerrard in the side.

Jay Spearing

Currently out on loan for the season with Bolton Wanderers, Spearing's place in Rodgers' plans for the future is very much uncertain. Most Liverpool fans will have already forgotten that he is technically still on the club's books, but even so it would take a very surprising turn of events for the man Rodgers described as "very good player with great qualities", before shipping him off to Bolton a month or so later, to emerge as a real contender for the role of the New Gerrard. It's a shame really because he is a local lad from Merseyside who always seemed to have plenty of determination and fighting spirit, as well as not being shy of going in for a tackle, qualities that could have made him a potential replacement for the skipper. He will likely leave the club this summer as competition for places in the Reds' midfield would seriously limit his match time, and much like Assaidi he is at an age where he needs to play regular football, not sit warming the bench.


So, ultimately, the club are pretty short on a man-for-man replacement of the great Stevie G. If the skipper can impart some of his wisdom on the likes of Lucas, Henderson and Allen, then the club may be able to weather the storm of losing such a talisman, but the sensible option would be to look to a ready made replacement somewhere else.

What would be the chances of luring Xabi Alonso back to the club?

#YNWA