I noticed something quite odd in the match against man City. Gerrard had a short spell of brilliance and for the most part of the game, it seemed to me like he wasn't really excited playing with the quality of squad he had to play with.
Suddenly:
Torres comes in and I saw a swift change in attitude towards the game. Gerrard started making some daring runs and hot passes even some show-boating passes found their way into his game. All well and good.
My worry is this?
Has the Gerrard/Torres partnership affected Gerrard's game negatively? Has he reconditioned his mind to feed fully, the Torres-partnership at the expense of being the best attacking midfielder in the world?
Every pundit and their grandmothers tend to push the false conclusion that it is the partnership that carries the entire team as the rest of the players are middle-of-the-table class players. Has that play any role in Gerrard's attitude towards the game?
The partnership has also limited inimically, our options upfront. We have come to rely predominantly on the two players playing well; is that good for an long term Liverpool FC plans?
I can remember Alex Ferguson saying at the beginning of this season that our dependence on Gerrard and Torres solely meant we were not a threat this season.
Is there another way forward without asking for a new owner of manager?
I don't think Gerrard's game has been limited by Torres, but not for reasons you'd expect.
I think Gerrard is finally playing with a world class player as good as himself. It's nice when you play with players that are as good as you are. That's why players become attracted to team's like Chelsea, like Real Madrid, Barcelona, the manc sh*te, and until now, usually Us. Gerrard has done almost everything in the game, he's been the superstar. Why does he still come to training? Just because he's the Captain? Do you think he's the still the wide eyed young lad that put on the practice shirt for the first time with the first team? The same kid who was still young, and able to learn, because the wasn't The Man, he was just a kid. A kid who's mouth would still drop after watching a legend score a wonderful goal. A kid who still excited, and astounded by new countries, stadiums, and most importantly, opportunities.
When you lose, and you get beat bad, and the other team is on their day. You look at those players, you look at their chemistry. You look at their faces when they score, and you want to be them. It doesn't matter what team you're on: why? Because you're amazed by what they can do, and you'd like to be able to do it yourself. The
flare is what make's football fun, especially for professionals. Why? It's because they have the greatest job in the world, they play football for a living. But it's still a profession, and they have to play no matter what. What if they're having a tough time at home, and not even the joy of lacing up can take the pain away anymore. Perhaps over that 9 month span every year, it just gets old. The screaming fans, the jet planes, the journalists, the bias announcers, the constant scrutiny, the isolation that comes with being someone that is famous.
What happens when football isn't that fun anymore?
How do you get through that, and just do your job? Because hundreds of thousands, even millions, depend on you bossing the midfield, or being the clinical striker, or being the sound defender. And they'll sometimes make your life hell, when you're not.
Especially when you get fed up with those around you. Gerrard, until arguably this year, has been one of the top 5 (at most 10) players in the world for the last 5 years running. Everyone else has been trying to emulate him. You don't think he gets bored being the best? Being in the spotlight? The go to guy? Why can't anyone else shoulder
some of the responsibility. I mean, if he's in the line up, he's expected to be our best player, because he's Steven Gerrard Gerrard. It must be frustrating not being
able to have an off day, because no one else on the team can step up consistently when they need to. That's the frustration: when it gets to a point where you're burdening it all because the players around you aren't good enough.
That's why Torres left Atletico to come to Anfield: He wanted a bigger club. He wanted to play with players that were as good as himself. He wanted to be challenged in training, and not just in matches. That's the only way to get better, and improve.
Why? Because IT'S FUN! These guys started out playing football, because it was fun. It's nice when you make a mockery of 3 defenders and score a goal, but it's also nice when you see a teammate do the same. It's nice when your own keeper ruins your perfect shot. Or your own defenseman intercepts the perfect pass. Because hopefully when game time comes, they'll be doing that stuff to the other team. It's fun when you have a kick about, and you show off, and even though you're one of the best players in the world, someone else still surprises you.
Torres and Gerrard are two of the best at what they do, and they enjoy playing with each other. I think that's because they're finally playing with someone who has a spark as bright as their own.
Stevie almost left us, because he asked himself if Liverpool were good enough, and most importantly
would we still be good enough in the future. It's the sort of question that creeps up on you, when you're having a bad day. It's the sort of question that creeps up on you when Insua fucks up at the back, and lets the other team score a daft goal. It's when Lucas does the same at times. Or Skrtel. Or Agger. Then Kuyt misses a golden chance. Ngog flubs one. It comes to mind when we look at the bench, and realize there's no reinforcements available. There's no spark: why? Because they're all in the training room.
We've been playing with our second, or third choice team for most of the season. Gerrard's not playing with other players of his caliber. It gets frustrating. It's frustrating when you can't understand, why after weeks, months, years, of training, some guys just keep making the same mistakes.
But then a guy like Torres comes along, and he's as good as, or dare i say, better than Gerrard is. He's fun to play with, because if you're Gerrard, playing with Torres is like playing with the best kids on the playground, when you're still a little guy. The things they do astonish you; they astonish everyone in Torres' case. It just makes the game fun again.
There's only one phrase that fans hope never crosses a footballer's mind: 'it's just a game'.
Everyone else can think that, except for your multi million dollar midfielder, or striker.
You want them to be out there on the pitch enjoying themselves, and having players around them that are most of the time effective and fun to play with. Because nine months a year is a long time to be in the spotlight, especially at such a young age, which is where all footballers start. Torres and Gerrard want the same things. They want to win trophies, they want to play great football, they want to have fun, and enjoy this relatively short period of their lives. So of course they're asking themselves the same question: is the current Liverpool team, with a few tweeks, going to be able to do that?
I think the results of the season have sounded a profound 'No.' There's an incredible difference in our productivity, and the way we look aesthetically, when Torres and Gerrard are playing, compared to when they're not on the pitch. We have to acknowledge that. What that means is: there's a problem with our depth, that's preventing us from winning trophies. I know it, you know, Torres and Gerrard know it, the journalists, and announcers know it, and the opposing managers know it too.
But what that really means on ground level, in the dressing room is: Torres and Gerrard want to be able to depend on their teammates, with the same level of intensity that everyone else depends on them.
It's that simple.
Thanks for reading, if you read the whole thing. I'm up for debate. God, I just had to get that off my chest.
