Big season coming up for Stevie G.
Wonder if there will be many "lovely cushioned headed, for GERRAAAARD!" moments this season.
I doubt it.
As I've said before, injuries have taken their toll, and he no longer drives through the ball as he used to.
He even passes it differently.
He uses the side of his foot these days instead of really leathering it with the laces if you see what I mean.
I think it was the infections he got rather than the injuries themselves which forced this change.
His adductors can't take the strain of really putting his foot through it.
I think the days of Gerrard hammering a shot from 30 yards with both feet off the ground when following through are gone it's sad to say.
We'll see less of this:
Fantastic technique, and just look at the extension.
I believe the problem is when he has hit the shot and is following through. It is placing massive strain on his adductor, which is where he had a bad injury and subsequent infection. (he also lost some tissue on this and another occasion when he got post operative infections)
and more of this:
Here you can see how he has modified his shooting, and hits it less hard and more with the side of his foot.
We'll see him belt it on the odd occasion, but those times will become increasingly rare, as has already happened.
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