Aston Villa gave Liverpool an object lesson in counter-attacking football on Saturday, tearing the Reds into shreds in a first-half performance that could have graced any Champions League season and not looked out of place. In the middle of the first 45 minutes of the Villan whirlwind was Steven Gerrard, sitting in as the deep-lying play-maker, Liverpool’s resident regista.
Rodgers had played Gerrard in a the holding mid-field role against Stoke on January 12, with Liverpool emerging victors by five goals to three in a roller-coaster of a game.
“It’s something Steven and I have spoken about for a while. I thought he did very well in that role at Stoke – the mix of his game was excellent,” Brendan Rodgers, the Liverpool manager, was quoted as having said by Liverpool’s official website ahead of the Aston Villa clash at Anfield. However, the fact that Liverpool let in three goals at the Britannia Stadium should have told Rodgers that Gerrard and the defence had probably not done as well as they should have.
Gerrard was more than just “swamped” against Villa in the fist half on Saturday. He made a measly 16 passes in the first 45 minutes, less than Jordan Henderson’s 33. Even Christian Benteke managed to string together 30 passes in the first half, making Gerrard’s performance in the depths of his own half look even more disturbing. Over the length of the entire game, the Liverpool captain completed only 73% of his passes. Compare that to Raheem Sterling, who completed 97% of his passes, the majority of which were in the opposition’s half.
There is little point in doubting Gerrard’s ability on the ball. However, Rodgers’ dream of seeing his captain strutting his talent à la Andrea Pirlo would have taken a beating after the first half against Villa, and the Liverpool boss was quick to right the ship during half-time, replacing Phillipe Coutinho with Lucas Leiva, who had started the game on the substitute’s bench. With Lucas back, Gerrard was free to roam the length of the pitch and influence the game in the manner he does so well, picking out Luis Suarez with a precise 40-yard pass from just inside his own half, a position he would not have been in if he was providing cover in front of Martin Skrtel and Kolo Toure. Gerrard’s ‘Hollywood’ pass, minutes into the second half, led to Suarez earning the penalty.
Rodgers’ dislike for two defensive mid-fielders is well known. With Lucas having played in front of the back four up till now, Rodgers’ has used various formations according to requirements of the match. Although the unavailability of Suarez and Daniel Sturridge at different points in time has meant that a lone striker was often the norm for much of 2013, if one were to consider matches where two have played together, two basic structures can be discerned.
The 4-3-3: With Suarez, Sturridge and Coutinho/Sterling/Victor Moses changing positions at the front, the midfield trio comprised of Lucas, Gerrard and Henderson. The Liverpool skipper and Henderson here played in an advanced midfield role. Alternatively, this could be seen as a 4-1-3-2, with Coutinho playing as part of the second line of attack.
The 4-4-2: The more conventional English system, although currently out of favour with clubs who cannot afford the luxury of two strikers and the resultant lack of cover. With Sturridge and Suarez plying their trade at the top, Gerrard and Lucas would form the mid-field’s centre, with Henderson and Coutinho/Sterling/Moses playing wide. Lucas would be the conventional defensive midfielder, while Gerrard would provide support in attack.
By moving Gerrard to Lucas’ position in front of the defence, Rodgers wished to infuse a “range of passing” to the normally workman-like character associated with a defensive midfielder, while allowing the other two players in the midfield to aid the three-man front line.
The regista in its modern, 21st century rendition has often been seen with the support of another player. When one talks about Xabi Alonso’s breathtaking 70-yard cross-field sniper-like passes at Liverpool and Real Madrid, it’s difficult to imagine them without the harrying figure of Javier Mascherano or Sami Khedira bundling the opposition into submission, clearing the field for their partner in crime. Xavi Hernandez, while playing in a slightly more advanced position than Alonso, is coupled with Sergio Busquets, who does the proverbial dirty work. Paul Scholes played the ‘keep-the-ball-ticking’ role to much acclaim at Manchester United, punctuating his midfield stability with attacking insurgencies. Andrea Pirlo, everyone’s favourite beard-sporting midfield metronome, had Gennaro Gattuso for company in Milan. His time at Juvetus, however, has seen him without the typical destroyer, although Juvetus’ wealth when it comes to combative midfielders – Paul Pogba, Arturo Vidal, Claudio Marchisio – ensures Pirlo is not caught out.
Rodgers has talked of using Gerrard as a centre-back in his twilight years, with the approaching years rendering him devoid of the pace he so effectively used for his lung-busting runs over the past decade. However, the lack of running speed does not mean that Gerrard should be relegated to a deeper role.
Gerrard’s second-half performance against Villa was a perfect example of a player with more than just pace to his game. While his passing ability would be a bonus at the holding role, the cross-field passes are effective when one is in a slightly more advanced position, with the ball still arriving at pace to the receiver rather than floating and enabling easier interceptions.
It can be argued that Gerrard needs more time to accept the new role and get used to the new positioning and the speed with which the game is played in your own half. Rodgers and Gerrard conceded as much before and after game.
“Now you are reprogramming him(Gerrard) for his movement patterns in this half of the field. Once we continue to do more work on it on the training field, he’ll get that total picture of where he’s at,” Rodgers had said before the Villa game.
Pirlo’s languid style has been the outcome of a prolonged spell in a deeper role, dictating games even before he joined Milan at the age of 22. His development as a deep-lying controller started at Brescia in northern Italy, the club he played for in two spells. The end of his second term at Brescia – a six-month loan deal from Inter – saw his role taken up by Pep Guardiola, whose spell was halted after he tested positive for nandrolone.
Maybe with time, Gerrard too will flower in a role Rodgers has identified for him. If there is any player who has managed to play more than adequately in different positions, it is Steven Gerrard, be it at right-back, centre, left or right midfield, or just off the striker. Surely, sauntering about as Henderson and company do the legwork will not be too difficult? Sporting a beard could probably help.
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