Steven Gerrard: Liverpool's man for all times

Steven Gerrard has seen everything with Liverpool. The good, the bad and the ugly.

The Champions League victory was a top moment for him certainly and especially given the circumstances when he was constantly being linked to a move to Chelsea. Gerrard has spent his entire career at Anfield and it is very likely that he’ll end it here among his people. Liverpool is Steven Gerrard and that is not an exaggeration. He has had his personal achievements as well. UEFA Club Footballer of the Year in 2005, Ballon d’or Bronze and seven times PFA Team of the Year. The midfielder has been a leader for Liverpool and England on and off the pitch. More than anything else, his skills on the pitch have captivated the world for a long period of time. Zinedine Zidane did not call him the most complete midfielder for nothing.

Gerrard’s relationship with the club can be measured by the sensitivity he holds for the Hillsborough tragedy. He remembers the fateful day when he heard the news of his cousin Jon Paul’s death who was one of the youngest victims in the tragedy. Gerrard has lived his days at Liverpool with a constant respect for those victims and has worked, in whatever way he could, on and off the field to lessen the pain.

Gerrard talked about the tragedy before the game against Manchester United in September. He said, “I’ve stood on the Kop many times when it was terraced. I’ve been involved at games like that [Hillsborough]. It could have been me. It could have been anyone. We’re talking about a disaster that puts everything else into perspective.” It is this empathy that makes him a much-loved footballer at Anfield, the home-boy who played his hardest for the club and felt a part of it.

It is necessary not to sentimentalize these things in an over-the-top manner. There are emotions attached to the game and with a tragedy like that, there is a lot of pain and that must be acknowledged. And yet it does not mean that if one fateful day, as a professional footballer he had to move on he would be an antagonist to the Kop. He won’t be in my opinion. His services to the club have tipped the scales forever. He will be an Anfield legend for life and beyond.

However, if there is anything to be known about Liverpool’s talismanic figure then it is that he does not stand of past laurels. He has a huge challenge ahead of him. To bring back the glory years back to Anfield, to make his contribution to the rebuilding that is under progress at Liverpool under Brendan Rodgers. He lead the team admirably last year as he shrugged behind an year of injuries to put in full 90 minutes for most part of the season. He has made a lot of changes to his game as the years have gone by and though his detractors would emphasize his loss of speed and creeping errors, there is no doubt that he has increased his work-rate, participated in the strengthening of the defense and continued with his box-to-box abilities.

Gerrard underwent an operation on a recurrent shoulder injury in May and is undergoing rehabilitation. He is likely to attend pre-season as the Reds prepare for their crucial campaign for next year. Gerrard is likely to have more quality alongside him next season as Rodgers will be looking to strengthen his midfield and forward options. Gerrard’s partnership with Suarez was flowering and recalled the famed partnership with Torres at the club. Lucas Leiva’s return from injury gave Gerrard the freedom to be aggressive, as he showed goal scoring intent with some trademark runs in the midfield. With Sturridge and Suarez working the channels next season, Gerrard will be all the more potent and Liverpool will launch a bid for Top 4 though they must not be complacent as the competition will be harder than before.