The departure of Steven Gerrard from Liverpool this summer ends his 17-year spell playing for the club’s first team and leaves a gaping void in Brendan Rodgers’ squad. So how do the Reds overhaul their midfield in the post-Gerrard era?

Gerrard will join MLS franchise Los Angeles Galaxy when his Liverpool contract expires this summer, and speaking to reporters in May, including the Mail‘s Dominic King, he revealed that he felt it was the the right time to go.

“I’m 35 in a couple of weeks. I’m not really sure how much more I could give the club at the level I’d like to give it,” he said. “Going back to when I peaked from 23 to 30 years of age, the reality is that I’m getting too old for this level and maybe a different level will suit me more.”

While Gerrard was undoubtedly on the wane in his final years at Anfield, there are still some who believe Liverpool will regret letting their long-serving captain go.

One such person is former Reds midfielder Graeme Souness, who spoke to Sky Sports:

I don’t understand why they’re letting him go. I know he wouldn’t be the same Steven Gerrard we’ve seen over the last decade—he’s not going to be 90 minutes, not going to be the game-changer he’s been time and time again.

[…]

[But] I’m a great believer that you cannot have enough senior pros around your dressing room. He certainly is that. They’re the standard bearers and that’s what Steven Gerrard is. Who else is out there? Liverpool don’t have any – Steven’s the only one they’ve got.

[…]

I think there’s life left in Steven Gerrard and I think the Americans are lucky to get him at this time. At Liverpool, they will regret getting rid of him.

Either way, the No. 8 is on the move this summer, and Liverpool must now build without him.

Where should they start?

Firstly, it would be wise to evaluate just what Gerrard has given to Liverpool’s midfield over the years—this is arguably why Souness was so vehement in his criticism of the club for allowing him to leave, with Gerrard’s world-class days still fresh in the memory for Liverpool supporters.

For almost 15 years Gerrard was Liverpool’s best midfielder, their driving force in the engine room; a fitting banner was conspicuous at Anfield in his final games as a Red: “The best there is. The best there was. The best there ever will be.” Gerrard warranted this gushing reception because of his dominance in a Liverpool shirt.

He will be largely remembered for his goals, be it a long-range drive, a well-timed tap-in or a spectacular set piece, Gerrard was known for being one of Liverpool’s primary goalscorers in the Premier League era.

In 504 league games, Gerrard scored 120 goals.

It wasn’t just converting chances, however. Gerrard was supreme in his creative abilities too. In 2013/14, performing in a deep-lying midfield role, the 35-year-old was arguably at his best creatively, laying on 13 assists in 34 league appearances. This was aided by his remarkable passing range and canny knowledge of when to switch tempo in possession—the latter saw him combine phenomenally with former Liverpool striker Fernando Torres.

While Torres, Robbie Fowler, Michael Owen, Luis Suarez, Daniel Sturridge and many others provided the final flourish in a Liverpool shirt, it was more often than not Gerrard who truly steered the Reds toward success.

He was not only a phenomenally talented player, but he was incredible passionate—his famous Istanbul inspiration in the 2005 Champions League final win is the perfect example of this—and that is why he was such a strong candidate for captaincy when Gerard Houllier gave him the armband full time in 2003.

Gerrard was Liverpool, and Rodgers believes that he is irreplaceable in this regard, as he told reporters, including the Mirror‘s Liam Corless, after his final Anfield outing in May: “Steven is a player and a person who is irreplaceable in terms of what he has given over his time here. The standards he has set have been second to none. We now go forward at the end of the season without him and try to find a way to improve. That’s our challenge.”

Rodgers says his challenge is to “improve” without Gerrard, and this isn’t through replacing him like-for-like. Instead, the 42-year-old must build on some key features within his midfield with some choice acquisitions this summer, as well as a rebuild in terms of structure.

One current Liverpool player who will undoubtedly play a key role in Rodgers’ move away from the Gerrard era is vice-captain Jordan Henderson.

The 24-year-old capped a remarkable rise from pariah to integral figure at the beginning of 2014/15 when he was named as vice-captain following the departure of Daniel Agger.

Henderson spent a fruitful spell under the tutelage of his compatriot within the Liverpool midfield the previous season, when Gerrard was flexing his creative muscles. The former Sunderland man was doing the donkey work, learning when and how to time runs, perfecting his recycling of possession and developing a nuanced appreciation of the tactical side of the game.

On Henderson’s appointment, Rodgers related his quality to that of Gerrard, speaking to the club’s official website:

Jordan is someone who represents the best values of what we are all about, as a team and as a club. Both he and Steven are examples to others in how they conduct themselves on and off the pitch. It’s how they live their lives, it’s how they train and it’s how they approach their work.

Jordan is completely dedicated to the game and his leadership qualities come from the example he sets. It’s another great story for Jordan in his journey as a Liverpool player and it shows the great progress he has made.

For club and country he holds himself really well, he’s got great stature and I believe he will be an important player here for years to come.

Henderson has the right character to compensate for the loss of Gerrard’s determination in midfield, and he has definitely developed into a higher-calibre midfield player over the last season, boasting six goals and nine assists in 37 appearances. That suggests, as he continues his progress, he can assume a major role with Liverpool moving on from Gerrard.

Whether this is as captain, however, is still up in the air, as he told James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo in March:

Next season we’ll see what happens because it might not be me succeeding Stevie, it might be someone else. There are a lot of strong leaders in the dressing room. There are a lot of big characters in the team—down to earth humble people…I can only do the current job the best I can.

One theory is that a new arrival will take up Gerrard’s vacated captaincy next season, as suggested by former Liverpool vice-captain Jamie Carragher.

“The fact that Brendan Rodgers wouldn’t confirm Jordan Henderson as this season’s captain even though he was captain in Gerrard’s absence last season makes me think him and [James] Milner could be competing for the armband,” Carragher wrote on social media outlet Kicca (h/t This Is Anfield) at the beginning of June. 

“Was that another thing that enticed Milner to join?”

Manchester City midfielder James Milner was announced as a future Liverpool player on Thursday, via the club’s official website, with the 29-year-old set to join the Reds on a free transfer upon the expiry of his contract at the Etihad Stadium, subject to an upcoming medical.

Carragher continued his evaluation of Milner by highlighting his key attributes:

[He’s] a good character which you can see from the fact he’s left Man City in the Champions League for Liverpool. [This] shows that regular starts mean more to him at this time than being a squad player with more chance of picking up trophies at City.

[…]

Brendan Rodgers will have spoken to him about where he sees him fitting in but he’s very similar to Jordan Henderson and I have no doubt one reason he’s joining is to play in a more central role rather than out wide. Could Milner play a holding role? Maybe but I don’t think that’s what suits him.

His main strength is his engine which could suit him and Jordan to both play alongside a holding midfielder ([Emre] Can?) but his best position is tucked in from the right in a central role which is also Henderson’s so it’ll be interesting how those two fit into next year’s midfield set-up.

In theory, Milner will come in and complement Henderson perfectly in the midfield, with both working tirelessly to win back the ball when out of possession and propel Liverpool forward when looking to attack. In this sense, Milner is an upgrade on the modern-day Gerrard.

In 2014/15, Milner made an average of 2.30 key passes, 2.30 tackles and 0.97 dribbles per 90 minutes in the Premier League, recorded by Squawka, each higher than Gerrard’s output, with the Reds captain averaging 2.05 key passes, 1.49 tackles and 0.20 dribbles per 90.

City manager Manuel Pellegrini manager gave a glowing appraisal of Milner in an interview with the Guardian‘s Sid Lowe back in March: “I’m Milner’s No. 1 fan. Find me a more complete English player. There are players who’re better technically, yes. Quicker players, yes. Players who head better, yes. But show me one who does all the things Milner does well. There isn’t one.”

This testimony suggests that Milner will play a key role alongside Henderson, with the two hardworking midfielders set to provide the requisite thrust and fervour in midfield. But as they are both very similar players, along with squad player Joe Allen, Rodgers must look to add some further balance to mitigate Gerrard’s departure.

This must begin with the signing of a defensive midfielder.

Under Rodgers, Liverpool have consistently lacked a diligent and truly reliable, defensive-midfield option—a player who will sit in front of the back line, break up play with tenacity and intercept moves intelligently. Unfortunately, it has shown.

Liverpool’s defence has always been their weak point under Rodgers. The Reds have conceded 141 goals during his three seasons in charge, or 47 goals per season on average—no team in the Premier League’s top four in 2014/15 conceded more than 38.

While these woes can partially be attributed to the physical and organisational deficiencies in Liverpool’s defence in recent years—Dejan Lovren was a particularly culpable party in 2014/15—but every defender is better off with a defensive midfielder in front of them.

Take Chelsea‘s Nemanja Matic, Arsenal‘s Francis Coquelin and Southampton‘s Morgan Schneiderlin as prime examples, as well as Liverpool’s Lucas Leiva. The difference in their sides’ respective win rates with and without them in the league is stark, statistics via Squawka:

	Games	Points Per Game With	Points Per Game Without
Matic	36	2.3	1.5
Coquelin	22	2.3	1.5
Schneiderlin	26	1.8	1.1
Lucas	20	1.9	1.3

The benefits of having a defensive midfielder is evident.

Furthermore, the vast gulf between points won with Matic and Coquelin compared to the other two outlines just why having a player of genuine quality in this area is paramount—Schneiderlin is an excellent holding midfielder, but he also pairs this with a more attacking mindset than his Chelsea and Arsenal counterparts.

Their superiority when compared to Lucas, as well as when you consider the Brazilian’s long-term fitness issues, which partially contributed to his meagre 20 league appearances in 2014/15, outlines why a defensive midfielder should be a priority for Liverpool following Gerrard’s departure.

Gerrard’s gung-ho attitude won games for Liverpool almost single-handedly down the years, but perhaps now is the time Rodgers should focus more on a solid defensive approach. Gerrard’s best years arguably came when Javier Mascherano was at the club, with the now-Barcelona midfielder one of the world’s very best in the holding-midfield role.

AS Monaco’s Geoffrey Kondogbia, Lyon’s Maxime Gonalons, Bayer Leverkusen‘s Lars Bender and Feyenoord‘s Jordy Clasie should all be considered as options. Whoever the target, Liverpool must sign a top-class defensive midfielder if they are to successfully move on from the Gerrard era. 

While this solidity is paramount, Liverpool will also be losing a major goal threat in Gerrard, which must also be replaced this summer.

Gerrard was Liverpool’s top goalscorer in the league in 2014/15 with just nine goals. The fact a veteran was shouldering most of the burden in front of goal—particularly in terms of midfielders—should prove to Rodgers that another goalscoring midfielder must be targeted this summer. 

It could be argued that Henderson (six), Adam Lallana (five) and Philippe Coutinho (five) should look to improve on their respective tallies next season, but they should still be supplemented by a more fine-tuned goalscoring talent.

“I would expect him to be getting upwards of 10 goals this season because he has the quality and the tactical nose to arrive in the area to do that,” Rodgers said of Henderson before 2014/15, as reported by Jack De Menezes of the Independent. Henderson’s failure to do that should be a warning sign.

He will hopefully do so next season, perhaps when released from the shackles of supporting Gerrard, but Rodgers cannot risk putting his faith in him, Lallana, Coutinho and Milner.

A true goalscoring midfielder is rare, with Gerrard and former England team-mate Frank Lampard two exceptional players in terms of their output in front of goal from midfield, but there are players available. 

Paris Saint-Germain’s Adrien Rabiot, Schalke 04‘s Max Meyer, Inter Milan‘s Mateo Kovacic and Swansea City‘s Ki Sung-yueng all represent midfielders who could potentially add a goalscoring sheen to Rodgers’ midfield post-Gerrard, with the former trio all in their early 20s and thus players who could come in and perform immediately but also develop into world-class talents on Merseyside.

A midfield consisting of Kondogbia, Milner, Henderson and Kovacic may be a thing of fantasy for Liverpool supporters, but it is this sort of structure that Rodgers must be looking to attain on Gerrard’s departure—a balance of defence and attack. Kovacic, Henderson and Milner could all arguably rotate roles and time in the starting lineup, with Coutinho in an advanced creative position, depending on the formation.

With Liverpool requiring a defensive midfielder and a goalscorer this summer, there is arguably one already within their ranks in Emre Can.

Can is something of an enigma following his first season at Anfield. After his £10 million move from Leverkusen, Can spent most of the 2014/15 season operating in defence despite ostensibly being signed as a midfielder.

Speaking ahead of Gerrard’s departure, however, the 21-year-old had some choice words when it came to his future in Liverpool red, as reported by the Anfield Wrap podcast (h/t the club’s official website):

[Brendan] talks all the time with me. He sees me as a midfield player, and I hope next year to be playing in midfield. Of course he talks with me every day and says what I can do better. He helps my game. He wants to play football and that’s what I want. That’s why I came to Liverpool.

Can continued: “I try to give everything in every game and give 100 per cent. That’s what the fans see and it’s a big honour for me that they love me, and I love them—they’re great fans.”

The German’s statement of commitment, and his concession that he is coveting a midfield spot next season, could point to a key role for him in Rodgers’ engine room in 2015/16.

Having flourished in defence, averaging a respectable 2.9 tackles and 1.4 interceptions per league game last term, there is a case to argue that Can could be Liverpool’s solution at holding midfield. He is adept at breaking up play, and the position could compensate for his lack of speed in the recovery. Rodgers told the club’s official website in December that this could be Can’s role in the future:

He is an outstanding footballer and is a very, very young player who is just acclimatising to the game here.

His favoured position is more of a defensive player, even though I’ve played him in an attacking role because I think that’s something he can do more of. But if you asked him his profile, he likes to be in that sitting role where he can play and dictate the game as well as be physical in the challenge and duels.

[…]

He’s a player I know can play in a number of positions and play them well. He’s someone whose influence will become greater as the season goes on.

Rodgers is right, Can’s influence will continue to grow as he acclimatises to the demands of the Premier League, and it could be in this defensive-midfield role that he eventually settles. But there have also been shades of the brutish, goalscoring box-to-box midfielder in his makeup during his time on Merseyside, such as his impressive display in November’s 2-1 loss at home to Chelsea.

It is this versatility and all-round superiority that may point to his being the most important player within Liverpool’s midfield following Gerrard’s departure this summer; Can could dominate in defensive midfield, he could shuttle in a box-to-box role or he could thrive in a more advanced attacking role.

Supported by the likes of Henderson, Milner and Coutinho, and perhaps supplemented by the addition of a player such as Bender or Kovacic, Can could be the key to Liverpool truly moving forward in the post-Gerrard era.

 

Statistics via LFCHistory.net, Squawka.com and WhoScored.com.

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