When Steven Gerrard, in the coming years, decides that his body and spirit can no longer carry the burden of expectation bestowed upon him by his adoring public, hangs up his boots for good and looks back on his career, the occasion of his 500th game is unlikely to be a highlight.
The Liverpool captain will fear, though, that it may provide an epitaph: Almost, but not quite.
By a curious quirk of fate, Gerrard's debut was also against Blackburn. The man now is scarcely recognisable from the boy of then, who few observers would have picked out as a future contender for the title of best player in the world.
Yet for all that as a player, and as a person, he has changed, one crucial thing has not. More worryingly, it does not look like doing so.
Rafael Benitez's side may be unbeaten in six matches, but they have won just three in 11. They are toothless without Fernando Torres, blessed with just a handful of players of sufficient calibre to share a pitch with the Spanish striker, ever more conspicuous in his absence, and their captain.
Liverpool look as far now as they did in 1998, when Gerrard began on the road to history, from ending their 20-year wait for a league championship trophy.
Gerrard remembers watching the club he now captains lift the league championship in 1990, but he is not going to follow in the footsteps of Ronnie Whelan, his favourite player from that side, this year. There are too many troubles at Anfield for Benitez's insistence that he has not yet ruled out catching Chelsea to seem anything but empty. A team capable of doing so would have created a chance worthy of the name before the 37th minute.
That they did nothing until Lucas picked out Gerrard, who saw his shot deflect wide off Chris Samba, says everything about the team Benitez has created when Torres is absent.
So limited are the Spaniard's resources that his only alternatives to his misfiring senior players were David Ngog, a raw, promising striker, and Nabil El Zhar, just as raw, altogether less promising. There is Alberto Aquilani, too, of course, but he is proving enduringly elusive. Benitez has promised he will start against Fiorentina on Wednesday, in the Champions League dead rubber. How it will help him get used to Premier League life is a mystery.
In his continued absence, though, it was left for Ngog, replacing the indescribably abject Albert Riera, to provide the visitors with a focal point for their previously aimless attacks. He had the best chance of the game to score, too, his shot cracking against the bar after Glen Johnson had raced clear down the right.
"We were trying to do everything," said Benitez. "Attacking from both sides, set-pieces, pushing and pushing very hard. I was convinced it was a goal from Ngog, and we are a little bit disappointed not to win."
So, too, was Sam Allardyce, watching his first game since his heart operation from the stands. "I like it up there," he said. "You can make a better call. I thought we were a little bit unlucky not to win."
A draw, then, was probably fair. Liverpool, and Gerrard, need more than that at places like Ewood Park if they are to bring to an end the frustrations that have accompanied his career. Almost is not enough.
The Liverpool captain will fear, though, that it may provide an epitaph: Almost, but not quite.
By a curious quirk of fate, Gerrard's debut was also against Blackburn. The man now is scarcely recognisable from the boy of then, who few observers would have picked out as a future contender for the title of best player in the world.
Yet for all that as a player, and as a person, he has changed, one crucial thing has not. More worryingly, it does not look like doing so.
Rafael Benitez's side may be unbeaten in six matches, but they have won just three in 11. They are toothless without Fernando Torres, blessed with just a handful of players of sufficient calibre to share a pitch with the Spanish striker, ever more conspicuous in his absence, and their captain.
Liverpool look as far now as they did in 1998, when Gerrard began on the road to history, from ending their 20-year wait for a league championship trophy.
Gerrard remembers watching the club he now captains lift the league championship in 1990, but he is not going to follow in the footsteps of Ronnie Whelan, his favourite player from that side, this year. There are too many troubles at Anfield for Benitez's insistence that he has not yet ruled out catching Chelsea to seem anything but empty. A team capable of doing so would have created a chance worthy of the name before the 37th minute.
That they did nothing until Lucas picked out Gerrard, who saw his shot deflect wide off Chris Samba, says everything about the team Benitez has created when Torres is absent.
So limited are the Spaniard's resources that his only alternatives to his misfiring senior players were David Ngog, a raw, promising striker, and Nabil El Zhar, just as raw, altogether less promising. There is Alberto Aquilani, too, of course, but he is proving enduringly elusive. Benitez has promised he will start against Fiorentina on Wednesday, in the Champions League dead rubber. How it will help him get used to Premier League life is a mystery.
In his continued absence, though, it was left for Ngog, replacing the indescribably abject Albert Riera, to provide the visitors with a focal point for their previously aimless attacks. He had the best chance of the game to score, too, his shot cracking against the bar after Glen Johnson had raced clear down the right.
"We were trying to do everything," said Benitez. "Attacking from both sides, set-pieces, pushing and pushing very hard. I was convinced it was a goal from Ngog, and we are a little bit disappointed not to win."
So, too, was Sam Allardyce, watching his first game since his heart operation from the stands. "I like it up there," he said. "You can make a better call. I thought we were a little bit unlucky not to win."
A draw, then, was probably fair. Liverpool, and Gerrard, need more than that at places like Ewood Park if they are to bring to an end the frustrations that have accompanied his career. Almost is not enough.
No comments:
Post a Comment