Talking in a recent interview, Steven Gerrard said that he could be on his way out of Anfield next summer after revealing that Liverpool havenai??i??t yet approached their captain with a new contract.
ai???I can only worry about this season ‘cos Iai??i??m only contracted until May.ai???
ai???As it stands at the moment, Iai??i??m here until the end of the season and want to make the most of it. I certainly wonai??i??t be retiring this summer. I will play beyond this season. We will have to wait and see if thatai??i??s at Liverpool or somewhere else. Thatai??i??s Liverpoolai??i??s decision. If they donai??i??t come then I will see whatai??i??s out there.ai???
TalkingAi?? about his own role at Liverpool, Gerrard spoke about his relationship with the manager and how he is working with Brendan Rodgers to increase his influence on the game.
ai???Itai??i??s been different this season. A couple of teams have set up to man-mark me and stifle me. Against Villa (Gabriel) Agbonlahor wasnai??i??t remotely interested in the ball or the game, only in following me. The other one was at West Ham, but Sam Allardyce has always done that with me.ai???
ai???In those two games I found it hard to influence things so Iai??i??ve had loads of chats with Brendan about how to counter that if it happens, whether itai??i??s by moving out of position or moving further forward into a ai???10ai??i?? position. We did that in a recent game and it worked really well and my form has actually been a lot better since people started to try and stifle me.ai???
ai???I think you will see changes in my game. Brendan and I have worked some things out.ai???
Talking about Luis Suarez and his exlusion from the the Ballon dai??i??Or nominations this year, the Liverpool captain blamed football politics for picking on the controversial striker.
ai???I canai??i??t believe it but thatai??i??s politics in football isnai??i??t it? He scored 31 goals and was voted best player in the hardest league in the world. So you tell me how heai??i??s not on the Ballon dai??i??Or list. Incredible. He should be fighting Cristiano Ronaldo for it. Thatai??i??s a fact.ai???
Gerrard did not mince words on Liverpoolai??i??s new striker Mario Balotelli and believes that the famous No 9 jersey does weigh heavy on the Italian striker.
ai???That shirt does weigh heavy. But so does (my) No 8. So do most of the numbers. With social media and the way the general media has gone there is so much criticism and opinion out there that if the No 9 weighed heavy 10 years ago it weighs even heavier now.ai???
ai???To be a main striker at Liverpool you have to expect the pressure and the responsibility and embrace it. Our fans have seen so many quality forwards over the years they expect new ones to be quality in every game. Above everything else you will have to score goals and score them regularly.ai???
ai???Look at the ones I have played with ai??i?? Fowler, Owen, Suarez, Torres. They have always been consistent with goals and thatai??i??s what has made them the superstars they are.ai???
ai???He (Balotelli) just needs time to score the goals he needs to prove to people he is worthy of staying here. I am not gonna judge him after 10 games. To come in after Suarez was always going to be a big ask and heai??i??s not feeling sorry for himself. He is working hard, doing extra shooting sessions.ai???
ai???Iai??i??ve actually been impressed the way he goes about his work. You hear all kinds of stories and rumours before you meet him, but he does all the work. I like the guy.ai???
ai???Yes, it seems he likes the attention, he likes being the main man up front. He loves the social media and loves talking to supporters and if he wants that at Liverpool you have to score goals. He will know that. And if he didnai??i??t know it coming in then he will know it now.ai???
Liverpool captain also backed Englishman Sturridge to fill in for Luis Suarez and believes that the striker has immense potential to develop into a lethal striker.
ai???For me, when you talk about potential in this country, Daniel Sturridge is the player with the most. Ability-wise he is possibly the No 1 (English) striker Iai??i??ve played with, when you talk about speed, sharpness and skill and different types of goals. Some of the things he does in training blow me away. He could go as far as he wants to go.ai???
ai???Last year he was in Luisai??i??s shadow and now he is not there itai??i??s for Daniel to be Liverpoolai??i??s iconic No 9 for many years. We need him at the moment. We need him back from injury as soon as possible.ai???
Liverpool were on the brink of winning the English Premier League last season but succumbed to a loss against Chelsea, conceding a goal due to an unfortunate error by Gerrard himself. The loss has accompanied the captain and he is greeted with songs at every stadium, reminding him of the painful memory.
ai???Do I hear it? Of course. There are thousands of them singing it!Does it affect me? No, it drives me on to perform better. It has taken time to recover from last season, of course. For players and supporters. It was a huge setback when we fell short. It hit me hard.ai???
ai???Iai??i??m not looking for excuses but there are collective reasons for our stuttering start this time. We lost a key player, weai??i??ve had a key player injured and other Premier League sides have improved.ai???
The Captain blamed conceding ai???stupid goalai??i??s as one of the reasons behind Liverpoolai??i??s halting start to the season and believes that the manager and the team are working hard to address the situation.
ai???To get into the top four we have to stop conceding stupid goals. But that is something Brendan is addressing and I can assure all the Liverpool fans out there we will improve and we will get better.ai???
It now remains to be seen how Liverpool shape up this season following Luis Suarez’s departure. Will the Captain inspire his club for a heroic last charge? Only time will tell.
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