Liverpool: 3 players who have what it takes to emulate Steven Gerrard
By Bence Bocsak
Steven Gerrard is an icon at Liverpool. There will never be anyone like him, but one can hope. Here are three candidates who might have what it takes…
It had been a rainy day in Stoke. Gloom had suffused the Liverpool fans even on their way to the West Midlands. There was a sense of foreboding. A reluctance to let go.
Some hoped the day would never come. That somehow it would be delayed until the end of time. But alas, time is a cruel concept and it catches up with every fallible human being.
And no matter how celestial Steven Gerrard seemed, the ravages of time came for him just like the rest of us.
His ageing legs could no longer take the toil of the Premier League. He could feel the strain shrivelling his muscles and his joints becoming tighter. Just like the fans, he didn’t want to let go but it was time. He had to say his farewell to Liverpool.
The fans’ mood was hardly lifted by the massacre Stoke would unleash on Brendan Rodgers’ Reds as soon as the game started. The dire performance threatened to taint their memory of Gerrard and his legacy.
However, amidst the storm, there would be one final flickering light of hope.
When Rickie Lambert flicked a header past the Stoke defence, Steven Gerrard knew it was his chance to pounce.
His weathered legs stretched taught, his muscles churned like an ancient mill grinding its one final gear and Steven Gerrard sprinted towards the ball as if he had been the boisterous 20 year old of his prime.
The finish was just like the Gerrard of old, cool, calm and collected. The ball nestled softly into Stoke’s net.
It was merely a consolation. Just a slight tinge of illumination. But it ensured Gerrard had one final moment to show just why he was so adored at Liverpool.
Gerrard made 710 appearances for the club.
He delivered iconic moments which will forever be engraved in Liverpool’s history, from Olympiakos, Istanbul to the FA Cup final against West Ham.
Gerrard would sometimes lead Liverpool single-handedly. He had the aura to inspire his team-mates and the quality to conjure miracles.
He will always remain unique and indelible.
Yet it does not stop the yearning for ‘another Gerrard’ at Anfield.
Here are three candidates who have similar traits to Liverpool’s former great and could potentially emulate the man himself.