Despite the injury setbacks of this season, Steven Gerrard still remains as one of Liverpool’s forefigures. A terrific footballer with fantastic technique, bags of stamina and passion for the game. He has rescued Liverpool many times in the past and has been pivotal in many of their important victories.
So why, with all this proof before me, would I ever claim that Steven Gerrard is not world class? For one simple reason. Steven Gerrard has a lack of a footballing brain. Let me explain further.
Whilst his technical ability is fantastic, Gerrard has always been the typical English midfielder. Hard working and able to cope with the demands of the frenetic “crash bang wallop” style of the Premier League. And this is where his problem lies – he can ONLY play in this style of football.
In a 100mph Premier League game, where players need to act and think fast; where the ball is constantly lumped forward; where looking for the killer through pass or cross is key - Gerrard has been superb.
But when the team is a few goals up and there is a need for a midfielder to slow down, control the pace of the game and above all, retain the ball – Gerrard has not been quite so as good.
Gerrard, along with most other English midfielders, does not possess the intelligent football brain to be able to fully slow the game down and force the match to be played under his rules. In effect, Steven Gerrard does not dictate the tempo of the game, rather the tempo of the game dictates him.
And perhaps this is the reason why so many English players struggle to perform in international football. In the slower, more measured realm of international football where footballing intelligence is needed in order to pick the right pass (which is sometimes simply a sideways 5 yard touch to a team mate) or enact the right piece of skill to retain possession of the ball, English players suffer as they are not used to playing in this manner.
Too many Engish players attempt to force the play in international football with a hollywood style killer pass which, more often than not, is unsuccesful and results in possession being conceded. They are, in effect, attempting to recreate the blood and thunder style of Premier League on the international stage. Which simply does not work when the opposition does not respond in kind.
This explains why England have never been very good at retaining possession.
Gerrard, along with many other English midfielders, has poor decision making brought about by the fact he has been raised in a style of football where there is no time to think.
It is fine if a ball is pinged forward in the Premier League and does not reach its intended target - the constant turnover of possession means it usually comes back soon enough. But do this in international football, and you could well be chasing shadows for a fair bit.
Arrigo Sacchi, the great Italian coach who took Italy to the World Cup final sums it up brilliantly:
"We had some....very good footballers. They had technique, they had athleticism, they had drive, and they were hungry.
But they lacked what I call knowing-how-to-play-football. They lacked decision making. They lacked positioning. They didn't have the subtle sensitivity of football: how a player should move within the collective...
You see, strength, passion, technique, athleticism, all of these are very important. But they are a means to an end, not an end in itself. They help you reach your goal, which is putting your talent at the service of the team...making both of you and the team greater.
In situations like that, I just have to say, Gerrard's a great footballer, but perhaps not a great player"
Perhaps, the most important ability truly world class midfielders with footballing intelligence can do is pause the play.
La Pausa
La Pausa is a well known concept in Spanish football which does not exist at all in English football. As explained by Xabi Alonso:
"The concept of la pausa - the moment when great players seem to put others around them on hold while they pick their next pass - is brilliant applied by Silva and Mata. 'It is that ability to put the brakes on, to feint so that the opponent trying to tackle you ends up missing by a couple of metres. That gives you a real advantage. That is why Mata has fitted in so well at Chelsea - I think they needed that type of player.'"
This ability to hold the play and control the tempo of the game is a skill utilized by many of Spain's top midfielders: Xavi, Iniesta, Mata, Fabregas. But it is not just the Spanish who can do it. World Class midfielders from other footballing nations such as Holland and Brazil have been known for this skill. Perhaps the most well known exponent of this concept was Zinedine Zidane, who was a master at dictating the tempo of the game for France and his club teams.
Zidane was able to use his touch and skill to receive a pass, to effortlessly create seemingly acres of space between him and and an oncoming opposition player. When he eventually passed the ball, it wasn't always a killer forward pass - sometimes it was simple a simple 5 yard tap to a fellow team mate.
A moment of skill to create time and space which seemingly slowed the game down and put it under his control; before playing a possession retaining pass. He demonstrated true footballing intelligence.
In the English game, very few players have been produced that can do this.
One of the few players that comes to mind (who in my opinion was truly world class) was Paul Scholes of Manchester United. He was one of the few English players who could consistently carry out this concept of La Pausa and control the tempo of the game. Little wonder then, that he has received far more praise from footballing's greats (including Zinedine Zidane) than Steven Gerard and most other English midfielders.
In fact, so adept was Paul Scoles at controlling midfield play, that he was able to keep playing well into his thirties even when his body was no longer the spring chicken it was once was. This is the mark of a truly intelligent player - one that can adapt their game and still be such a huge influence on the field as their body ages. I, for one, cannot see Gerrard playing consistently into his thirties as his game is based so much on marauding up and down the pitch.
Jack Wilshere of Arsenal, is perhaps one of the few English midfielders at the moment who can demonstrate this concept of La Pausa. He has the technical ability and vision to spray cutting passes forward, but also the footballing intelligence to know when to hold on to the ball and play a simple pass. At the tender age of 19, he is already dictating the speed of play for Arsenal when he is on the pitch.
Let's be clear here though, that I am not Gerrard bashing. He is, along with many top English midfielders, a terrific player with bags of ability. It's just that he lacks a truly intelligent football brain which leaves him a few yards short of being world class.
