Steven Gerrard’s Exit Has Helped Liverpool, Says Ryan Giggs
One of the greatest regrets for Steven Gerrard has been the inability to win the Premier League title despite a glittering career that saw him win a whole host of other trophies including the Champions League.
The closest Gerrard came to winning the title was in two seasons when the club finished as the runners up. Now, Liverpool are in a position to challenge for the title for the first time since the departure of Gerrard. Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs believes that the absence of the former Liverpool captain would actually be a blessing in disguise for the Merseyside outfit.
Gerrard is regarded as one of the greatest midfielders to have graced the Premier League since the turn of the millennium. However, Liverpool became so heavily concentrated on this one-star player that they forgot functioning as a team according to Giggs. The former United winger says that the absence of Gerrard means that the club has had an opportunity to replace the former England international with someone who would fit seamlessly into the team and not stand out.
So far, Giggs’ assumption has been turning out to be true after the club secured a third consecutive league victory with a 4-2 win over Crystal Palace during the weekend.
The result puts Liverpool level on points with Arsenal and Manchester City. “Gerrard’s departure has forced others to fill the gap and sometimes that can be a good thing for a club to move away from a focus on one individual. What seems different to United is that looking from the outside, Gerrard was always the dominant figure at the club regardless of who the manager might have been. Now that he has left it feels like Klopp is that man. I am not denigrating Gerrard’s role at the club – he was a great player,” said Giggs.