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He may have retired 10 years ago, but Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard remains the gold standard for every Premier League midfielder.
Elite in just about every area of his game, the Scouser inspired a generation of football supporters throughout a glittering career with the Reds.
Given he is prone to ridicule for his lack of Premier League winners’ medal, Liverpool fans are very protective over Gerrard‘s legacy, and reserve the right to defend it from cheapening tactics.
Got a horrible feeling Slot is going to keep Gakpo in the XI and drop Salah 😬 Who should be the front four vs Forest?
Liverpool predicted XI vs Nottingham Forest
One such tactic has reared its head recently, in the form of Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice being compared to – and even hailed as being better than – Gerrard.
Now, Rice is a very good footballer and may well top Gerrard by winning the Premier League this season, but after telling Sky Sports that he is nowhere near the former Liverpool captain’s level, these unnecessary comparisons simply need to stop.
Declan Rice admits he’s not on Steven Gerrard’s level
Once pigeonholed as a defensive midfielder, Rice has changed his game since joining Arsenal in 2023. Now more of an all-round footballer, the comparisons to Gerrard have felt inevitable.
But that is not to say they are in any way worth entertaining. As Rice himself says, Gerrard remains the blueprint for him – one he will never be able to match.
Photo by Eddie Keogh – The FA/The FA via Getty Images
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“I watched a good podcast, Steven Gerrard with Rio Ferdinand the other week, and he was just talking about himself as a midfielder, what he was. He didn’t put it down to one thing, he was a midfielder, he could do a bit of everything,” says Rice.
“But he was the best at doing everything and he’s someone I love to look up to and look forward to just because of how he was on the pitch, his demeanour, how he took the game by the scruff of the neck, the fight he showed, the passion.
“Over the years I’ve tried to watch him as much as possible and I think I’ve started to grow into that much more, still a long way off before I hit his level! But, yeah, he’s someone I’ve really tried to emulate as I’ve moved into this box-to-box role and it’s really helped me.”
Who is the biggest Liverpool legend of all-time?
Photo credit should read STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images
Steven Gerrard
710 appearances186 goals145 assists8 major trophies
Kenny Dalglish
515 appearances172 goals172 assists15 major trophies
Mohamed Salah
421 appearances250 goals114 assists7 major trophies Rice will never be a match for Gerrard
Now 27, there is simply not a chance Rice will ever even begin to touch the kind of player Gerrard was. At his peak, the former No. 8 could have graced any team in world football.
The one thing missing from his career was obviously that elusive Premier League title, but even if Rice leads Arsenal to that – and perhaps scoops the PFA Player of the Year award in the process – it will mean nothing: Gerrard still clears him.
To compare the two players is almost an embarrassment to Rice, and he clearly knows it. Pick any midfield attribute, pit the pair against each other and there is only one winner.
Passing, no question, Gerrard. Shooting, even less of a debate, Gerrard. Tackling may be closer, but Gerrard did not fly into challenges with the like of Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira to be labelled as inferior to Rice. He wins again. And the list goes on.
In a good moment, it is understandable that Arsenal fans want to put their current players up there with the best to ever grace the world of football, but in this instance it is simply not applicable. It’s time to put a stop to it. Gerrard is, was and always will be the pinnacle of Premier League midfielders.
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