da blaze casino： “I think it will be a loss for him, for his career. He can say ‘I was European champion at Liverpool’ and I have to say that is correct. But I can say to him in the next 10 years we will compare trophies at Chelsea and trophies at Liverpool. And he will lose.”
da poker： Jose Mourinho said this ten years ago, when Steven Gerrard was still enjoying the ecstasy of being a Champions League winner. 2005 was a great year for Gerrard; aside from the Champions League win, he was named UEFA Club Footballer of the Year and Ballon d’Or Bronze.
Despite the offer from Chelsea, Gerrard stayed put and kept his loyalties in Merseyside. But, should he have signed for Chelsea after all?
Jose Mourinho may have been considered arrogant for what he had said about Gerrard at the time, but he was not far wrong. Chelsea have been dominant within these quotes, and are on course to snag the Premier League title once again this season. Being a Champions League winner was a big deal then, but Chelsea have that accolade themselves now.
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Lampard and Gerrard would have been given the opportunity to play together at Chelsea, in addition to playing together for England. No doubt they would have been a force to be reckoned with at Chelsea. But as time progressed, would they have been able to play together – or would they have been competing against each other for a regular role at Stamford Bridge?
In fact, would Steven Gerrard even be playing in England today? Look at Ashley Cole. Within his final year at Chelsea, he fell out of favour for a much younger replacement – Cesar Azpilicueta. If Cole could not keep his place at Chelsea, who’s to say Gerrard would have? He could well have been playing abroad by now like Cole, who now plays for Roma.
Gerrard’s final season has been far from favourable. Brendan Rodgers seems uninterested in the fact Gerrard will be leaving in the summer, and often choses not to start the captain. Gerrard was subbed on against Manchester United at Anfield, only to be sent off almost immediately: not an ideal way to finish your last ever home game against your bitter rivals.
The FA Cup final falls on Gerrard’s 35th birthday, but he will not be on the pitch at Wembley, as Liverpool were knocked out by Aston Villa last weekend. If anything, his last season in England has been somewhat of a nightmare. Had he been at Chelsea, he could have had the opportunity to bow out as a Premier League winner.
No matter how you weigh it up, should Gerrard have moved to Chelsea is a question that can never be answered. Had he been at Chelsea, he would never have lifted the Champions League in 2005, and all the recognition that came with it.
He has in turn made himself a club legend at Anfield by committing to his club for the best part of 20 years. Although he will not be a ‘one club player’, he will no doubt be remembered in Liverpool’s history for his achievements.
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