Team of the Season – Steven Gerrard

Written off by many as a legitimate Fantasy prospect after a couple of very average seasons for Liverpool, Steven Gerrard rolled back the years in Brendan Rodgers’ first year at the Anfield helm. The Liverpool skipper racked up 185 points in 2012/13 – his highest haul in four seasons – and was resultantly handed a 9.0 price tag as the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game got underway last summer:

After a sluggish first few weeks, Gerrard began to find his form and proceeded to serve up the points with a remarkable consistency. In spite of his deep-lying role in front of the back-four, the midfielder went on to produce a goal or assist in 21 of his 33 starts and finished the campaign on 205 points; third in the overall standing behind only Luis Suarez and Yaya Toure.

The Statistics

The campaign started slowly for Gerrard. With Suarez suspended for the first five fixtures, the Reds captain failed to pick up a single return as Rodgers’ side relied on Daniel Sturridge to grab the goals. Dropping to 8.9 in price, he was mainly overlooked as Fantasy managers opted for one, or even both, of Liverpool’s frontmen, as Suarez’ return to the fold saw Rodgers’ side rack up the goals.

With the Uruguayan in the starting XI, Gerrard’s prospects instantly improved as he embarked on a run which saw him produce returns in nine of his first 10 starts alongside the South American. A brief four-Gameweek injury absence over December saw Gerrard’s price drop back down to 8.7 but, upon his return, he wasted no time in maintaining his previous exploits, going on to produce points in 12 of the final 18 Gameweeks.

Despite his outstanding season, Gerrard never rose above 9.6 in FPL. A total of eight 10+ hauls underlines his explosive potential, though it’s fair to say that few handed him the Fantasy armband due to Suarez’ exploits up top. With 13 goals, 15 assists and 30 bonus points to his name, Gerrard played a pivotal part in his side’s second place finish, whilst his contributions from the centre of the park persuaded many to load up on Liverpool’s assets in a season that saw Rodgers’ free-scoring side notch 101 times over the course of the league campaign.

The Prospects

A price hike will surely be on the cards after such an impressive year last time round. Gerrard, Suarez and Sturridge can all be expected to cost us more in 2014/15 and with many keen to snap up the South American regardless of price, his skipper is likely to remain relatively under the radar.

With Champions League football back on the menu, though, there’s a fear that Gerrard’s game time will perhaps be managed a little more by Rodgers next season. Bearing in mind he will be 34 years of age at the end of this month, he’s more likely to be prone to rotation than the more youthful trio of Raheem Sterling, Philippe Coutinho and Jordan Henderson as a result of the busy schedule – reports last month claiming that Gerrard has been playing through the pain barrier with a heel problem merely strengthen this theory.

The Merseysiders have only been concerned by domestic duties since the Northern Irishman arrived and, as a result, their first XI has been more consistent than most – it’s likely that we will see the Reds boss utilise the depth of his squad next term, with a handful of acquisitions over the summer to boost his options in key positions.

There’s also the question of penalties. Ten of Gerrard’s 13 goals came courtesy of the spot in 2013/14 and you surely have to wonder whether Liverpool will benefit from such consistency once again. On the positive side, though, Gerrard will be the only premium midfielder who is first-choice spot-kick taker for his side – both Yaya Toure and Eden Hazard still rely on Sergio Aguero and Frank Lampard’s respective absences for City and Chelsea.

Nonetheless, as Gerrard has shown in both seasons under Rodgers’ guidance, Liverpool’s swashbuckling approach looks tailor-made for his Fantasy prospects. With Suarez and Sturridge wreaking havoc up front and Martin Skrtel’s aerial presence at set-pieces and corners proving key, Gerrard’s creativity has delivered 27 assists under Rodgers and, in spite of his advancing years, there’s plenty more still left in the tank judging by last term’s displays. Whether he can provide us with the same sort of value and keep the likes of Sterling in the shade is another matter entirely.