Steven Gerrard has opened up on his disappointment at seeing Liverpool completely miss out on the Premier League’s major individual awards after entering the season as defending champions.
Speaking honestly about the club’s decline this season, Gerrard said:
“I can’t lie, as someone who lived and breathed that club for years, it hurts watching Liverpool miss out on every major Premier League award after being defending champions.
This is a club that’s supposed to set standards for the rest of the league, not quietly disappear from the conversation.
When Liverpool are successful, you expect at least one player fighting for Player of the Season, a young player coming through, or the manager being recognised.
To have none of that after winning the title is painful because it shows how quickly standards can drop if the hunger and intensity aren’t maintained.”
It’s difficult to argue with much of what Gerrard says.
Liverpool went from champions to a side that has barely featured in conversations around the league’s biggest individual honours.
No serious Player of the Season contender, no major young player breakthrough recognised at the highest level, and no discussion around Arne Slot for managerial awards.
For a club of Liverpool’s size, that is a huge drop-off.
What makes it worse for supporters is how quickly it has happened.
Only a season ago Liverpool were at the top of English football.
Now the mood around the club feels completely different, with criticism surrounding performances, recruitment and even the direction the club is heading in.
Gerrard’s comments about standards will probably hit home hardest with fans.
Because Liverpool under previous successful eras were built on relentless intensity, mentality and consistency.
This season, too often, those qualities have simply not been there.
That’s why so many supporters have found this campaign so difficult to watch.
It’s not just about missing out on trophies or awards.
It’s the feeling that Liverpool have drifted away from the standards that made them champions in the first place.
Jamie (The Kopite View)
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