Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard is widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders in Premier League history and deservedly so.Gerrard never managed to get his hands on a Premier League winners’ medal but was a cut above the vast majority of his peers.The dictionary definition of an all-action midfielder, Gerrard could do it all: run, tackle, pass, shoot, score, head the ball and so on.He also led by example on the pitch and there isn’t a single midfielder on the planet that Liverpool fans would have swapped him for during his peak years.Unlike many modern-day central midfielders, Gerrard was always prepared to get stuck in and never shirked a challenge.
It’s true that players could get away with more during Gerrard’s day, though, and a compilation of some of his most aggressive tackles has split opinion among football fans.The two-minute video, which has gone viral on Twitter, shows Gerrard flying into tackles - many of them timed to perfection.But there are a few tackles where Gerrard appears to take less of the ball and more of his opponent.
Video: Steven Gerrard's aggressive tackling
Watch the video here:
Some fans are loving the footage from yesteryear and miss the days where players weren’t in fear of being sent off for a full-blooded challenge.
One fan wrote: “He was a machine and a beast of a player! Lungs, heart and a hell of a righty! Miss it these days in PL!”
Another tweeted: “Absolute legend of the game Stevie G top top footballer.”
And another fan called Gerrard the “most complete midfielder of all time.”
Other fans believe Gerrard's tackles were dangerous
However, others were less impressed with Gerrard’s tackles and believe most of them would result in straight red cards in the modern game.
One person commented: "Half them are red cards now, and rightly so. Horrific tackles there.”
Another said: “90% of these tackles are red cards no question asked, no wonder he struggled on international level and England suffered because of tackles like these, they are dangerous and reckless to be honest..”
And another tweeted: “There’s about 15 red cards there his tackling should have carried a health warning!”
But Raj Chohan may have summed it up best with his tweet: “Some would get red cards these days but I’m sure he would’ve adapted his style. [Frank] Lampard and [Paul] Scholes couldn’t match the defensive side of his game and physicality, he was an absolute monster.”
Indeed, Gerrard would have been left with no option but to adapt his game if he was playing today.
But like all truly great players, there’s no doubt that he would always have become one of the best midfielders in England regardless of the era he was playing in.
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