Less Roy of the Rovers for Steven Gerrard

I know he only mentioned it as an aside, but I think Steven Gerrard has hit the nail on the head as to why he’s not performing for England.

Basically, he’s always trying to be the man, to be Roy of the Rovers. But in international football, where possession is everything, being Roy of the Rovers isn’t necessarily the best idea.

“I have tried to improve that. That was a criticism from Rafa. He’s helped me to become slightly more disciplined and I feel I can play either role – either attacking or if we’re up against a good side when you need your two midfield players to be disciplined, I can do that now.

“You can’t afford to be Roy of the Rovers all the time against top sides. If I’m wandering off all over the place my team-mates will come unstuck.”

…

“Sometimes I think I am thinking about it too much, trying too hard.

“Before the game you say you want to take the game by the scruff of the neck, be the main man, make it happen. And sometimes if it doesn’t happen for you, you try to force passes and you get frustrated, that’s normal.

“I think that’s where I am at the moment. I am putting too much pressure on myself and trying too hard. Maybe I do have to relax.

“I’m more relaxed at Liverpool because maybe I can afford to have a one-off bad game for Liverpool because there’ll be another game around the corner, whereas if you play badly for England it may be a long time before you can correct it.”

For me, this has always been Gerrard’s problem with England. He’s always trying to play the million dollar through ball or lash one in from 30 yards, when he might be better off just slowing things down and keeping possession.

He wouldn’t grab the headlines the same way he does for Liverpool, but he could make himself part of a fully functional England team. We’ll see what happens against Belarus tomorrow.