Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has admitted that he is still haunted by the slip against Chelsea that saw Liverpool so far 2-0 defeat at Anfield. This was the decisive turning point in the Premier League title race last season as it gave the impetus back to Manchester city with three matches remaining. City then went on to lift the league title, thus dashing the two decade wait for a Premier league title for Liverpool fans. Gerrard has desperately craved the opportunity to lift the league title, which is the only missing trophy from his cabinet.
Ironically, he had slipped at the back that allowed Demba Ba to score Chelsea’s first goal. Ahead of the World Cup 2014, Gerrard has stated that he is still haunted by this defeat. The 34-year-old has also dismissed fears that he may allow this failing to spoil his World Cup campaign as well. He says that he will be totally over the slip by the time World Cup kicks off. This could be Gerrard’s last major tournament at international level, as the 34-year-old has been stating in recent weeks that he will consider his England career after the World Cup.
England manager Roy Hodgson, though, has urged his captain to continue playing even after the World Cup.
“I take responsibility for the slip and the damage it’s done. But is there anybody around this table who has not slipped at any time in their life? The difference is I did it at a bad time and at a bad place, at a bad moment. I keep saying to myself: ‘How, where and why?’ If I had done a bad back-pass, scored an own goal, or done my job wrongly, it would have really beaten me up,” said the midfielder ahead of the friendly matches against Peru and Ecuador.