Liverpool and Manchester United take each other on at Anfield today in one of the most fiercely fought rivalries in English football, pressurised even more by the fact only two points separate the sides with Manchester United sitting in fourth and Liverpool fifth.
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Outgoing Liverpool captain and legend Steven Gerrard has been named on the bench for his final match against the Merseysiders’ natural enemies, here’s why Brendan Rodgers got the call completely right.
Lack of match fitness
Gerrard has played just 20 minutes since coming back from injury, having come off the bench in Monday night’s win away at Swansea. It’s unlikely, at the age of 34 and after just 20 minutes, he will be in the right physical condition to play a game from the beginning.
Sentiment can cost you
Obviously with Steven Gerrard leaving the club where he has made such an impact, the temptation would be to start him in his last Manchester United derby for one last hurrah. The danger there is that he wouldn’t be up to playing a game from the start and pure sentiment isn’t a reason to give someone a starting berth.
Better win rate
The Reds have a better win rate with Gerrard out of the team in the Premier League. In the six games he hasn’t played, his side have won all of them, while their win ratio in the 22 games he has played has been a miserly 41%.
Harsh on others
The much-maligned Welsh midfielder Joe Allen had his best game for Liverpool in the 2-1 win against Manchester City and it would be harsh to drop him, purely because Steven Gerrard was fit. The captain should have to earn his place back in the side like everyone else.