Gerrard still the talisman

If Liverpool are still struggling to come to terms with the loss of Luis Suarez then, even as the last week has catapulted them back into Champions League contention, it has also offered Brendan Rodgers the glimpse of an even more unpalatable Anfield future.

Injury to Daniel Sturridge and the failure to replace the controversial Uruguay forward have contributed to an embarrassing return of seven goals from as many home games for Rodgers’ side this season.

But the last two of those home games — a nervy 1-0 win over Stoke and this tepid stalemate with Sunderland — have come with living legend Steven Gerrard out of the starting line-up.

At 34, and with nearly 700 Liverpool appearances under his belt, the prospect of Liverpool without Gerrard borders on the catastrophic given the current malaise in the Anfield empire.

There were sound football reasons, led of course by tomorrow’s Champions League group decider against Basel, behind Rodgers’ decision to rest the veteran but not only were Liverpool sorely lacking his midfield drive and range of passing but also his general on-field leadership.

With Gerrard still mulling over the club’s offer of a one-year rolling contract, the prospect of losing the player within 12 months of Suarez’s departure must be causing concern for a manager who could scarcely wait to bring him on as a second half substitute to try and win three points.

“It’s now about the collective of the team,” said Rodgers. “Steven has always been the star player. He has real quality, the kind that lifted the game. He is a world class talent. Okay, the legs may go a bit as you get older as a player — but you never lose the talent. His passing and his view of the game in those 25 minutes was phenomenal.”

“That’s what can give the team a lift but the performance can’t just be about him. If we get through it’s got to be about the team — and we want that big performance.”

The surrender of two points here will be a sound one if Gerrard helps his side advance in Europe tomorrow.

Opposite number Gus Poyet could sympathise with Rodgers’ predicament, even if he confessed afterwards that his pre-match preparation for the game involved providing his players with videos highlighting the different roles the former England international could play against them.

“We watched it on the video, the difference between Liverpool when they play with him at the back or at the front,” he said. “Then he wasn’t playing and some of our players were saying ‘Thanks for that gaffer! Well done on the videos – all that work for nothing!’ So we were getting ready for it but it was good, you know? He is special so when you show your team the sheet and you see he isn’t playing? Phew. It is good news.

“But it shows how difficult it is for us to make decisions. It would be very easy for Brendan to play Gerrard 90 minutes every game but then lose him for a month with an injury.

“It is tough. Of course, when he came on, it wasn’t just the players who were affected. The crowd, the atmosphere — everything changed. That is when we started suffering, as Liverpool were coming at us from everywhere. Listen, he is special... So it was good news when Brendan never played him. I was quite pleased!”

Ultimately, not even Gerrard could raise the game above the instantly forgettable with Wes Brown’s first half set-piece header, which cleared the Liverpool bar, and a Philippe Coutinho shot that was easily held by Costel Pantilimon the only chances of note.

LIVERPOOL: Mignolet 6 — Johnson 5, Skrtel 6, Toure 6, Moreno 7 — Henderson 6, Lucas 7 — Lallana 6 (Gerrard, 67mins, 6), Coutinho 8 (Markovic, 77mins, 6), Sterling 6 Lambert 6.

SUNDERLAND: Pantil imon 6 — Vergini 6, O’Shea 8, Brown 7, Reveillere 6 — Bridcutt 7 — Johnson 6 (Buckley, 78mins, 7), Larsson 7 (Cattermole, 69mins, 6), Gomez 7, Wickham 7 — Altidore 5 (Alvarez, 69mins, 6).

Referee: N Swarbrick 7