Paul Ince: Leader Steven Gerrard ‘like a comfort blanket’

Should Steven Gerrard play or not?

Ahead of Sunday’s meeting at Anfield between Liverpool and Manchester United, Paul Ince — the only man to have captained both clubs — has no doubt about the right course of action for Brendan Rodgers.

“I think any Liverpool team with Stevie G is going to be better, not just from a footballing point of view but from a leadership point of view,” he says. “Stevie G is like a comfort blanket. When he is in your team you feel comfortable, you think ‘oh good, Stevie G is there.’

“When Stevie G is not in the Liverpool team, players worry. They’ve won without him, managed to do well, but you need him in your side, especially on Sunday. It’s one of those games where you need your men, your warriors, and that’s what Stevie G is.”

United’s display against Spurs has made Ince revise his expectations of a game which will have a big bearing on Champions League qualification.

“The way they played against Tottenham was back to a ‘We are Man United’ style of playing,” he says. “The week before against Arsenal they were atrocious, absolutely atrocious, so if you’d asked me this question a couple of weeks ago I’d probably have said a comfortable win for Liverpool. Now, I think there’s a bit more to it.”

On a promotional visit here for Carlsberg’s ‘Join The Greats’ campaign, Ince – out of football management since parting company with Blackpool last year — had watched Barcelona-Man City the previous night in a Dublin pub, and was struck by the sight of Liam Brady on the RTÉ panel.

“I was watching him last night and I couldn’t believe I played with him,” he smiles. “Am I that old? Surely not. But what a player. He wasn’t quick anyway and he was even slower at West Ham. But he had a wonderful, cultured left foot and his mind was so far in front of anyone else’s. I was only 18/19 at the time and you think, ‘Move over old man, I’m taking over’, but he would flick it around the corners and get it back. He taught me a lesson, basically. I’m privileged to have played with great players like that.”