Steven Gerrard still haunted by slip after leaving Liverpool without winning title

Posted Wednesday, June 24, 2015 by theguardian.com

Steven Gerrard has admitted he is still haunted by his infamous slip against Chelsea, which effectively cost Liverpool a first league title for 24 years, on a daily basis while also revealing that being dropped for a Champions League clash against Real Madrid fast-tracked his departure from Anfield.

Gerard left Liverpool for LA Galaxy this summer after 17 years at his boyhood club, during which he won the Champions League, the Uefa Cup, three League Cups and two FA Cups but no Premier League – a gaping hole that may well have been filled in 2014, but for his costly stumble against Chelsea in April 2014.

''The slip happened at a bad time, it was cruel for me personally,” said Gerrard. “There’s not a day that doesn’t go by that I don’t think about what if that didn’t happen. Would things have been different? Would it have turned out different? Maybe it might of, I don’t know.”

That slip, capitalised on by Demba Ba, put Chelsea on their way to a 2-0 victory, which in turn halted Liverpool’s title charge before they spectacularly unravelled against Crystal Palace, enabling Manchester City to clinch the title. Gerrard’s slip was all the more dramatic because he had been so integral in a rampant Liverpool side that had won 11 consecutive matches – including a 3-2 win over Manchester City two weeks before – and were unbeaten in 16 prior to the arrival of José Mourinho’s side.

''Going into the Chelsea game I think because we were in a good run and good form and no fault to Brendan at all, but we sort of went in with the same tactics,” added Gerrard, speaking to Rio Ferdinand as part of ‘Rio Meets Steven Gerrard’ which will air on BT Sport 1 at 10pm on Wednesday. “We heard Chelsea were possibly making a few changes and we actually have the confidence we can blow them away but I think sort of underestimated the power of Mourinho. He came and he spoilt the game. He ruined it. He had them very hard to beat. He had all the units. He spoilt the game.”

Gerrard is due to make his debut for LA Galaxy in mid-July, having announced his intention to leave Liverpool in early January but the 35-year-old’s decision to move was accelerated when Rodgers – who had already publicly spoken of the need to manage the number of matches his captain was playing – left him out of the starting lineup for the 1-0 Champions League defeat away to Real Madrid in November, opting to rest a number of senior players at the Bernabéu.

''This was round about the time when I was doing a lot of thinking about what’s next for me because I’d had a couple of initial chats with Brendan saying to me, ‘I’m going to start managing your games and I have to look after you and I want you to be fresh and I don’t want you to be playing three games in a week because you may be tired’ and stuff like that,” said Gerrard. “But this situation was a bit unique because it was Real Madrid and I wanted to play. I sat on that bench devastated because I wanted to play so, it is one of those situations. It sort of pushed me into making a decision to move on and try something different.”

Gerrard’s Liverpool career came to an ignominious end – a 6-1 defeat at the hands of Stoke City in May to finish a season in which the Reds failed to cope in the absence of Luis Suárez, ending the campaign in sixth. Gerrard however, rates Daniel Sturridge, who made just 19 appearances in an injury-plagued season, just as highly as the Uruguayan.

''I think to myself now. Who do you go and get to replace Luiz Suárez if you’re Liverpool,” he said. “You’re going to have endless amounts of cash. And then does that player want to come with no Champions League? Sturridge is an unbelievable player. He’s got just as much ability as Torres and Suárez but we can’t get him consistently on the pitch.”