Things are going from bad to worse for Liverpool at the minute and it seems that even their skipper is not immune to criticism.
Steven Gerrard has come in for a fair bit of flack after failing to impress against Crystal Palace on the weekend and with the Reds season threatening to derail at a rather alarming rate, the club and manager Brendan Rodgers need their skipper more than ever both in terms of his ability on the field and also his leadership skills.
Unfortunately for them, at the minute the stats do not make for good reading when it comes to Gerrard of late and he even failed to win any of the tackles he made in the defeat to Palace and made a grand total of zero interceptions.
He looks like a passenger at the minute and you have to wonder not only if he has anything left to give and even warrants a new deal – but more worryingly if he has given up on manager Brendan Rodgers following that match against Real Madrid, when Gerrard was left on the bench in what could well be his last chance to play at such a stadium – in the Liverpool shirt at least.
Another very real concern this term is if, as Luis Suarez hinted at, Gerrard has lost something after making that vital slip costing Liverpool the title last season – but it would be hard to seriously believe that given Gerrard was a major reason the Reds were contenders in the first place and the amount he has given to the club since he was a young boy.
Of course, unlike Rodgers, Gerrard has given his life to Liverpool and has the complete backing of the fans who have long memories and will not forget that Gerrard turned down a move to Chelsea and indeed Real Madrid – according to him at least – in order to stay at Anfield and may well have given up a league title because of that.
The fans would give Gerrard a new deal tomorrow – and after seeing just how well his former England colleague Frank Lampard has done since being outcast by Chelsea, you would be forgiven for agreeing wholeheartedly with them.
One thing that Gerrard can take heart in is that should he leave Liverpool, either through his own choice or that of another, there will be plenty of suitors both at home and abroad vying for his signature.
Liverpool fans. Do you think that Gerrard should be offered a new deal at the club? What does he have left to offer you? Let us know your thoughts below or tweet us @LaFootyettes.